5 Tips to Leverage Pinterest for your Business

Pinterest is a great tool to search and organize ideas and products for almost any personal or business-related activity. Businesses are increasingly joining the Pinterest platform to gain exposure and drive traffic back to their website. Here are five ways to make the most of your business page on Pinterest.

1. Add a Pin It button on your site

This is a great way to drive more traffic from pinterest to your blog (or other site), and vice versa. The Pin It button incentivizes your viewers to add your content to their Pinterest boards, and their followers will then be exposed to your images and website as well.

2.  Create boards that reflect your business

It’s so easy to get caught in the fun, diverse, and entertaining nature of Pinterest, but it is important that your business presence on Pinterest stays relevant to your brand persona and your boards accurately reflect your business. Find a balance between what your followers want to see and what you want your followers to see. For example, if your business sells children’s apparel or accessories, pin not only your products, but also articles relating to children’s safety, kid-friendly recipes to try, and DIY birthday party ideas. This will keep your target audience entertained while your products stay fresh in their minds.

3. Use “rich” pins

A rich pin is a pin that has a wealth of relevant information attached to it so that Pinterest users can understand the exact details surrounding your pin. Add information like price, location, ingredients, and then add important metatags to your site.

4. Invite others to post to your boards

Creating a group board allows other users or businesses to collaborate to make the perfect Pinterest board to suite the common interests and objectives of all the users. Some magazine companies use this tactic and collaborate with various brands and designers that are often featured in the magazine.

5. Vary Board Positions based on Season

Pinterest traffic varies based on the time of year, and it’s important to remember that when placing your boards! Holiday seasons are particularly busy times for Pinterest traffic. Highlight popular seasonal activities and products such as Christmas recipes, Halloween decor, or tips for Spring cleaning to stay relevant during important times of year.

There are so many more great tips to utilize Pinterest for your business!

Content originally created for and published on Imagine Media Consulting blog.

4 Simple Ways to Incorporate Digital Marketing Strategy in your Store Location

Social media strategy is highly focused on driving traffic to websites or into physical store locations, but this isn’t a one-way street. Retailers with a brick and mortar store location can up their social media engagement with just a few simple tricks that they can incorporate into their stores to extend their reach and boost their success online.

1. “Follow Us” Cards or Displays- A display or business cards with your social media handles at the checkout counter is a great option for your customers to become aware of your social channels if they weren’t already. You can even slip a card into their shopping bag with their receipt so they’ll see it again once they’re going through their new purchases.
2. QR Codes- Selling individual accessories or home decor pieces? Try placing a QR code linked to a recent post next to a featured product. This way, customers in store can see holistically how a particular accessory can be incorporated into an outfit or a home accent can tie an entire room together. This option is also great for food products. Attach a QR code to an item that goes into a great recipe from your website.
3. Like/Follow for Discount- Another great incentive to get customer engagement on social is to offer discounts for follows and likes at checkout. Whether it’s 10% off their purchase that day or the next time they come in, it’s a great way for you to increase your reach and for them to save a buck or two.
4. Hashtag decals- Ready. Set. Mirror Selfie. If you sell apparel, chances are people are snapping pics in the fitting rooms to their friends asking for opinions. Adding hashtag decals into your fitting rooms can act as another method for boosting your brand awareness.

These four little details are great to effectively blend your in-person and online presence, gain new followers, and keep your most loyal customers coming back!

Content originally created and published for Imagine Media Consulting blog

7 Excel Shortcuts You Should Know

Emails, task sheets, calendars, and spreadsheets are crucial for businesses to stay on top of their organization game. Excel is popular for organizing spreadsheets of important information and numbers that can ultimately hold the core activities of business together. Here are 7 great shortcuts for Excel on Mac that will maximize your efficiency so you can spend less time crunching numbers and more time making meaningful connections and doing what you love.

1. Date and Time- If you need to quickly add today’s date or time to a spreadsheet

Date- Command +  ;

Time- Command +  :

2. Fill Down- If you need to copy information in a cell down a column without having to copy/paste

Command + D

3. Select All- To select all cells in a particular region without having to click and drag

Command + A

4. Repeat- To repeat your previous action and place it a new cell

Command + Y

5. Extend Selection- To select a large amount of data without having to scroll down 200+ cells

Command + Shift + Arrow Key

6. Edit Cell- To edit the contents of a cell without having to double click the cell

Command + U

7. Multiple Cell Entries- To enter the same formula into multiple cells

Select All Cells - Command + Enter

Just these seven simple shortcuts can save you so much time and effort, and you’ll find your work day much more efficient. Still want to know more? You can find 222 more Excel shortcuts here.

