A valid question, one I found myself asking a few weeks back, it seems like there is always another “hot” social media site springing up somewhere that is going to suck even more time and effort out of your day. I am here to say that giving Pinterest a chance is actually worth it both from a personal and professional standpoint in this online marketer’s opinion.

What’s so great about Pinterest?

A few key things make Pinterest a very useful space to play and share. The most critical, in my opinion, is that it’s SUPER easy to connect and sign up. They were very smart basing the account access set up on Facebook and Twitter accounts (you don’t have to have them but it’s much easier if you do). Pinterest, to me, is kind of like my hall closet on the internet now. Basically Pinterest lets you “pin” any content (well media anyway, images and video) you find on the web and then allows you to put it in a custom category grouping (called boards) of your choice. What I did was create some boards to help group together all the assets and activities I participate in as a person and a professional. Now I have boards for all the blog posts that I write, all the clients I work with, products I like, places I want to go, cool articles I find by topic, and useful graphics and textures I might want to use in future design work. All neatly organized in to nifty little boards (or as I like to think of them as plastic Rubbermaid containers in my internet hall closet). Click on the image to the right for a larger view of my board set up.

Make it easy for people to pin your website content

You need to add the “Pin It” button to your website, just like Facebook Like and Twitter tweet buttons. The big difference here (and something I really like) is that the “Pin It” function if implemented correctly will allow you to select from ANY media it finds within the content to which it’s attached. This makes it super easy for your site visitors to share and display what you think is cool (because you are writing about it or sharing it through your website) through their own personal Pinterest boards that they are sharing and allowing other Pinterest users to follow. It’s another way that people can become automatic online advocates for your ideas, opinions, products and services  with just a few clicks of the mouse. What I feel is truly valuable about how this works is that the user decides how to categorize your information which then makes it easier for people sharing that information within Pintrest to find it as opposed to Facebook or Twitter which are more open ended time-line feed types of networks. If you want to take it for a spin, try clicking on the “Pin It” button below and see what you think….

Need Help Getting Pinterest Set Up on Your Website?

Website development, design and online strategic marketing is what we are all about here at FirstTracks Marketing Group. If this kind of connected social media marketing is something you want to involved in but you aren’t sure where to start or the best way to go about it for your business give us a call at 603-924-1978 or fill out this short contact form and we can get the conversation started about how to get your business more well connected to your consumers.

Amazon is planning on going all brick and mortar on us in a west coast test market. I think an oh so overused word applies here, REALLY!? As a brand planner I’d like to think that someone at this master of the online universe might be screaming. When I start to type into my browser, “amazon”, it immediately switches to “amazon-online.” There, that’s it. That’s what they are and that’s what they do. I get it and so does everyone else.

They built this model, they live, eat and breath this model and everyone has been playing catch up for how many years? The consumer knows what they do and so why on earth would they want to reach out to the brick and mortar they have been hammering for years. What do they think they can possibly bring to the table that is MEANINGFUL to the shoppers, better merchandising, better brands, better sales people, better in store muzak? Why would I go? What’s in it for me? Because at the end of the day it is all about the ME and the me knows that Amazon is great deals on the products I want ONLINE.

Get your focus on for your Brand Plan

Having a brand plan and then letting it guide your business is, well, it’s really important. Be it a service, an emporium, or hospital, it’s the stick, the beacon, the guide pointing the way. Beware of those that diss the guide. They end up falling off that cliff into lost profit and confused customers. The brand planning process is hard work and the heavy lifting of marketing your business. We really love this stuff. Heave Ho.

If you would like to talk with us more about how we can help you enhance, control, improve or even create a whole new brand for your organization give us a call at 603-924-1978 or fill out our short contact form.

Are you ready to have your website design improved?

If your online property is ready for a visual and functional overhaul you should definitely give us a call ASAP (check out our portfolio of website samples if you like). We have been designing and implementing website solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes for over 8 years now. If you are looking to do a better job communicating with your customers online and converting more of your online traffic into leads and sales then give us a call today at 603-924-1978 or fill out our website development request form. We look forward to speaking with you soon about your project.

A client who is developing a new company came to FirstTracks Marketing’s President Greg Connolly to get their brand plan in shape. Why? Isn’t it OK to hit the ground running with all the great tools like clever ads, social media buzz, spiffy new website and a catalog or two to hand out at the next trade show? All tactics that FirstTracks can supply?

A BIG LOUD “STOP” echoed across the phone line into the client’s ear. Let’s get your VP of Sales and any other key people in here and let’s really figure out who and what your company is what you’re going to do. Let’s do that first. What a great opportunity for them.  A new company in a high growth market ready to take off.

Here’s the first 3 things on my list that any company needs:

1. A solid product or service
2. A strong market for that product/service
3. A willingness to take advantage of that market

It’s amazing to guide business people through the process of really boiling down what it is they really are and what it is they really do. My role is to create an environment for this company’s executives to truly identify their product, market and will. This is not mission statement, vision statement fluff (run away when someone starts in on that stuff). This is the heavy lifting of the brand planning business. It’s hard. It’s long and when done right you wake up from the fog of the million things to do and a clear course is set. NOW it’s time to get to work. From my side of the room I see clear focused heads nodding “I get it. Let’s go” And the really cool part they got here themselves. As the Wizard of OZ said, “you had it in you all the time”.

Now all the tactics have a guide, a linking mechanism and a reason to exist. There is order in the marketing world. Budgets will be managed properly, consistency will reign and most importantly SALES WILL COME. Customers will buy and the willingness of the purse string managers will soar.

Phew! Want to be in this world too? Want to work hard? I do. Give me a call, 603-924-1978. Fill out our contact form if that’s easier and I’ll call you. Remember, nothing should start until you have a plan. Let’s get planning together.

Sitting in the Wal-Mart buying office lobby is the Star Wars Bar scene of mass market distribution. You can’t believe the array of products and hopeful Willie/Willimina Lomans. Smiles and shoe shines all around and the most powerful of all…the receptionists. If you’re not on their screen you’re not gettin in. No way No how. This is the inner sanctum of EDLP (every day low prices). Most will never experience this but for those product schlepers, yes, those haulers of samples, those weary airport refugees, those lusters after the giant PO, this is the mass market product distribution big time. Better have your game face on, your pitch refined, your packaging perfect and a don’t waste a minute because they’re all precious and you don’t get many. You’ve got a 8′ x 10′ room with no door and a buyer that has heard it all. Speak their language and respect their time.

Pre-Meeting  Mass Market Distribution Check List:

• Make sure you can make a decision
• Product(s) done and ready to go
• Packaging Perfect
• Know your competition
• Know your numbers
• Know your logistics

Like a lot of things, not all the best make it to the show and the real heavy lifting is prior to the actual meet. I’ve been there many times and every time things worked out well it was good preparation that made the difference.

Need help?

At FTMG we know preparation. We know retail. We know design and we know packaging. Let’s get together and plan your next visit to Bentonville. Dial 603-924-1978 or fill out this form. We can help.