Pinterest For Business: 3 Creative Campaigns From Brands On Pinterest

While many brands are hopping onto Pinterest, there are a few special ones that stand out above the rest with creative, unique campaigns. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Modcloth’s “Something ModCloth, Something You” Pinterest Contest

ModCloth’s whimsical wedding contest lent itself perfectly to the Pinterest crowd–brides to be and those who love, love (ahem, note the name of my blog). They created a contest around wedding accessories and planning, a hugely popular category on Pinterest that people are already pinning about day in and day out. Now, they have the chance to win something while they’re at it!

Gather your bouquet of wedding inspiration, because we’re looking for a cohesive board that will inspire our spring 2012 wedding campaign. To enter, create a board, title it “Spring ModCloth Wedding,” then add a description of your aesthetic to your board. Make sure your board contains each of the 20 pins listed above, in no particular order. In each pin’s caption, include the number, and name that the pin corresponds to for the contest, along with the hashtags #modcloth and #wedding.

A themed Pinterest campaign, especially one that taps into the innate interests of those on Pinterest (lifestyle, design, weddings, home, furniture, recipes), is a winner. Asking people to pin fun photos that are relateable and pairing that with a great prize, makes for a successful contest.

Here’s another little ModCloth creative nugget that’s second runner up:

2. Honda Pintermission Campaign

Honda turned Pinterest on its head with its “Pintermission” campaign, a campaign that sought out some of Pinterest’s most influential pinners, offering them $500 to take a Pintermission–a 24-hour break from Pinterest to go out and experience the things they pin about. Since the new Honda was all about “getting out and living,” the campaign aligned perfectly. Honda sent out creative, personal Pinterest invitations to these influencers, challenging them to take their own Pintermission. The concept was unprecedented in the Pinterest world, and encouraged pinners to stop pinning so they could get out to do the things they pin about. They then asked these influencers to pin about their Pintermission adventures, thus getting them to pin again. Well played, Honda.

This received a ton of buzz for being different. There’s always the “pin it to win it” campaign, but this took the core of what Pinterest is about–aspiration–and made it come to life.

3. JustFab Stylish Scavenger Hunt

Rather than asking fans to create boards on Pinterest, JustFab mixed it up. The brand asked fans to visit the JustFab Pinterest page to unscramble scrabble blocks of hidden words. Then, the fans would email JustFab with their answers for the chance to win new shoes. These brand challenges allow for a more sustainable approach to acquiring Pinterest fans. Rather than one big push from a contest, they acquire fans through these mini challenges. The brand also integrates Pinterest on their Facebook page to promote these challenges and consumers’ pins.

In order to continually gain followers, brands must create buzz and excitement throughout the year. Focusing on a theme or challenge for pinners is a great way to do this. Change out the creative each month to keep people interested and avoids the one-off contest entrants to find out who your real influencers are.

I Love Link Love

Ahhh…I feel so refreshed. Last week I traveled back home and saw all my favorite people in Boston. I had the best time and realized the comforts of where I grew up will truly never fade away. Now I’m feeling a mix of happiness and nostalgia–fully appreciating the ups and downs of making important decisions in your 20’s. So, I hope you enjoy these easy reads that are keeping me balanced and inspired during the rollercoaster ride we call growing up.

This week I’m loving…

Marketing/PR

Intense Fence: Surprise! A Lesson in Superior Customer Service

I Want Her Job: Lesley Cardec: Always Do More Than The Person Sitting Next To You

PR Daily: Owner of PR Agency Speaks Out Against Unpaid Internships

Spin Sucks: What is Your Personal Tagline?

Summer Deliciousness

latartine gourmande: Summer Fruit Papillotes with Lavander Ice cream

I Love Link Love

My Google Reader is filled with blogging and social media goodness this week. Here are some of my favorite must-reads that got me thinking.

This week I LOVE…

Blogging

Styling You: My Fave 10 WordPress Plugins

Respect Bloggers: Is It Ever Okay To Send A Mass Email?

Open View Partners: Influencer Marketing 101: Getting Bloggers and Reporters To Pay Attention

Business Insider: 10 Secrets to Pitching Reporters When No One knows Who The Hell You Are

Social Media

Social Media B2B: 5 Ways To Know Your Employees Are Social Media-Ready (This goes out to The Pinyon restaurant. Hopefully you read this and improve.)

The Worst Tweet Response Ever just got WORSE.

After my angry rant about The Worst Restaurant Tweet Response. Ever, I had to give you a little follow-up.

