FTC Ruling on Pinterest Contest Increases Urgency Over Disclosures

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says that a contest asking customers to pin photos of a brand’s product on Pinterest violated the Federal Trade Act.

Cole Haan, a seller of shoes, bags and accessories, had offered a $1000 shopping spree as the prize for the “Wandering Sole” contest.

In a letter to Cole Haans’ legal team, Mary K. Engle, associate director of advertising practices for the FTC, spelled out the specifics of the contest explaining:

“The contest rules instructed contestants to create Pinterest boards titled ‘Wandering Sole.’ The contest rules further required that a board include five shoe images from Cole Haan’s Wandering Sole Pinterest Board as well as five images of the contestants “favorite places to wander.” Finally, contestants were instructed to use ‘#WanderingSole’ in each pin description. Cole Haan promised to award a $1,000 shopping spree to the contestant with the most creative entry.”

In the letter, Engle said the commission had been most concerned with the apparent lack of disclosure in the contest. She added:

“We believe that participants pins featuring Cole Haan products, and the fact that the pins were incentivized by the opportunity to win a $1,000 shopping spree would not reasonably be expected by consumers who saw the pins. Moreover, we were concerned that Cole Haan did not instruct contestants to label their pins and Pinterest boards to make it clear that they had pinned Cole Haan products as part of the contest.”

Engle went on to say that the commission considered the inclusion of the #WanderingSole with each submission insufficient to disclose the financial incentive between contestants and Cole Haan.

Can a Contest Turn Into Deceptive Marketing?

Think of it this way. I want you to publicize my new T-shirt design to your followers on Pinterest. I could just ask you, of course. You and about 100 other people I might know.

But a way to give you more incentive would be for me to offer say, $1,000 as a prize to the person who posts the most images of my new T-shirt design to Pinterest.

The trouble is that other people who see you posting images of my T-shirt design may have no idea that you’re posting these images, not because you think my T-shirts are cool, but because you’re trying to win $1,000.

Be Sure to Disclose

Despite being convinced the contest violated federal trade law, the FTC has decided not to pursue an enforcement action.

The commission says its decision is based on the short run of the contest and the limited participation it generated. But Engle wrote that Cole Haan has also been cooperative about establishing a social media policy addressing the commission’s concerns.

Nevertheless, Greg Sterling, contributing editor at Marketing Land rightly points out that the ruling will have a significant impact. This will especially be the case when brands think about how they interact with users on Pinterest. And that may be true for interaction on other social media channels, too.

Be sure to disclose any financial incentives you have been given for endorsements you make on your blog or on social media, of course. But be sure you encourage others who have received incentives from you to do the same.

Image: Wandering Sole

More in: Pinterest

7 Missing Elements of Your Content Strategy

I bet like any other business owner you want more clients and ideally, you would like them to knock on your door. After all, what’s better than a lead who has found you by themselves and reaches out for a quote?

Enter content marketing.

Content offers opportunity. It can expose your business to a multitude of new prospects. With content you can target potential clients at different stages of the buying cycle, not to mention with different buyer intents. You can nurture your leads until they are ready to buy or fix a problem for them.

But here is the catch, all of this doesn’t happen by itself. Creating great content isn’t enough. To get the most out of your content marketing efforts, you need to actively promote it to reach your target audience. As someone once said, a successful content strategy is 20% creation and 80% promotion.

But most of the time, your content strategy falls short by missing some crucial elements.

1. No Paid Promotion

Your content should end up in front of your target audience, fast. To get it out there, use paid advertising. But, of course, not every piece of content deserves paid promotion.

When it comes to heavy magnitude pieces, however (content that’s designed to attract large numbers of qualified leads to your site - ebooks, white papers, reports etc.), paid advertising is by far - a must.

2. Not Using Landing Pages with Your Content

Even the best content might fail if the other pieces of lead generation strategy aren’t working. One of which are landing pages - Web pages dedicated to a specific aspect of your business.

Unlike your website, which has to cater to all of your prospects, landing pages allow you to pitch to a very specific lead, someone with a particular problem you hold a solution to. Thanks to landing pages, if a particular piece of content attracts your target audience, they will have a business reference point to find out more about how your business could help them.