Content originally created and published for Imagine Media Consulting blog

United Airlines is Done For

Twitter has become a prominent platform to reach out to businesses for easily accessible customer service. As Twitter is a social site for people to express their opinions, it is important for businesses to monitor consumers' perceptions about their brand.

Back in 2009, a musician named Dave Carroll flew on United Airlines, and the luggage handlers broke his guitar. When he attempted to reach out to United Airlines, they were apathetic and didn't do anything to assist him. He then wrote a song describing his grievances called "United Breaks Guitars," and it went viral overnight. Everyone knew that United breaks guitars.

This viral video taught businesses the importance of handling customer service issues promptly and professionally, they didn't want to go viral in a negative light! Now, 8 years later, United Airlines has an even bigger issue to recover from.

On April 9th, United Airlines staff forcefully removed a passenger from an airline in Chicago after the flight needed 4 additional seats to accommodate staff members. When nobody volunteered, they had to randomly choose 4 people to leave the plane. When one customer refused, he was forcefully removed, and was hit in the face during the removal. The removal was caught on video, and it immediately went viral, even getting President Trump to comment that this service was "horrible."

The outraged public immediately went to Twitter, making all sorts of memes to make fun of United and even satirically tweeting at them to incite responses.

United has gone from being a mediocre airline, to the laughing stock of social media. Their stock has plummeted, and their damage control team's work has been less than promising. What does the future hold for United?

Not So Sneaky Native Advertising

In the last 5 years, Facebook has increasingly become the platform for people to promote their original content, driving traffic and awareness to their personal and professional blogs and websites. If I'm scrolling through Facebook, I often see The Odyssey Online or Thought Catalog articles that have a catchy title that will bring me to their site.

Just last week, I was on my Facebook timeline, and I found my way to an article that really struck my interests. (as I was most likely in the target audience.)

This is How I Afford Luxury Travel on a Super Low Budget

As a broke college student with a deep desire to travel the world, I thought this article would be super insightful and give me great insights to go on adventures without having to break the bank.

It turned out, that the article was merely a 250 word promotion for Honey, a Google Chrome add-on that automatically applies discounts and promo codes to your cart before you make an online purchase. Basically, it has nothing to do with travel, but you can use it for traveling.

Native advertising is a great way to drive traffic to your website, however, if your native advertising isn't relevant or subtle under engaging content, you can run the risk of your audience feeling like they fell victim to click-bait. 

Virtual Reality Delivers the Royal Treatment

The live action Beauty and the Beast movie released in theaters this past Friday dazzling fans and critics alike. Disney lovers all over have been anxiously awaiting the revamp of the 1991 classic using #BeOurGuest across social media platforms.

Friday afternoon, the official Beauty and the Beast Facebook page released a virtual reality video, powered by Oculus. This video was of Lumiere, the famous showman candlestick, performing Be Our Guest. During his performance in the video, the virtual reality technology allows viewers to a 360 degree view of the grand dining room as he performed. You can turn to your left and see the coat hanger offer you a napkin, and you can even tilt your phone up to see Lumiere swinging across the chandeliers.

The pairing of Oculus technology and the Disney classic is a perfect way to highlight the release the film, as viewers get a chance to step into Belle's magical world and look around from her perspective. It's every Beauty and the Beast lover's dream.

Every Receipt has a Story: Walmart and the Oscars

Last night, Walmart sponsored the Academy Awards, but with a creative twist. In the spirit of Hollywood film making, Walmart challenged 3 award winning directors to create a one minute video based solely off of a Walmart receipt of these random items:

Bananas.
Batteries.
Paper towels.
Scooter.
Wrapping paper.
Video baby monitor.

This is how Antoine Fuqua, director of Southpaw, Olympus has Fallen, and The Equalizer, depicted the receipt, titled The Gift. 

Marc Forster, director of World War Z, Quantum of Solace, and The Kite Runner used the same receipt to create his short film called Lost and Found.

The third short film, Bananas Town, was directed by both Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, both known for The Interview and This is the End.

Walmart used the Oscars to convey the idea that "Every receipt has a story," and this story is unique to each individual consumer. Each receipt you stuff into your pocket after picking up your groceries has the potential for an amazing story... the story of your life.

Which one was your favorite?

Athens Chick-fil-a, I Love You

Three words. Three little words. Say them and I'm yours.

"Let's get Chick-fil-a."

Chick-fil-a fast food restaurants are famous for their chicken sandwich, their hilarious cows, and their impeccable customer service. With fresh cut flowers on the tables and servers waiting on the edge of their seat to refill your lemonade, you truly feel like it really is their pleasure to serve you.