Introducing The Pinyon. The little restaurant that…couldn’t. Tweet that is. Let’s just say sending 140 characters filled with sensitivity, customer service and respect just isn’t their forte.

I complained to this restaurant a few weeks ago in a tweet that I was unhappy with my experience there. They tweeted back with no tact or common sense. Think sarcastic, rude, unprofessional, annoying. And guess what? They actually did it AGAIN. Talk about Double Jeopardy. I can’t let them get away with murder TWICE. So I’m sharing their mistake. Twice.

After their first terrible response, I didn’t even reply I was so disgusted. Instead, I wrote a blog post. Apparently, they didn’t like that “no response back” thing.

I thought I’d share these somewhat harassing tweets I received AFTER I didn’t answer back from their tweet that a 6-year old could have written better.

For anyone in PR and Marketing, let’s just say this should be on your “never ever do this in a million years list.” Enjoy the following Twitter story, in screen caps:

My 1st tweet complaining to The Pinyon restaurant for the bad service/food. (This was my first “twonplaint” = Twitter + Complaint).

Witness the horror that followed.

No response from me, mostly just hatred. And a blog post.

The Pinyon couldn’t let it go, though. Evidence below of them possibly trying to mend the situation, but actually making it even worst. Is that possible? Yes.

Again, no response from me. The fact that they told me to “get yer tush back in here..” sent me onto another level of disgust.

But, their feelings we’re obviously hurt by my “just ignore them” approach. And they needed to let me know.

Final awfulness: (I screen capped this from my email since they deleted it off their Twitter account..maybe someone stepped in?)

Just wow.

Hope you enjoyed that gem.

I Love Link Love

Welcome to my first-ever I Love Link Love post. I’ve found some great blogs in the last few weeks and can’t wait to share posts on everything from social media to love that I’m lovin’.

This week, I LOVE…

Marketing/Social Media

Duct Tape Marketing: 5 Creative Ways to use Text Messages in Marketing

Spin Sucks: Advice To A Younger You

I Media Connection Blog: National Study Further Demos Your Highschool Classmates Just Won’t Fade Away (due to social media)

Kikolani: 29 Ways To Stay Creative

Love & Relationships

Love Your Way: My Many Causes

Enjoy!

3 Cover Letter Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make

Photo Credit: Zen Cupcake

You eat with your eyes, right? If a pastry behind the glass bakery counter looks unappealing and bland, are you going to snatch it? Nope. It needs to be pretty, colorful & inspiring to get your taste buds sparkling. It’s the same for getting that interview. Trust me. Just top some surprise sprinkles to your cover letter cupcake and make that reader hungry for more. Make it look yummy like this photo. Yum.

Okay, I know it’s not as delicious of a thought as a cupcake is, but I thought I’d liven it up a bit. It’s that dreaded, stressful, I-need-to-make-this-perfect feeling (not mouth watering cupcake goodness) that we all get when writing them. Cover Letters. Ugh.

I have to say, being on the other side of it now in my job, they don’t seem SO scary anymore (still a bit scary though…lets be honest.)

Over the last few months I’ve received a lot of cover letters and resumes from students seeking internships at my agency. It’s been really eye opening for me to see what works and what doesn’t. There are a few things that jumped out at me immediately when reading through these cover letters. Like, taking-candy-from-a-baby obvious. I was able to sift out the best, real and most interested candidates after a few sentences.

Here’s 3 mistakes students made that took them out of the running…pretty quickly.

1) Not Reading Over Their Cover Letter With A Fine Tooth Comb

I was reading through a cover letter of a student that seemed promising. I was ready to send an interview request…until I got to the uh-oh-someone-didn’t-proof-read-paragraph. It said “I would love to work for (another agency’s name) as I think I’d be a successful candidate…” They wrote the wrong NAME. It was obviously a template the student used to apply for various internships. It immediately turned me off when I saw that they copy and pasted the letter, and didn’t even take the time to proof read it to make sure they were addressing the right company. How could I put this person on a copy writing client project? Needless to say, this went into the “no” pile.

2) Being Too Generic

I feel like teachers, mentors, parents and every other person on the planet stresses that you need to have a tailored cover letter. But, people still don’t take the time to do it (those laggards…). I know it can be PAINFUL, I really do. But it’s worth the agony. Deal with it. Some people’s letters we’re just SO boring and cliche, my eyes drifted slowly.

For example: “I’m interested in this internship because I love social media and really think the field is growing.” Okay? That tells me nothing about you. It tells me nothing about why specifically our clients, approach, mission, etc. fits with your interests or passions.

