A women’s mantra used to be “do it perfectly, and make it look effortless” (and, thanks to some sadistic marketing company, “Never let them see you sweat”). With the advent of Pinterest, that concept has been kicked up to a whole new level. Let me explain.
With the Christmas season right on top of us, I am reflecting on how my Elf on the Shelf could not simply be hidden around the house in random places anymore. Oh no people, it is 2013 and thanks to Pinterest, the expectation is he’s got to have a complete back-story, personality, and never-ending assortment of creative and semi-nefarious (or at the very least, hilariously funny) escapades to get caught in the middle of when morning comes. In our house, he concocted a way to ride a ceiling fan, got trapped in a dessert, and made a snow angel by dumping flour on the counter. To be honest, the bar has been set pretty high, and to accomplish most of the scenarios I’ve seen on Pinterest, I’d need a stage manager, props department, and full-time screenwriters.
Friends who I once thought were pretty boring actually have Pinterest boards that rock my world. Someone out there is creating AWE-SOME (please see original sense of the word) content that any top notch agency would absolutely swoon over. By letting people “collect” (or “digitally hoard", as one of my friends puts it) ideas and allow them to call them their own in such an interesting way, Pinterest really got it right. Now, while I know I will never figure out how to correctly carve a watermelon shark, make a liquor cabinet out of an old TV, or take the time to ombre paint a wall in my house (seriously, people?), I will however, have all those great ideas in one place … when I get a spare minute.
As a marketing company, we’ll employ every possible vehicle to convey our client’s message to the public, and any self-respecting marketer has already pitched what their client’s Pinterest presence should look like. By the way, would you believe that in 2012, I was still being told by clients that Facebook was a “fad”? They probably just broke down and got an email account the month before. Pinterest, however, is new enough that spell check doesn’t even recognize the word, although it never stumbles on “Facebook”. But I digress.
All that to say, creating a client’s Pinterest presence isn’t as simple as throwing together a personal profile and collecting everyone else’s ideas. As marketers, we have to create unique, discoverable, and visually stunning content. My point is this: Any Pinterest work begins with the bar already being set high, and you can’t be graphically lazy when it comes to delivering a truly amazing Pinterest board.
On one hand it can seem a pretty daunting task, but at the same time incredibly exciting. Pinterest offers opportunities that never existed on Facebook, and for me, this is the FIRST social media avenue that has promised to challenge and reward real creativity. Even when we completely customized and rocked a Facebook page, we never got the “wow” factor or personal satisfaction that comes with an amazingly strategic Pinterest page. I believe delivering a quality Pinterest presence will separate agencies who live off of other’s ideas from the truly creative and innovative ones.
Colin Powel said, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” And I think in this instance, it’s okay to let ‘em see you sweat. In reality, you’re going to be sweating anyway, so let it be over hard Pinterest work. I think that’s good for client relationships.
So tell me, how has your brand harnessed the power of Pinterest?
This post was written by Priscilla McKinney, Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing. As a full service agency, we provide full branding overhauls, website development, and extensive digital strategy including inbound marketing packages. Hear more from this Momma Bird in her podcast, Ponderings from the Perch or follow her on Twitter @LittleBirdMktg.
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Social Media for BusinessPriscilla McKinney
Priscilla McKinney, CEO of Little Bird Marketing, is a popular keynote speaker, prolific blogger, podcast host, industry innovator and diversity champion. Her two podcasts are Ponderings from the Perch and Digital Transformation Success. Best known for making waves in the digital marketing industry, Priscilla has been featured on numerous podcasts, is the President of American Advertising Federation Heartland and has received numerous design, entrepreneurship and industry awards. Along with her expert team, she developed the SOAR System – a proprietary process designed to create sustainable lead generation for busy leaders so they can have confidence in the growth of their company without losing focus on their other responsibilities. Priscilla personifies creativity, entrepreneurship and authentic leadership – inspiring others to truly carve out their own path of success in her uniquely funny, no-nonsense and slightly irreverent way. Oh, and don’t give her caffeine. She doesn’t need it.
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