By Freshlime guest blogger, Jennifer Kosmas

Social media has provided us with many ways to connect with family members and friends and plays a huge role in the way we do business today. One of the latest methods of social media to emerge is called Pinterest.

Pinterest is a social bookmarking tool used to “pin” images found around the Web into categorized collections or boards. Think of it like an interactive, shareable scrapbook. Like any good social network, you can follow other users, share their content, make comments and tag users. Similar to a Twitter stream, you get real-time updates of what the people you follow are pinning. You can also easily share your pins on Facebook and Twitter.

The audience on Pinterest is different from the major social networks because most people use it to find inspiration, whether they are hosting a party, getting married or looking for a recipe for dinner. In other words, many are using Pinterest to help guide their buying decisions. If a user finds something they like on Pinterest, there is a good chance they will at least click the source link, and at most, make a purchase.

Pinterest helps businesses and new products to “get seen.” Doing a Google search for specific items more often then not brings up brands that are already known. Pinterest helps users find new products, brands and styles they would normally not come across by plugging keywords into a search engine.

Building links via Pinterest happens every time someone pins something from your site. The chance is great that the same thing can be pinned even hundreds of times, which is just like free advertising for your business!

Many boards are dedicated to one product or brand helping to create brand advocacy. Those in the community of retail, lifecycle, food, home décor, design and travel with visually appealing content have the most to offer.

There are many businesses that have already joined the Pinterest club such as HGTV, West Elm, Better Homes & Gardens and Whole Foods who are seeing positive results because of it. Those who do join this “invite only” community need to remember that putting aside self-promotion and relying on visually-appealing content will help them to achieve much success!

While Pinterest may not be for every brand or small business, it’s certainly something marketers need to be aware of and should put on their radar.

In the last quarter of 2011 both Facebook and Twitter have dramatically changed how their profiles look.

While you may still be getting used to the changes, it’s important to know which profile elements are being given more real estate and emphasis so that you can maximize your marketing efforts in these areas.

Mashable asked research startup EyeTrackShop to compare visual statistics for Twitter, Facebook and MySpace profiles before and after major site redesigns.

The main takeaways from the study include:

• Facebook Timeline cover photos get noticed first. However, study participants still spent a longer time looking at the Facebook Timeline profile photo than the cover photo.
• Facebook ads get noticed more in Facebook Timeline. While 43% of participants noticed Facebook “sponsored stories” in the old profile format, 63% noticed the ads in the Timeline format. Participants spent the same amount of time on average looking at the ads in each profile.
• Profile information is easier to find in the new Twitter. While viewing the old profile, participants noticed tweets before they noticed profiles. While viewing the new version, that pattern was reversed.

To read the full study and review the slideshow results, visit the full article on Mashable.

We recently had the pleasure of designing and creating a brand new website for Insight Eyecare in Texas.

The website features a simplified navigation, social integration, a blog, and a WordPress based content management system.

The clean, user-friendly design helps patients quickly navigate to key aspects of the website they are most interested in while having the ability to drill down for more information if they’d like.

To keep the website relevant and fresh, we added social media integration, a blog, and the ability for the client to update and maintain the website themselves.

We love how the new website turned out and we look forward to working alongside Insight Eyecare as they grow!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving has always been a big shopping day, but thanks to American Express this is the second year it is being dubbed “Small Business Saturday”.

Why is this important? I’m glad you asked!

SHOLO a shop local organization in South Bend, Indiana encourages you to shop local because of the following:

• Every dollar you spend in a locally owned, independent business has a huge impact on the local economy. In fact, your dollar will have three times the economic benefit compared to the same purchase made at a chain retailer.
• Beyond the immediate effect of payroll, independent businesses bank locally, hire local accountants, attorneys and consultants, graphic designers, and advertise in local media. While big box retailers have an immediate impact on the local economy by means of payroll, a whopping 86% of the average chain retailer’s revenue leaves the state, flowing to out-of-state suppliers, and back to corporate headquarters.
• Independent businesses are owned by people who are your neighbors. They make their decisions based on the needs and interests of their customers, not by some formulaic concept of a distant corporate office. Our freedom of choice is imperiled when a few buyers from national chains choose what reaches consumers.
• Locally owned, independent businesses offer original and unique products and services. This adds interest, diversity, and character to our communities. By shopping locally, you support the independent business owner’s creativity and ingenuity, and help create a more vibrant shopping experience for everyone.

American Express, the force behind Small Business Saturday has this to say:

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States last year. Over the past two decades, they created 65 percent of net new jobs. For every $100 spent in locally-owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. 

American Express will give shoppers a one-time credit of $25 on their statement if they register their Amex card and shop at a local business on Small Business Saturday.

If you live here in Michiana, Michiana360 is doing a Shop Local Challenge and they are providing a list of local businesses who are offering specials on Small Business Saturday.

It really isn’t much to ask is it? Shop local as much as possible and this November 26 make it a priority. Every dollar is a vote. Let’s show our community what is important to us!