3. Lack of Integration With Other Marketing Strategies

Content marketing is an integral part of the entire marketing communications. Most of the time however, it is created separately from other marketing activities.

Blog posts, videos, graphics, comic strips and other content types, however, can complement your overall marketing and branding efforts and not work outside of it.

4. No Diversity of Content Types

It is unfortunate that content marketing is often considered synonymous with blogging. Blog posts are one of the most common content types created, true. There are, however, many other types you could use, not only to educate, but also entertain your audience.

Comic strips, quizzes, memes, videos, games, apps, white papers, PDF reports and ebooks all form a content mix you should be availing of.

Naturally, not all content types will work in your industry. But you should at least try to go beyond blogging when planning your content strategy.

5. Lack of Content Personas

A challenge when creating your content strategy is speaking to a specific audience. Since you can’t see the person that’s going to read your words, it’s hard to relate to them and write with them in mind. To overcome this, you should develop content personas to help you better target your content.

6. Not Involving Influencers

Industry influencers are great to leverage your content. Since they already have an audience, anything they share or get involved with immediately gets attention. Involve them in your content strategy and marketing, especially at the early stages to quickly put your website in front of your audience.

Some of the best ways to do so include interviews or expert roundups.

7. Not Measuring Your Content’s Performance

Lastly, it’s hard to know if your content strategy is successful without measuring its performance. There are a number of ways to do it, from creating a simple excel spreadsheet to track KPIs to using sophisticated testing platforms outputting all the data you need to know. The key is to always measure, analyse and repeat what’s working in your content strategy.

Puzzle Pieces Photo via Shutterstock

How to Get More Out of LinkedIn Groups

Did you know there are more than 2.1 million groups on LinkedIn? Joining them is a wonderful way to participate in industry conversations and find new prospects, but have you considered actually starting a LinkedIn group?

Before you do, keep reading. I’m willing to bet that of those 2.1 million groups, maybe only 20% are run effectively. I fall into that camp. I started a one, Marketing 2.0 Experts Group, several years ago, but haven’t done it justice or fully leveraged it as a marketing tool.

Then I attended a session at Social Media Marketing World, “How to Run Successful LinkedIn Groups: Tips From the Pros.” and it opened my eyes to possibilities with my group, and I’ve now got a long list of to-dos.

Each of the experts on the panel, Stephanie Sammons, Jill Konrath and Eric T. Tung, run their own successful groups on LinkedIn, and provided valuable tips to help the rest of us.

Focus on Quality in LinkedIn Groups

Rather than letting “just anyone” join a group, some of the panelists said they require preapproval for anyone interested in joining. This cuts down on those people who simply want a place to spam or share unrelated links, and it raises the bar on quality for existing members. It does take time to preapprove folks. I log in weekly and approve a dozen requests, but it’s worth it in the long run.

In addition to caring who joins your group, the discussion talked about the quality of what goes on the group’s page. One panelist said she doesn’t permit posts and only wants discussions. I realized I was turning my own group into a dumping ground for content and needed to rethink my strategy here.  One panelist gave Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi Group as a great example of how dialogue can fuel a group on LinkedIn. It’s something to aspire to.

Invite Influencers to Your LinkedIn Group

Another fantastic tip I gleaned was to invite influencers to participate in your group. Since they’re already naturals at leading discussions, they’ll likely help foster conversation in your group. Find those people who are already talking about your industry on other social sites (or even other LinkedIn groups) and invite them to get involved.

One idea I had from this is to identify those people in my own group who are already more active. I want to ask them to become volunteer moderators and really engage with other members.

Leverage Your Network

I didn’t realize that group owners can send one email a week to members. This is a fantastic opportunity to stay connected, encourage quiet members to chime in on conversations, and lead people to your website.  I personally need to mull this over, since I don’t want to turn people off by pushing my own agenda. One panelist said she is now charging $5,000 for sponsored emails for advertisers looking to reach her network through her LinkedIn group.

