"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." If I had one phrase to give as advice to new "pinners," that would be it.

While I know you would never stand up on the table at a private dinner party and throw your business cards all over the guests, table, and floor, there are many marketers who essentially do just that in the realm of social media.  To avoid a Pinterest faux-pas, learn some basic Pinterest Etiquette.

1. Sustain the ambience. Pinterest is like a virtual brainstorming session. It's a place where users go to unwind, collect, organize and share ideas. Be mindful of other creative minds working and learn to blend and mingle. Interpreted: Pin others' ideas way more than your own. You'll soon build a following and establish essential credibility, making your pins reach an even wider audience.

2. Pin tastefully. While most pins are appreciated, some are offensive. When Pinterest recently announced an upcoming upgrade on a blog post, the comments revealed an overwhelming amount of requests for filters. Many users said they wanted to be able to browse Pinterest with children present and even to let their children use it without fear of seeing things they shouldn't. Pin with all viewers in mind.

3. Think visually. A blogger may be tempted to post any picture just to get more traffic, but Pinterest is mostly about images -- not articles or lengthy blog posts. Design or hire a web designer to create visually stunning images that can both stand alone (for the casual Pinterest browser) and that also inspire pinners to click through and engage in your content. One of the most popular ways to engage visual users is through infographics.

Pinterest is currently in beta and requires an email invitation to join. If you would like an invitation or want to learn how Zoetic Freelance can help you promote your brand through Pinterest, email me at Kristen@zoetical.com.

Part Three | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Science of Sharing
Part One | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Power of Pictures

Pinterest -- a rather new online start-up (and founded by a Des Moines, Iowa native, my fellow Iowa friends) is taking the social media world by storm, further pushing marketers to think more visually than verbally. For those outside the Pinterest world or who perhaps are just window-peeking, here are just a few things about Pinterest you should know.

Q: What is Pinterest?
A: Pinterest is an online social bulletin board, allowing users to collect their favorite ideas all over the internet and "pin" them to an appropriate categorical board, such as "Recipes to Try" and "Favorite Artists" and "Inspiration."

Q: How does Pinterest work?
A. A user first installs Pinterest to her Internet toolbar. When she visits a blog or a website and sees something she likes, she simply clicks "Pin to Pinterest" and will see a display of all the images available upon that particular webpage. She chooses the image she likes and attaches it to her pinboard. Her followers can then see her "pin" and can "repin" it to one of their boards if they like. (Incidentally, according to ReadWriteWeb, there are already some users with 20,000 followers.)

Q: Who uses Pinterest?
A: Currently the overwhelming amount of Pinterest users are females and the pinning phenomenon seems to be spreading primarily through WAHM (work at home mom) blogs and crafters.  The platform is still young and will likely spread to other visually-oriented users soon. However, since women account for 85% of consumer purchases, this is not a demographic to take lightly.

Q: What types of business should use Pinterest?
A. If you are a business that sells anything visually appealing, you should consider Pinterest. Also, if you blog frequently using images or infographics, you should consider Pinterest.

Q: What are Pinterest Marketing Best Practices?
A. If you're seeing dollar signs just now and have already started a Pinterest account in another browser tab, you may want take a deep breath and "eMuse" just a while longer. There are some things you definitely don't want to do on Pinterest and those things could bring more harm than good. 

Pinterest is currently in beta and requires an email invitation to join. If you would like an invitation or want to learn how Zoetic Freelance can help you promote your brand through Pinterest, email me at Kristen@zoetical.com.

Part Two | Pinterest Marketing 101: Pinterest Marketing Best Practices
Part Three | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Science of Sharing

Want to drive more traffic to your website or get featured for free in your customers' social networking updates, tweets and feeds?

It's easier than you think.


(Image from SmashingMagazine.com, courtesy of designer Colin Whitehurst. )

Sure, giving away free iPads is big and will likely deliver big results. But if slow and steady is your thing (and saving money), offer something free.

Like free desktop wallpaper.  I first caught on to the "power of free" early on in my career as an email marketer in the corporate world. I knew that email marketing was mostly about relationship building and as any relationship expert will tell you, in order to build relationships, sometimes you just gotta give.