The two main Chick-fil-a franchises of the Athens, Georgia area have certainly lived up to this reputation of customer service. They have also gone above and beyond to cater (pun intended) specifically to the University of Georgia students offering a wide variety of specials and events, and they channel their social media presence to promote an ever-loyal customer base.

A Thursday in Athens isn't simply a Thursday. Thursday is College Night at Chick-fil-a where you get a free entree or dessert with your student ID when you purchase a meal.

When the Atlanta Falcons were on the way to the Super Bowl, Athens Chick-fil-a had a deal every single day leading up to the big game. They embraced the hype of the community and brought in a substantial amount of business standing behind the beloved team.

Athens CFA also recently dropped a short media graphic announcing the arrival of a food truck that will be released this upcoming Thursday at a big event with games and prizes. In the event, the Athens franchise boasts that this food truck will be the first of its kind, and they are gaining traction for this event with their social media promotions.

CFA also hosts a wide variety of events. In the fall, there is a big, week-long fundraising contest known as Chick-fil-Anthropy where the restaurant hosts a variety of contests in which UGA philanthropy organizations participate, and the philanthropy with the most points at the end of the week receives $1,000 toward their particular cause. One of the contests involved liking your particular philanthropy's photo on the Athens Chick-fil-a instagram giving their social media presence a significant boost all while supporting the charitable organizations of the University of Georgia. This event drew in large amounts of college students throughout the week entire week and positive exposure for the franchise as well.

From college nights, to food trucks, to daily freebies, to community outreach, to huge events and sponsorships, Athens Chick-fil-a knows what it means to be a part of not only a college town but also an entire community. And for that, it's my pleasure to give them my business. 

Home Sweet Home: SunTust Park

Today marks the beginning of most wonderful time of the year. Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training. The wait is over. It's baseball season.

Last year marked the final season that the Braves would play in Turner Field, their home stadium since 1997, before moving to their brand new SunTrust Park currently under construction for the 2017 season and beyond. This new stadium is located approximately 15 miles north of Turner Field, but the Braves are moving up in more ways than just geographically.

The Braves finished their 2016 season strong with manager Brian Snitker leading the team of both veterans and new, young talent and building momentum that will carry into the new season at SunTrust Park. The Braves' marketing strategy has been centered around embracing these new changes in players, coaches, and ballpark, trusting the rebuilding process, and having hope for the season to come. SunTrust Park offers Braves Country a glimpse into the future, and this future is indeed very bright.

SunTrust Park is promoted not just as a ballpark, but a home for the team and all the faithful Braves Country. It is a place where fans far and wide can come be a part of the legacy, the new era of Braves baseball. Their website includes a countdown to the home opener and live webcam of the construction of the stadium allowing fans to physically watch the construction of the Braves' journey home.

The team has also continued to highlight those who grew up Braves fans who have then gone on to play for their team, their home including Tyler Flowers, Dansby Swanson, recently acquired second baseman, Brandon Phillips, and other up and coming prospects. These players reinforce the message that this season is all about coming home for players and fans alike.

Welcome home Braves Country, welcome home. 

Tide Won the Super Bowl

Having grown up in the Atlanta area and living in Georgia my entire life, watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday hurt. A lot. I suppose I'll just leave it at that.

The Super Bowl is not only important to the world of football fans, but also the world of marketers. The best, most expensive commercials are aired for a massive audience, and it's important to leave a lasting and positive impression on such a large audience. No pressure, right?

Tide used Fox Sports TV Analyst, Terry Bradshaw, to create one of the best marketing strategies in the Super Bowl I have ever seen. Just minutes before halftime, Bradshaw sat down to discuss the game and upcoming reports. Terry Bradshaw had a huge stain right on the front of his shirt... during the Super Bowl. Everyone saw it, and #BradshawStain began trending on twitter.

It wasn't until a few minutes later, in the midst of the social media frenzy, that Tide dropped their full length commercial showing Bradshaw noticing the stain and making a hilarious mad dash out of the stadium to fix his shirt before his halftime report. Tide pods plus Downy saved the day. 

Some Twitter users were disappointed that they fell for the sneaky ad, others appreciated Tide's successful strategy creating Bradshaw's faux pas, causing a buzz, and solving it with a humorous commercial promoting their product.

Even Avocados from Mexico, another brand promoted in the Super Bowl, embraced Tide's commercial and created this tweet to promote their avocados using the #BradshawStain hashtag. 

If only Tide could wash away the outcome of that game.