The session got my wheels churning, so I’ll throw out some other ideas I had as a result of this wealth of knowledge:

• Post a Question of the Week and engage specific members to answer it.
• Choose a Manager’s Choice post or conversation to highlight members and encourage them to get more involved.
• Hire a moderator/manager to oversee the strategy (I don’t have time).
• Pump up your group on your blog, website, email, and other social channels to drive membership.
• Set rules in the templates so members know what is acceptable and what isn’t.

I’m anxious to hear from our readers what you’re doing to successfully run your own LinkedIn groups. What tips can you share with us?

LinkedIn Photo via Shutterstock

More in: LinkedIn

How to Get More Out of LinkedIn Groups

Did you know there are more than 2.1 million groups on LinkedIn? Joining them is a wonderful way to participate in industry conversations and find new prospects, but have you considered actually starting a LinkedIn group?

Before you do, keep reading. I’m willing to bet that of those 2.1 million groups, maybe only 20% are run effectively. I fall into that camp. I started a one, Marketing 2.0 Experts Group, several years ago, but haven’t done it justice or fully leveraged it as a marketing tool.

Then I attended a session at Social Media Marketing World, “How to Run Successful LinkedIn Groups: Tips From the Pros.” and it opened my eyes to possibilities with my group, and I’ve now got a long list of to-dos.

Each of the experts on the panel, Stephanie Sammons, Jill Konrath and Eric T. Tung, run their own successful groups on LinkedIn, and provided valuable tips to help the rest of us.

Focus on Quality in LinkedIn Groups

Rather than letting “just anyone” join a group, some of the panelists said they require preapproval for anyone interested in joining. This cuts down on those people who simply want a place to spam or share unrelated links, and it raises the bar on quality for existing members. It does take time to preapprove folks. I log in weekly and approve a dozen requests, but it’s worth it in the long run.

In addition to caring who joins your group, the discussion talked about the quality of what goes on the group’s page. One panelist said she doesn’t permit posts and only wants discussions. I realized I was turning my own group into a dumping ground for content and needed to rethink my strategy here.  One panelist gave Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi Group as a great example of how dialogue can fuel a group on LinkedIn. It’s something to aspire to.

Invite Influencers to Your LinkedIn Group

Another fantastic tip I gleaned was to invite influencers to participate in your group. Since they’re already naturals at leading discussions, they’ll likely help foster conversation in your group. Find those people who are already talking about your industry on other social sites (or even other LinkedIn groups) and invite them to get involved.

One idea I had from this is to identify those people in my own group who are already more active. I want to ask them to become volunteer moderators and really engage with other members.

Leverage Your Network

I didn’t realize that group owners can send one email a week to members. This is a fantastic opportunity to stay connected, encourage quiet members to chime in on conversations, and lead people to your website.  I personally need to mull this over, since I don’t want to turn people off by pushing my own agenda. One panelist said she is now charging $5,000 for sponsored emails for advertisers looking to reach her network through her LinkedIn group.

The session got my wheels churning, so I’ll throw out some other ideas I had as a result of this wealth of knowledge:

• Post a Question of the Week and engage specific members to answer it.
• Choose a Manager’s Choice post or conversation to highlight members and encourage them to get more involved.
• Hire a moderator/manager to oversee the strategy (I don’t have time).
• Pump up your group on your blog, website, email, and other social channels to drive membership.
• Set rules in the templates so members know what is acceptable and what isn’t.

I’m anxious to hear from our readers what you’re doing to successfully run your own LinkedIn groups. What tips can you share with us?

LinkedIn Photo via Shutterstock

More in: LinkedIn

“Recognize Them” to Grow Your Business Through Your Employees Without Marketing

“Recognize Them” to Grow Your Business Through Your Employees Without Marketing

It’s almost never about the money.  I just saw an article that quoted a Gallup Engagement survey that stated that 72% of US workers are not engaged in their work.  That means that one in four intend to jump ship within the year. Wait - it gets better.  Companies with engaged employees have a 6% …

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Using these practical tips and strategies will increase your sales and profitability through increasing your focus on engaging and rewarding your employees.

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It’s almost never about the money.  I just saw an article that quoted a Gallup Engagement survey that stated that 72% of US workers are not engaged in their work.  That means that one in four intend to jump ship within the year.