Be specific, read the company’s blog or case studies–comment on a post or a study with your opinion. Find out who the company’s clients are and go to THEIR websites. Study them–impress and write something about the client that inspires you or relates to you or to a project you’ve done or life experience you’ve had. Be different. Be concise. Be specific. Be original. Don’t Ctrl C and Ctrl V it.

3. Writing a Weak Lead-In

I’m not a diva. Not even a little bit. But honestly, all those cover letters and resumes I received on top of all the work I had to do, was tough to juggle with my busy schedule. Many people who are hiring are feeling the same way–trying to balance their work AND the hiring process. So, make your lead-in snappy, interesting, pull the reader in–because it’s easy to get side tracked and skip over you if it’s anything less than this.

Weak Example: “I have vast experience in the social media marketing field and fit all the qualifications of this position.”

Strong Example (if I say so myself): “My experience creating, executing and monitoring social media marketing campaigns, resulting in X% ROI for clients, mixed with my insane passion for all things in 140 characters, makes me the perfect social media nerd for this position.”

What do you think a cover letter needs most?

The Worst Restaurant Tweet Response. Ever.

The title really is true. As a community manager who happens to manage a restaurant chain’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, I was appalled at the response I got from a restaurant I recently tweeted to.

I’m always fearful of being the customer that tweets something bad about a product/company because being a community manager, I’m often on the other side of this anger. However, I decided my complaint was just.

For me, I take each social media complaint about my clients very seriously and personally reach out publicly and privately to mend the situation. I even go above and beyond to delight and surprise people who probably expected to hear nothing. Their sometimes utter shock at the speed and quality of the response is the best part of my job.

But, I can’t say the same was done for me.

On Friday night I went out to a new restaurant called The Pinyon, excited to see what they had in store. My boyfriend ordered some ribs, and received a plate full of burnt meat that was no where near “fall off the bone”–as the waiter had boasted to us while we ordered.

We we’re a little annoyed (how do you mess up ribs that bad?!) so he re-ordered a new dish that was just edible enough to eat. Having worked in the restaurant business as a hostess, server and now marketer, I know that when something like this happens, a manager should come over to your table, apologize, and maybe offer a complimentary dessert or drink to win the customers back over. It’s unbelievable how little gestures like this can turn a guest’s experience around. (This has happened to me numerous times and it’s always impossible for me to leave angry after!)

We got nothing. No manager visit. No complimentary drink. Nada.

Then, when the check came, and we found out the second dish we got was $21.00 (for barely edible) and it wasn’t comped for us, we we’re less than impressed. (since we had to order it because the first dish was so bad even a dog would scoff at it, seriously). It was time for a tweet!

Here’s what I said: (I was a lot less harsh than I wanted out of fear of being too mean. UGH. Lesson learned.)

Here’s where The Pinyon could have surprised me, swept me off my feet like Cinderella with a tweet offering to make it up to me. Something like “@socialmel Let’s make this right! We’d love to send over a complimentary dessert certificate so you can chat with us & enjoy a perfect meal.” Who knows, something LIKE this and my frown would’ve turned upside down.

But, no. This instead.

REALLY? Did they really just say that?! This was the WORST response they could have ever had. I told them I got no “love from a manager” and this is how a professional, supposedly “innovative American food” restaurant responds? From a customer service perspective, this is wrong. It’s like they were specifically trying to annoy me, like a tiny stab back at me. Unprofessional. Rude. Not funny.

Is a child tweeting for them? Obviously whoever is tweeting wasn’t hired to run their social media, I know this. But if you put someone in front of your Twitter account, no matter how many followers you have, it’s so important that they are competent, respectful and customer service oriented. (duh, right?) Not everyone knows this.

Having a sense of humor and playfulness in your responses to customers is very important. But it’s doing it in a tacful, tasteful way that makes a brand great.

I’ve taken a step back for a second, too. I understand that there are people (who are crazy) that might argue that this tweet was genuis, a “tweet with great brand personality” or an interesting way to defuse the situation. But, that’s just silly. It made me even MORE mad. They completely disregarded my complaint and threw me under the buss. Not a good feeling.

Maybe I’m overreacting. But, everyone else puts brands on blast when they deserve it…so I thought it was my time to shine.

How would you have responded?

Why Should I “Like” Your Brand?

I’m going off my spirited rants for a minute and going back to my real passion: marketing.

After working at a social media agency for a few months as what many would call a “Social Media Manager” or “Community Manager”, I’ve explored my niche, and learned quite a few things along the way.

Thanks to measurement and hard work, I’ve  been able to see some positive results, patterns and trends in social media channels. I’ve seen increases in fans and engagement by implementing a few key tactics.