- Joel Barrett

Happy Halloween! Keeping in the theme of all things scary and creepy on this frightfully-fun day, we wanted to share with you 7 Ways to Avoid Scary Web Design from our friends at MintLeaf. Enjoy!

Writing about animals is something I have done for as long as I’ve known how to read and write. I have always been an animal lover and I am particularly passionate about helping homeless animals find loving forever homes. So imagine my delight when my good friend, who also happens to be a Pet PR wiz, told me that TAILS Pet Magazines needed a social savvy Online Editor!

I jumped at the chance to have myself and Freshlime: Digital Marketing be a part of this inspiring team of writers and animal advocates who seeks to connect the animal welfare community and the general pet-loving population.

TAILS prints 750,000 issues per month, in 14 cities across the United States, with a readership that surpasses 1.5 million.

Our role with TAILS is to create engagement and connect members of our community through the more than 4100 TAILS Facebook Fans, more than 12,000 TAILS Twitter followers, and of course the TAILS website.

The people we’ve met and the connections we’ve made in the two months since taking on TAILS Pet Magazines as a client has been truly awe inspiring.

We couldn’t ask for a better client or a better way to use our time and talents to make the world a better place, one pet at a time.

Dear Whirlpool, why have you stopped caring about your customers and why have you stopped listening to them on social media?

Here’s a classic case of a company choosing not to engage in social media for whatever reason and thinking they are immune to it’s impact. The conversations about Whirlpool and their products is happening online, right now, and they aren’t a part of it.

I guess “technically” they have a Facebook account and they used to have a Twitter acct (CORRECTION: When I first looked on Friday their Twitter acct was not coming up in search. On Monday I searched again and found @Whirlpoolcorp and @whirlpoolcare ) but they definitely aren’t using it for what it is intended.

And they definitely are not listening (social media 101 is learning to LISTEN). Because if they were listening they would have known that a conversation was taking place on Facebook, Twitter, and now this blog about their poor customer service and their unwilingness to stand behind their product.

I’ve been having problems with a Whirlpool Gold Refrigerator since I bought it over two years ago. They sent a Whirlpool certified repair person out to fix it, while under warranty, but the tech did nothing but defrost it and say it was fine. Well fast forward 17 months and on a regular basis I am forced to unplug the refrigerator, defrost it with a hair dryer, and hope and pray it will cool the fridge down fast enough so I don’t loose $100 worth of food.

I called their customer support line today and got zero help. Nothing but arguments and excuses about why they couldn’t help me because it was beyond the one year warranty. Bottom line is that their product, which I paid more than $1000 for, failed within the first year of owning it and they don’t feel like they should have to stand behind it.

So I took to the web to survey my friends and family how long they thought a refrigerator should last. I had more than 25 responses from people saying it was outrageous that a Whirlpool fridge should have problems when it’s only two years old and I completely agree.

How hard would it have been for Whirlpool to have a service tech come to my house to diagnose and repair the unit? How much money would they have spent in ensuring their loyal customer was happy? Pennies in the big scheme of things.

Instead my 931 Facebook fans shared in my horrible Whirlpool customer service experience along with my 1,269 Twitter followers. How many of those people will tell their friends about the bad customer service experience from Whirlpool they heard about the next time they are considering who to buy an appliance from?

Positive word of mouth spreads like a ripple from a stone thrown on the water, negative word of mouth spreads like a wildfire.

Companies like Apple and Zappos show us every day what stellar customer service is like and those brands have RAVING fans. You don’t need to look any further than the outpouring of love and gratitude that Apple fans have shown in the wake of Steve Jobs’ death.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what that looks like in terms of the bottom line. Raving fans = loyal buyers for life = profit!

And guess what else is true when you have great customer service and stand behind your product? You can charge more money! For example I will willingly pay 2-3x more money for an Apple product than a competitor’s product every single time because I know they have wonderful customer support and they will stand behind the product if something breaks. Think about how much revenue they will get from me in a lifetime and multiply that by their millions of raving customers?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that companies need to tailor to a customer’s every whim. What I am saying is that companies need to LISTEN to their customers and do what they can to make them feel valued and appreciated. And certainly to stand behind their products.

So moral of the story is that as a company if you are going to succeed in today’s market place, where people are talking constantly about products and services online you must not only bring your “A-game” when it comes to quality and customer service, but you also must LISTEN to what is being said and care about what your customers think and say.

And Whirlpool if you are really listening and want to have a real conversation, you can email me at jillian [at] freshlimemarketing.com

We’re so pleased to add another fantastic intern to the Freshlime team! Please join me in welcoming Indiana University – South Bend Senior Michelle Wolford! Michelle is a fantastic writer and creative powerhouse. Michelle will be helping us with various client projects as well as helping move the Michiana Chapter of the American Marketing Association into a new era.

Here is Michelle’s story:

I live for the moments in life where something you’ve been searching for suddenly becomes clear as crystal and a whole new path opens up and each step forward is more confident than the last. You just know you are finally going where you were always meant to be and life falls into place. One of these beautiful epiphanies began for me when I discovered a passion for marketing and advertising. My name is Michelle Wolford and I’m excited to be a new intern at Freshlime Marketing and I’d love to share my story.

