Like any breakthrough site on the Internet, Pinterest has the pundits clamoring to explain how this is either a fad or next big thing.
As usual, there is more fiction than fact.
Pinterest is doing well for sure. The company has funding, income and a lot of press about how well it’s doing. Most say that there is an unique appeal.
Question is how profitable would it be for you to use right now.
Fact: Users in the US are mostly female
Fiction: Female users are attracted to visual.
Pinterest is a sharing site. Seems to reason that women would be more apt to share this way. That’s one guy’s opinion from a lifetime of observing men and women and quite a bit of study in social psychology.
Speaking of studies, I’ve read many times how men are more visually stimulated than women. There is also research to suggest that men are naturally better an some number crunching code tasks(visualizing data), but more often the books I’ve encountered suggest that men see are visual simulated while women use feelings (like connection and sharing).
This is my opinion, not fact. But I did just see where in the UK, Pinterest is used by men.
Conclusion: We really don’t know
Pinterest is Growing Fast
The growth numbers shared in the past couple of months show amazing growth for Pinterest. At current rates of growth, they’ll have more users than there are people on the planet in no time.
Fact: Traffic has taken off in the past two months
Fiction: This growth is going because we love Pinterest
It sure looks like Pinterest has reached a tipping point. The site is 3 years old, and has changed over time, but now seems to be doing everything right.
Some would say this is a magic formula or breakthrough in technology. Frankly, I don’t see that. Facebook allows you to tag and share photos. There has been a fad there for the past few months of putting a quote on a postcard and getting it virally shared. As sharing gets easier, people want to share. This is a trend that will continue for some time.
From what I see, Pinterest does a better job of sharing technically, and benefits from the social graphs users have on Facebook. I’m wondering how much of the rapid growth is due to Facebook?
Pinterest looks to be a success, but it’s not going to crush everyone. Some pundits want to tout a new platform for social media. They seem to think there is certain path:
Friendster –> MySpace –> Facebook –> Whatever’s Next
They ignore how the platforms overlapped and start to wonder off when you ask how to add Twitter, YouTube or Linkedin. Let’s not forget there are more blogging sites creating social interaction than anything else, and email use still trumps them all.
There’s no reason that one has to fail to give us a new winner. The companies that have fallen from grace have had management and technical issues and I like to remember that MySpace is still a giant site when compared to most anything but MySpace.
So What is the Pinterest Secret?
The game is not over. All the facts are not in. but here’s what I think might be behind the rapid growth we’re seeing at Pinterest.
Good execution.
Sharing is super easy. You can click a button and share. Once you click, you can easily pick an existing pinboard or add another. Compare this to the albums of photo sharing sites. - Push to your network. The latest design of Facebook has been rolling out in the past few months and Pinterest is doing a great job of pushing it’s content to the new timelines.
- Easy to add your connections. Like most social networks, you can connect existing social graphs to Pinterest. Some aggressive young companies code their sites to make it easy to add everyone that is on, others make you invite each friend. Pinterest has the best one click add I’ve ever seen.
- Clandestine sign ups. Pinterest emails infer that a friend has found you, and asked you to join them. In reality, it’s well written script that sends out invites to your friends and assumes you’ll like it when they show up (which may be true).
For the most part, these aren’t unique to Pinterest. They are doing a good job of implementing tactics that work. Add a simple design and what appears to be good coding to make the site faster than others and you’ve got a winning recipe.
Can You Be More Like Pinterest in Your Business?
Perhaps the best idea I’ve got from watching Pinterest is how good business ideas, executed well with some creative flair will usually win.
I talk to businesses about little things they are getting wrong and am astounded by how often pivotal ideas are dismissed to focus on things that don’t work. Unfortunately, this is just as true for me on this very blog (and many other areas)
Before we jump onto a Pinterest push, I suggest we take a minute and look at our own businesses. What would it take to create an elegantly simple path for your customer to engage, buy and share your profitable products and services?
We may have our own tipping point moments sitting just a few steps away.