Here’s my take on increasing fans: Offer fans something creative and strong enough that will make them “like” your brand, talk about you with their friends, and cause them to be an informal brand evangelist- your advocate, your voice out their on the streets, your best friend- only the best marketing tool EVER.

(this is minus all the other very important tactics like being customer service oriented, responding to customer needs, and engaging in convo with fans: CARING.):

WHAT WORKS FOR GOOD OLD ME:

FACEBOOK TABS: Specially designed Facebook tabs are like gold. Since they can be interactive, visually appealing, and a fun extension of the brand personality, the offer on the tab will hold much stronger than any coupon you can get in the mail.

For one client, we offered a Free Meal to fans on their birthday every year if they “like” the brand and sign up for the email club. We saw the number of Facebook fans go up by almost 3,000 people in 3 days. What better offer than a free meal at a higher priced restaurant that people love? Nada.

When fans feel like a brand is offering an EXCLUSIVE deal, they’ll be more inclined to use the deal. It’s their special prize for following you.

A simple “like” for a fan isn’t hard commit to in order to get an offer. However, the more steps you add for getting the offer, the less chance you have of acquiring the fan (having them put in their email, answer questions, put in demographic info or go off the Facebook page etc.). Really, they should never be taken off the Facebook page. However, with a good offer, these steps won’t be a hassle for the fan.

Giving an offer where EVERYONE can win, is the ultimate. The CHANCE to win is also a thrill, but knowing you will absolutely get something out of it will make you much more likely to “like” or follow a brand.

Basically, a brand can really grow their reach on social media when they have something exciting going on. Something worth your time. Something to spark your curiosity…

Something to take you away from Facebook stalking your “friends.”

I Can’t Wait Until I Can Tell Someone What You’re Telling Me…

The trend on Twitter right now, #tweetyour16yearoldself, inspired me tonight. This trend could not be more relevant to my life. It made me realize I’ve always been that person that can’t wait until I stop going through what I’m going through, and just make it out on the other end. And on the other side, I envision myself telling the person that’s going through exactly what I’m going through, “you’ll be okay. Everything ends up working out.”

Examples:

As a freshmen, a little 18-year old dreamer going to an out-of-state to college, with no friends, no clue, and more nerves than my stomach could handle, all I could think about was my boyfriend. I had just broken up with him. I was in Colorado, he was in Boston. My first love, my first heart break, my first…well you can guess the rest.

Luckily, my snowboard loving, punk rock listening, girlie girl of a roommate, (all contradictions, I know), ended up being my crying partner in crime. We bonded immediately the first day after spilling our guts about how much we hated and loved our high school boyfriends. For months, we cried and cried, and talked and talked and hashed and re-hashed. Every night I would tell her, “I can’t wait until I’m the girl telling my friend who is crying about her ex-boyfriend that it will be okay. One day you will just get over it. You WILL move on.”

And I did move on. It may have taken a while, but it happened, and when it did, I felt so…free. I now find myself talking to girlfriends who are going through the same thing, the same pain that can only be described as someone turning and turning the knife around in your back until you one day you finally just don’t care anymore. Turn that knife baby, that dazzler isn’t even sharp.

As many times as people told me “it just takes time,” I slowly threw up in my mouth a little as I told myself “Ugh, SO cliche!” But now, I’m gonna do it. IT JUST TAKES TIME.

The same thing goes for my job. I’m minty fresh, as new as they come in the working world. I’m still building relationships, finding my niche, learning who I am, where I fit, and what marketing means to me. When I see people a little bit older than me who are thriving, have moved up in their positions and seem to have it all together, I tell myself “I can’t wait until I’m the one giving the new graduate advice and telling her she will do great. She will make it through.”

I constantly catch myself forcing my heart to live in the moment , while my mind wishes I were living in the easier moment. The later moment when everything is all settled, when I’m successful, well-known, understood, and unwaveringly confident…

As much as I’d like to fast forward, It’s not going to happen. But, going through the hard part, is the only way to get to the other side.

I seriously love…love.

Hopped up on Nyquill. Kind of Enjoying It.

I’ve never taken Nyquil before until tonight. I feel like a druggie. A blogging druggie.

I’ve been struggling for days about what to write, if I even wanted to write, and now, when I’m sick, laying in bed, watching Project Runway and asking myself how Lifetime landed this amazing show, I feel like I’m ready.

