Pinterest: Tips for Branding

Pinterest has become a power when it comes to driving traffic to retail sites. In the wake of this explosion, there’s already been a fair amount of wriitng on Pinterest as a marketing tool but we haven’t seen anything about Pinterest as a branding tool.

Pinterest has some pretty sweet demographics. Everyone knows the ladies love it. It turns out, those ladies tend to make more than $100,000 per year, while 50% of them are in the coveted 25-45 year old cohort. Half of them have kids. So – upper middle class, harried moms.

A simple, attractive, social site like Pinterest is tailor made for these folks and some retailers and others.

Using Pinterest for Branding:

• Make sure Pinterest fits into your brand and social media strategy. No brainer here, but obviously not every social media outlet is appropriate for every brand. Although some entities and organizations that I wouldn’t have expected (looking at you, US Army)have turned up on Pinterest, and are apparently successful there.
• Focus on lifestyle, not products. Brands like Whole Foods have been successful on Pinterest, not by posting links to their own products (although they do this), but by promoting a lifestyle that supports their brand. Their pins are shots of beautiful people in beautiful kitchens making beautiful food (hey! That’s available at Whole Foods!) Links to their own products are in the mix, but don’t dominate.
• Make sure your own photos rock. Look at the other photos in your stream if you’re not a photographer and emulate your favorites. Or hire a professional photographer to shoot your merchandise.
• Build an online catalog – if you’re a fashion designer, for example, create separate pinboards for your collections. Pretend this doesn’t contradict what I wrote before.
• Optimize your Website for pinning by making sure it includes great images. On the other hand if images are not a strong suit for your brand, or simply inappropriate for your market, Pinterest may not be the most effective space for you to market. Stay away.
• Place a “Pin It,” button on your Website, especially if you have great photos of your products. This allows users of your site to easily post images of your amazing wares to their pinboards.

Pinterest still has that “new car smell.”
Right now Pinterest is an exciting new toy. Everyone loves it and almost everyone is using it, but we still don’t know if this is a long-term success or a flash in the pan.

Regardless of its staying power, though, the most important keys to effectively using it for branding are not that different from any other branding tool.

Know your market. Measure your results. Be consistent and persistent. Don’t contradict your core brand values. Finally, Pinterest’s strengths (simplicity, visual flair) lend themselves to having fun with it. So have fun!

The Art of Re-inventing Retail Management at Xmas - Art Kleiner of S+B

Many retailers will be looking back this holiday season, comparing their sales to past years. They should also be looking ahead to next season and 2011.

Below are a number of links to several s+b articles which suggest that the pressure on retailers during the next few years, stemming from changes in technology and customer habits, will be even tougher to deal with than the financial pressures of the recent past.

Perhaps the biggest change is the rise of mobile commerce [http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00053?gko=9bcc1]: a world where most shoppers have smartphones and the store boundaries have eroded.

New academic studies [http://www.strategy-business.com/article/re00122?gko=ab138] confirm that online commerce will indeed permanently cannibalize bricks-and-mortar sales.

Big changes are also coming in luxury retail [http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00033?gko=82498] and in a general movement towards minimising the provision range to create simpler, less overwhelming choices [http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00046?gko=13ead].

Consumer habits are going through a "spend shift" [http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00054?gko=340d6] toward value and frugality. How can retailers cope with all this?

Possibly by reinventing themselves with a distinctive edge. There's much guidance on this subject in the new consumer and retail electronic newsletter [http://www.booz.com/global/home/what_we_do/industries/consumer_products/CR-Foresight/crfs_signup] from our parent firm, Booz & Company.

Each reinvention strategy will be different, but every retail enterprise will need one.

Thank you Art Kleiner

BLACKSOCKS - Retail: A different Repeat Business model

Everyone hates shopping for socks. right? But we all need them and we all want to avoid those embarassing moments at the boss's 'chillout' party when we kick off our tight shoes and there, on full view for all to see is our stumpy big toe, defiantly sticking through our old socks.

You feel that hard fought-for promotion flying away along with the respect and adoration of your office assistant and her cool friends.

Who has the time or motivation to buy socks anyway? You have to be some kind of crazy person to spend your valuable spare time searching the mall for knitted foot gloves to match your business ensemble.

Fear not! There is a simple stress-free solution. BLACKSOCKS - There is no easier way to deal with your sock sorrows

This is an excellent example of an online retail business model that directly meets the consumers' needs for frequent changes of 'consumable' clothing.

These items are like spark plugs and tyres in a car, they will burn out or wear out and it is a low priority chore to replace them. Best to do it at a time and place that is convenient to you.

Pre-emptive, structured or scheduled maintenance has been an acceptable fact in the engineering world since time began and it can also be applied to consumers in retail and other sectors.