Warren Whitlock
I’ll be speaking at UnSeminar 8 coming up in Austin Texas.
There is plenty to learn from the speakers, but the best reason to attend events like this is the long term relationships that develop from interacting with other attendees.
As I go through my preparation to network, I thought it would interesting to document some of the way the networking with speaker and attendees works so well for me.
Know Who Will Be There
As soon as I book a trip, I look for social media connections.
Let’s start with a list of speakers
I have been doing this for a while, so most of the speakers are already friends on and off Twitter. For the few that I couldn’t recall, I used a Google search. Here is the syntax I use do find a user on Twitter using Google.
twitter.com “warren whitlock’
This all goes in the search box.
Google searches for occurrences of the text between the quotes on Twitter. Usually, you’ll get only the most active use with that name. You click on the link, see the profile and FOLLOW the person.
While on Twitter, be sure to read their recent tweets and click through to their blog and bio links.
Making a List and Checking it Twice (a day)
I created a list of these user handles to follow. I use PeopleBrowsr where I’ll keep a stack (column) open between now and June 20th to see what others are tweeting about. I’ve found that PeopleBrowsr is the fastest way to add people to a group and it allows me to keep it outside of Twitter, where the limit to lists is only 20.
You can use a Twitter list (if you do, let me know and I’ll refer others to it) or a group in almost any Twitter client for this. The Twitter search tool has improved, you may be able to find, follow, and list people as fast as the method I described.
Or, just follow this list I created Unseminar 8 Speakers
I’ll add other attendees to my PeopleBrowsr list as I find and follow them. The speaker list above will likely be left as is to help you get started.
I use this for people I want to know better. I do not wait for them to start talking about the event, and actually prefer to find out what they are talking about besides UnSeminar since I want to have a relationship before and after that event. I already know we have that in common, so I look for what else we can connect on.
Building Relationships Before the Event
Using the links I get from Twitter feeds, I’ll find links to blogs post about whatever expertise the person has, along with other interests on Facebook, LinkedIn and anything else they talk about.
What I’m looking for is their passion. I’ve learned that it’s best to put off my interests for as long as possible and focus on what the other person needs and wants. Many of the famous people I network with are more interested in a charity, cause or avocation than you might think. Some might spend all their time talking about their niche or making money.. that’s okay, but what I’ really want to know is what passion they would follow if they had all the money they ever need. That’s where the real connections lie.
Attack With a Preemptive Love Strike
Here’s where the real fun begins.
Once you have spent a few minutes getting to know a person and their passions, you’ll find at least one thing to love about them. Now we get to put my listen and love marketing strategy into play.
Look for a question asked, a poignant comment, a shared life story or desire from the person you want to know better. I rarely need more than a few minutes to find at least one question or something to provoke a positive comment.
Now do something nice for them. Instead of reading and thinking “that’s nice” TELL THEM in a comment, tweet, or message. Please don’t settle for “nice post” or “I’m a fan (I use that when I’m nervous.. it rarely gets a positive reaction). Take a couple of second more and think of something specific and personal that you can say. It doesn’t need to be long, but it has to show you really mean it.
My friend Dr. Ben Mack is calling the a preemptive love strike which means that you don’t wait for others to reach out to you, you look for ways to show love.
Since I’ve used Twitter and social media to help me show love and appreciate to others, I’ve learned to do it much more often… and now find ways offline to do the same.. handwritten notes, a book from Amazon with a note enclosed, a phone call when it’s not expected.. I can’t imagine ever running out of opportunities.
This works. I just set up a joint venture from sending one post card, I have sold consulting to someone who watched how I tweet positive ideas and made new friends while strengthen bonds with many others from using these love strikes.
Watch for the HashTags
Attendees to UnSeminar 8 will be encouraged to tweet and talk about the event and add “#UN8” to the end of each post. This will trigger a link in their posts and allow others to click and see a stream of every tweet with that tag.
You can view this on the web using cool tools like TwitterFall
You can click on the photo to see the current stream for #UN8 or use this site to set up your own instantly updating stream with whatever search term, list of people you want to see. It’s great for projectors or monitors at events.