My brother just called me and interrupted- so annoying. But, it was a relevant conversation, thankfully. He actually has a very similar job as me, so it’s nice to talk to him and exchange marketing ideas, and remind each other that mom’s birthday is coming up. He wants to get her a snuggie. Amazing. I digress. We may have fought about who gets the remote our whole lives, but I think we’re finally clicking (pun intended).

Should the Nyquil be kicking in right now? I’m the type of person that hates taking anything that changes my natural state. I won’t drink coffee. Well, mostly because I hate the taste. I’ve never taken adoral. Well, mostly because I’m a dorky self-motivated type of lady. And I would’ve never taken Nyquil before. Ever. But having a job, being stressed out, and needing to be on the top of my game all the time, has changed my I-hate-feeling-drowsy-views. I need to feel better, so see ya later natural Mel.

Work has made me sick. Therefore it has made me unnatural. Therefore I am…drowsy. Or at least I think I am.

What awaits me tomorrow? Sending social media plan to client. Check/stressful. Talking to bloggers. Check/love it.  Writing press releases. Check/I don’t have a slash for this one.

I love…love. And Nyquill.

My Life as a Recent College Grad

Being a recent grad is weird. You get thrown into the working world. Your friends start working. You become friends with people who are working. You tell people you just graduated every other day. You see people’s surprised looks when you tell them you actually have a job. You’re a real person.

Here’s how things have changed for me.

1. I pay for my groceries. And gas. And everything else. The good old parentals say I’m making money, and I need to fend for myself.

2. When I get home from work I always want a drink. A stiff one.

3. When my blackberry lights up red, my heart drops a little, as I pray it’s not a stressful email.

4. My lunch breaks are the brightest part of my day. I love them. ❤

5. I find myself talking about work. All the time.

6. Sundays are sad.

7. Mondays are even sadder.

8. A good meeting makes my week. I’m a dork.

9. A new idea excites me. Probably a little too much.

10. Mom bloggers have the ability to determine my mood.

I’m a working woman.

And I still love…love.

“The Social Network”: How Facebook Got Started

Since I eat, sleep and breathe social media everyday, personally and professionally, I thought I’d be doing an injustice to myself not to see the movie, “The Social Network.”

So tonight, I did what every social media professional has done the past week, and went to the movies to see how my job got created. I saw the “The Social Network,” and I left inspired.

Great movie.

I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I really didn’t know the full story of how Facebook got it’s start. The movie put me back in 2003 when it all started. It was a perfect cast. Plus, the fact that it was set in Boston, my home city, was an added bonus for me. The way they shaped the story was intriguing. They centralized the story around the two lawsuits that Mark Zuckerberg was facing- one for an intellectual property suit, and the other for a business dispute. I didn’t realize Mark Zuckerberg was such a…jerk. But, frankly, the guy who invented Facebook, which made my job and my social life exist, can be anything he wants to be.

The complexity and emotion that goes into “inventing” or “re-inventing” an idea is fascinating. Did Zuckerberg steal the idea of Facebook? Or did he just go above and beyond a tiny idea to make it his own? My thoughts are that he took a small idea and made it bigger than the original creators could have ever thought imaginable.

I can say one thing, I need to brush up on my HTML skills. I also need to not care what anyone thinks about me. Zuckerberg proved that being an amazing programmer and an outcast that does only what he wants, can make you an empire. And fast.

Either way, he’s an inspiring guy who at age 26, is the youngest billionaire in the world.

In the movie, as president of Harvard, Larry Summers, says, everyone who goes to Harvard wants to invent something. Maybe I should go to Harvard…Maybe I will.

I seriously love…love. And Facebook.

Mother Knows Best: What I’ve Learned About Mommy Bloggers

Thousands of moms across the country are parking their mini-vans, putting the kids to bed, kissing their husbands goodnight, and logging into their highly professional online empires that we PR people lovingly refer to as, Mommy Blogs.

Recently, I’ve learned just how powerful these mom bloggers are.

1. These women are very professional.

2. They are taste makers. If they like it, their readers will like it too.

3. Individual pitches are key. These moms expect that you’ve read their blog. And rightfully so. Your pitch should reflect that.

4. Moms know what looks good on them. No ifs, ands or buts.

5.  Giveaways are like gold. The mom bloggers want to help their readers in any way they can. This, in return, helps them. If readers are happy, blog stats go up, if blog stats go up, more PR people like me, will reach out.

6. I’m “the lady to talk to” apparently. Moms like to gossip. And word has definitely gotten out. Kinda cool that my name is coming up in momversations.

56 bloggers confirmed and 46 more to go.

Will I be able to make my goal? We’ll just have to wait and see if these moms need me, as much as I need them.

I seriously love…love.