It all started after reading a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” That single phrase has become, in many ways, my personal mantra. I have always loved all things artistic and creative. In fact, my parents always laughed about how I could make something out of anything. Believe me I brought home a barrage of interesting painting, sculptures, and drawings.

Whoever said that a person can’t make a living creating art never met a marketing and advertising person. My love and passion for creativity is an asset in my chosen field and I can honestly say I LOVE what I do and look forward to each day. In fact, it’s pretty funny when you think about it. When I was younger , my teachers used to tell me to stop daydreaming, now I have professors telling me to push the limits of my imagination….and that is why they’re professors, they know how to cultivate talent.

I am in my senior year at Indiana University South Bend and I will graduate in May with a major in marketing, advertising, and a minor in international business. I hope the world’s ready for me because I plan on making an impact.

Through my coursework, I have completed research and analysis reports for numerous businesses and specific consumer segments. This semester, our class project in Advertising and Promotion is to create an advertising campaign for the Chevrolet Sonic. I am working with three other students to create a campaign that will leave everyone awestruck. The winner from our class will be entered in a national competition. I’m so excited about the opportunity my pencil is moving so fast it’s close to catching fire as I churn out ideas left and right. Wish us luck! I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

I’m really looking forward to the experience of interning with Freshlime. I can’t wait to learn how to best utilize what I’ve learned and gain new skills and knowledge as well. At this point I’m not just walking down a new path, I’m running.

Facebook is taking note of the competition and keeping one step ahead by harnessing their strengths and adding them to their ever growing list of features. The newly launched “subscribe” button introduced by Facebook allows users to follow others even if they are not on their list of friends. Watch out Twitter, Facebook is definitely stepping it up a notch!

Leave it to Facebook to cover all the bases by offering options with this feature. Users can choose to follow others status updates, life events, games, or photos and videos. Users can choose to follow all or any combination of these groupings. Subscribe opens a whole new level of interaction as users can now follow their favorite celebrity, author, or political candidate and if your interest changes you can unsubscribe anytime.

Worried about privacy? Don’t be. Facebook offers this feature on an opt-in basis so it’s always your choice. If you would like to add this feature simply go to the subscriptions page and click “allow subscribers”. You can edit settings to receive notifications when another user chooses to follow you and, if you like, allow followers to comment on your posts. If you decide this features is not for you, you can opt-out anytime.

You have to hand it to Facebook for successfully keeping pace with the competition and remaining cutting edge. This new feature will allow Facebook’s over 750 million users to connect to a broader base and share more information publicly. Be sure to check out this amazing new feature and see what it can bring to you.

To check out a profile of a user who has this featured enabled, checkout  Mark Zuckerberg’s page.

Your company’s website can play a vital role in your organizations online presence. There are several key objectives to consider when examining a sites functionality, structure, and content to ensure you are delivering an impactful and successful visitor experience.

Your website should:

• Inform – It is important that your site is continually updated with fresh, relevant and purposeful content (coding and links should be actively updated as well). This affects not only the overall quality of the site but also is pertinent to SEO scoring and proper indexing. Any visitor to your site should always be able to easily find the information they are looking for without having to drill down through multiple pages. “About us”, “contact information” and “products/services” links should be located in the main navigation.
• Engage – View your website as a tool to help cultivate new and existing client relationships. Include actionable ways visitors can learn about the company’s products and services. One way this can be achieved is by providing “call to action” opportunities. Encouraging visitors to “click here for a free trial” or “sign up for our newsletter” are excellent methods to increase engagement as well as help you better gauge user’s behavior and interests. Additionally another valuable way to interact is by maintaining a user forum or encouraging visitor comments and feedback on you blog.
• Connect –Build gainful connections to your users by posting buttons directing through to your social media channels. By actively manage and update your social media feeds, company blog, social bookmarking sites, and videos you establish yourself as a proactive communicator. Further, by including a “like button” on your site you facilitate a visitor’s ability to act as brand advocates.
• Convert- Successfully turning leads into customers is clearly a key objective. A good website provides ease of use and anticipates a visitors needs. Some ways to move visitors effectively through your conversion funnel include displaying clear, readable copy, creating highly visible consumer offers, displaying endorsements and accreditation, and optimizing usability. There are several methods available to help gauge usability and measure visitor experience that can be beneficial in better understand visitor’s motivators. Try starting with Google Optimization tool. Their tool allows you to run both basic A/B and multivariate tests to measure page performance.

A well developed website plays an integral role in the success of your company’s online strategy. Taking into consideration the above mentioned objectives as well as continuing to adapt to new digital mediums can help you maintain a valuable user-friendly website.

What do you think are the most important components in creating great website?

Carley Oberdoerster is a Communications professional living in Boston. She currently works at ThomsonReuters as a Product Specialist managing online Investor Relations and Public Relations products. Her background includes a client roster of several Fortune500 accounts and international work experience in both Hong Kong and London. Carley received her B.A. from Michigan State University in Organizational Communications and holds a Digital Graphic Design certificate from New England Institute of Art.