Using the hashtag, you can also set up a stack or column in nearly every Twitter client. On the web you can follow us from any browser with Twitter Search
Attend the Preview Webinars
Anyone can attend the free preview webinars to spend time with Pat and the Speakers before the event. Listen to what they teach, but watch for ideas of where you might send a preemptive love strike.
UnSeminar 8 previews are available free online. Most other events offer similar pre-event training. When we do this, it’s a preemptive love strike on attendees and many others who won’t be able to make it.
Event promoters tell me that this doesn’t hurt attendance. In many cases, attendance as the following event goes up due to people hearing the training and deciding they want to get in on the best part.. the live networking.
Come to the Tweet Up
Many events have pre-events the night before the official start time. This is often the best way to get a leveraged fast start on meeting speakers, promoters and experienced attendees for a head start.
Austin Tweet Up expert Kate Buck will be setting up a Tweet up on Thursday June 17th for Austin locals, UnSeminar 8 attendees and you. Follow @KateBuckJr on Twitter and watch for announcements. When you see the invite, you’ll be able to access a list of attendee and follow them.
By the time you get to the Tweet up, you’ll already be seeing friends you met online.
Help Promote the Event
When you tweet about the event, you’ll be doing a preemptive love strike on the promoter, the speakers and other attendees who will benefit from meeting you network.
This can be done even if you can’t make it to the live event.
When you tweet about #un8, point your follower to http://UnSeminar8.com and let them know the handles of the cool people who are speaking or attending. When you tweet something like this:
you know that Pat will see it and appreciate you. This preemptive love strike is about as direct as you can get.
Keep in Touch After the Event
As you begin to use these tips, you’ll find that it takes a lot less time that you might have though before you start. Pretty soon, you’ll have new friends and connections, a network of people that will remember your preemptive love strikes and be looking for ways to help you.
It’s natural to think that you have to sell something to them or perhaps it might be a waste of time. Actually, the reverse is true. The more times you can reach out and help (love) your contacts, the more apt they will be to ask you how they can help you.
When they do, be ready to engage them and move into whatever you need.
Of course you want to keep your goals and desires in mind. I know we can’t do an individual love strike on every contact every day, but I have doubled, doubled again and still increasing my capacity to do this. So far, I can’t see any time that I will want to love less.
These are just a few of the quick steps I take when attending a seminar, and every day. I know each of these work because I’m using them. Do you have other ideas? Please share them with me. Leave a comment, Tweet about this post and let’s discuss what works and what hurdles you see. When you do, I feel your love 🙂
Imagine a time when you’ll have so many asking to engage you, wanting to reciprocate for the love you’ve show and anxious to see you do well.
Listen and Love.. it’s as simple as that.
I’ve been putting off doing a “page” on Facebook for as long as they’ve been around.
Fist off, I hated the term “fan page” from the start. I don’t want to be seen as a guy looking to get “fans” or establish myself as a guru.
Trouble is, the limits to connections on Facebook have kept me for interacting with more people and the “page” technology is perfect for allowing the loose connections with good stuff that I support and promote for authors and businesses.
Why I’m Setting Up a PAGE on Facebook
I’ve been playing with a page for the listeners of Profitable Social Media radio for the past few weeks and advises clients to set up page for every book and business.
After all, Facebook as over 400 million readers, pages have grown from 5 to 20 million in the past few months. This is where your readers are expecting to see you.
Today, I logged into Facebook and saw this at the top of my page:
Introducing the Like button
Starting today people will be able to connect with your Page by clicking “Like” rather than “Become a Fan.” We hope this action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site
I like being liked!
Watch for the announcement and links to my page here. I’ll be sure to put gobs of great new information on that page.. that’s the best way to grow a community.. GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.
In the mean time, if you haven’t got a page already.. got get one. If you are technically challenged, let me know and I’ll direct you to some of the wonderful people we have doing Facebook pages.
Do you have a page? Comment below and let me know.