Wait - it gets better.  Companies with engaged employees have a 6% higher net profit than those who don’t and the lost productivity due to disengaged workers is costing our economy something like $350 Billion (yes, billion with a B ) every year.

Let me put this into context for you.  Another survey says that the top three issues for small businesses are:

• Finding new customers.
• Keeping the customers they have.
• Making more money.

In that order.  Unless you are a solopreneur, doing everything yourself, your employees play a critical role in giving you what you want - more customers and more money.   There is one problem, however.  Everyone defaults to “pay more” as the solution, “If you just paid me more, I would do a better job.”  Well, the data doesn’t support that.  As it turns out, it’s the more subtle things in life that inspire employees to do great work and be engaged.  And this is where this book comes in.

Recognize THEM!: 52 Ways to Recognize Your Employees In Ways They Value is written by Zane Safrit.  I’ve known Zane Safrit (@ZaneSafrit) for many years. I consider Zane to be one of those “ahead of the pack” CEOs who embraced the power of the Internet and social media early on.

Like many of you, he’s been through the fire and back; running a small company through the post 911 downturn and experiencing 70% price drops and still growing the business 80% in the process.  It’s that kind of challenge that has made him somewhat of an expert in the world of inspiring and motivating employees.

An Employee Engagement Idea for Each Week of the Year

I received a digital review copy of the book.  I believe it only comes in digital format and sells for $3.99 so it could well be the best money you’ve ever spent to make money without actually doing any sales and marketing.

Let’s dig into the book so that you can get a better idea of what’s inside.

The foundational philosophy of the book is that engaged employees are profitable employees.  In other words, the way to a healthy bottom line is through employees who care about your business and who give themselves to the business.

The book is divided into the following four categories:

• Category 1: Show You Care
• Category 2: Be Their Champion
• Category 3: Empower Your Employees
• Category 4: Let Them Shine

You can look at these four categories as the core philosophy or core values of how you treat your employees.

Then inside each of these categories are thirteen sub chapters that are more tangible in nature such as “Know Their Name” or “Celebrate THEIR Birthdays.”  So if you want a quick hit of ideas and strategies, you can simply read the table of contents and take it from there.

But you will want to keep going because it’s Safrit’s wealth of real-life practical experience that you’ll want to learn from.  In other words, it’s not just doing something, it’s doing it a certain way.

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite sections, “Care” and the tip is “call your new employee the night before:”

Call your new employee the night before their first day. Welcome them. Share why you’re anticipating greatness from them and for them. Be specific. Share with them how your team/company/department will grow from their strengths and how you can help them realize another goal or two, maybe three. You made those points clear during their interview, right?

This simple step, rarely taken (guilty!), sets the correct expectations at the right time: Before they arrive. On the other end of this conversation, your new hire is thinking…

‘Wow, they recognize my strengths. They’re expecting me tomorrow. This is going to be a good situation.’

Expectations are set for recognition, appreciation and accountability. They’re already engaged. Making this call communicates the recognition from everyone who waits to welcome them tomorrow. Making this call signals they are already part of your conversations and connections and collaborations. Making this call sets the expectation for accountability with - and for - everyone.

Mind open, heart open. Anxiety down. Anticipation up. Engagement rising.”

What If I Don’t Have Employees?

Granted, this book is targeted to those small business owners who have employees.  But what about those of us who don’t have full-time employees?  How is this book of any value?

Well, if you read the last review I did on the book Virtual Freedom, you may already realize that these principles don’t just apply to full time employees, they can apply to virtual teams as well.  Just because someone who works for you isn’t in an office next door, doesn’t mean that you are absolved from the opportunity of leadership and employee engagement.

My only issue with the book is a trivial one.  The title states that there are 52 ways but they are listed in chunks of thirteen across the four categories.  This left me a little confused as I went through the book because I was expecting to see the 52 that was on the title, inside the book.  But as you can see, none of this is going to impact the quality of the advice Safrit provides.

Recognize Them is a terrific book filled with practical tips and strategies that will increase your sales and profitability by increasing your focus on engaging your employees.