Brand Loyalty from Hopeless Romantics

Our society loves to put love on a pedestal. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are flooded with #RelationshipGoals, and heart-eyed emojis can be found in the comment sections of every couple's latest profile picture. We love love. If you're in a relationship, you want to be those hashtag relationship goals. If you're a hopeless romantic, you dream of a day love will come your way as you eat potato chips in bed at 10:00 pm watching the latest RomCom on Netflix. (No judgment)

Extra Gum took note of society's obsession for sappy romance and released an ad in October of 2015 depicting the budding love story of a young couple with Extra Gum playing an integral role in their relationship.

This two minute video immediately went viral on social media after it was released, and it now has over 92 million views on Facebook with another 20 million views on YouTube. It's been over a year since the video came out, and it's still on the homepage of Extra's website today. Viewers comment on how an ad has never made them cry before and how this is "the one ad I will never skip over." Extra Gum succeeded getting through to the click-through generation, which is no easy feat.

From a marketing perspective, I absolutely loved the Extra Gum commercial and what it accomplished. The video came across more as a romantic short film with obvious product placement instead of just a typical commercial. Extra had me bought into the story, not the gum, and because of that, I choose to buy Extra Gum rather than their competitors. They got me hooked through the sweet story of Sarah and Juan, but I stayed loyal for the quality of their gum.

Obnoxious Advertisements: Who Do They Really Benefit?

Repetition is one of the many marketing tactics that businesses use in order to keep their products and services easily remembered by consumers. If I said, "Like a good neighbor..." or "Geico. Fifteen minutes..." I am positive that anyone with a television could finish the statements with the proper slogans for the two popular insurance companies. They are clear and concise, and they tend to conclude their witty, 30-second commercials. These companies use repetition to their advantage, however, others across other platforms, cannot say the same.

Spotify, the popular digital music streaming service, has both free and premium versions of their application. Their free version is paid for by various sponsors who place advertisements to promote their products periodically between songs or when the listener uses one of the coveted 5 skips per hour. I used the free version of Spotify for about a year before breaking down and purchasing the ad-free subscription. This was not because of the presence of the ads, but the constant repetition of the same, horrendously annoying ads that I could not seem to ignore anymore.

The most obnoxious of them all was the Fuze tea ad with Mr. T. He almost blew out my speakers when he came on every 12 minutes yelling about how fresh both he and Fuze were. The more the advertisement played, the more I began to resent Fuze, and I concluded that I would never purchase the tea because I was so irritated with their ads ruining my relaxing playlist of evening acoustics. Their repetitious advertisements caused me to act completely opposite of what Mr. T and his marketing team wanted from me.

c/o The Coca-Cola Company

Naturally following my rage and disdain for this butterfly man and his tea, I purchased a $4.99/month subscription for Spotify Premium (shoutout to that student discount) without a single regret. The business promoting themselves on Spotify ironically turned me away from their product and in turn benefitted Spotify with additional revenue from my premium subscription.

Don't thank me, Spotify. Thank your obnoxious sponsors. 

Wendy's has Gone Savage on Twitter and it's Working

Whether I'm riding on a campus bus across campus, or sitting in a large lecture hall waiting for class to start, I like to aimlessly scroll through my Twitter feed to pass the time. I smile as I like an adorable video of an owl snuggling with a kitten, I laugh as I watch a practical joke go horribly wrong, and I always make sure to hit retweet when I see the Dawgs get a big win. For me personally, Twitter is a source of entertainment, but countless firms use social media to promote their products.

Social media has significantly altered the way in which businesses and organizations stay connected with consumers. Dissatisfied customers can easily tag businesses in tweets expressing their concerns, and the companies' social media specialist will respond to these issues quickly and efficiently to attempt to solve the customers' problems.

I primarily use my Twitter for entertainment. Companies use social media to promote their business. One big corporation--disguised as one little red headed girl--was so creatively able to bridge this gap and catch and keep my attention while aimlessly scrolling one day... and that company is Wendy's fast food chains.

Wendy's has been entertaining young social media users through the use of quick-witted digs at their competition and playful banter with users that tweet at them.

One user even asked Wendy's to roast them. Wendy's happily obliged. 

It was this particular tweet that got my attention. I wanted to see what all of this madness was about. The more I read through Wendy's tweets, the more I wanted to be a part of the conversation. I ended up following the restaurant chain. I laughed at their memes, their gifs, their sense of humor. I wanted Wendy's to roast me. I mean, what an honor, right? That's when I realized the genius behind Wendy's social media presence. They're both entertaining and communicating with millennials who use social media as a platform for these two purposes. They're making themselves stand out compared to other fast food chains (I peeked at McDonald's twitter and it was a total snooze-fest in comparison) and easily recalled to younger consumers who want a midnight snack after a basketball game or a night of studying. 

When given the choice between a McFlurry and a Frosty with a side of good humor, you can bet I'll be getting myself a Frosty.