When I began including free desktop wallpaper in our email newsletter campaigns, the results were immediate. Before long, our web analyst was sharing in marketing meetings that some of the leading keywords driving traffic to our website were "Autumn desktop wallpaper" and " free wallpaper." When we started sharing it on our Facebook page, the number of "likes" and "shares" were plentiful.

And, since we had an in-house design team, there was minimal extra cost.

Marketing tip: Give it and they will share it.

Don't have your own design-team? No worries. The cost is still pretty cheap. Outsource your design or feel free to contact me for an affordable marketing solution.

Facebook's requirement for brands to use a third-party promotional application for any type of special promotion is an oft-violated condition. However, go the legal route and you'll soon bask in all the perks (read tools) you'll get in return for a reasonable price. And now you can add one more perk.

Today, Wildfire, one of the leading third-party social media campaign apps available -- and one I've had significant success using -- introduced a new way to learn even more about your audience. And (at the risk of sounding cheesy) I'll add this: The more you know, the more you'll grow.

You can read all about it here:
Wildfire Launches New Way to Measure Brand Engagement on Facebook

If you'd like me to run a social media campaign for your business, please contact me any time.

I'm a recovering rambler. There, I said it. I often ramble in my speech and lose my train of thought (especially when I'm tired).

While rambling in conversation may have a few benefits (mainly providing comic relief to your audience), it is normally not okay in online copy. Hardly ever. Unless in making a point. Like this one. Which reminds me . . .

What is okay in your online marketing copy?

In a nutshell: Short. Sweet. And Not About You.

Enjoy a few more tips from writing experts I respect.

1. Stress benefits, not features. (Copyblogger)
2. Keep it scannable. (WriteMindset.com)
3. Cut the "cutesy." (Publication Coach) *
4. Love those verbs. (Morris Creative Group)

*Unless "cutesy" is part of your brand. Groupon copywriters can somehow get away with murder.

Last weekend my mom and I ventured out in the warmer Iowa weather to head to Omaha, Nebraska. The main reason for our 2-hour-plus journey? Besides the road trip, which I'm always game for. A store. There, I admitted it. But here's how this particular store earned my respect and became a destination rather than "just a store."

I first happened upon Anthropologie's email marketing program while I lived in South Carolina and was visiting Charlotte, North Carolina. My sister and I stopped at the Anthropologie store for the first time, where I purchased a delightful Vanilla & Fig scented candle. At the register, I signed up for a free anthro membership, which is a loyalty program that offers free online shipping and occasional discounts.

And then it happened. I was not merely handed my membership card, I was handed a membership card in a floral fabric bag, along with an attractive accordion-style card that, when unfolded, offered me a list of the benefits of being an anthro member.

But the customer experience got even better. When I arrived home, I went to anthropologie.com to register my card and when I did, a lovely thing happened. Both my thank-you/confirmation screen and my subsequent email featured the exact, lovely pattern that was on my real-life fabric bag. How sweet is that?

The moral of this story? Offer that extra touch to your customers, and if possible, let that extra touch help integrate both your online and offline marketing efforts. Your customers will not only remember you--they'll love you! Or at least I probably will.

Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. As you may know, April marks the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

But what you may not know, is that it was during the Civil War that email's predecessor--the telegram (or T-mail if you will)--helped save the day.

As with any new form of communication, the key factor to using the telegram was knowing the right time and place to use it.  And Abraham Lincoln was a natural.

My favorite resource on this subject is Tom Wheeler's book, Mr. Lincoln's T-mails. A highly-recommended read for anyone interested in learning something new about the Civil War as well as the history of electronic communication and how we can use it better today.

During my transition to mid-western life, I climbed out of my email newsletter box and decided to use my marketing and email newsletter layout skills to do something different--build a friend's website using a template.

It turned out quite nicely if I do say so myself (visit eileenberrry.com to see more) and I discovered that while template-based sites sometimes get a bad rap, in actuality they fit the bill quite nicely for authors, non-profits, and others who really don't need the expensive features of more advanced site design and extensive E-commerce capability.

I am pleased to now offer a stylish, functional and affordable (not to mention fully customizable) online presence to individuals and small businesses who need a great-looking website quickly.

Email kristen@zoetical if interested in learning more!

Your friendly email marketer has relocated to the gently rolling hills of Iowa and, now that the snow is past (I think), I'm enjoying my new surroundings quite nicely. Des Moines has more to offer than the stereotypes imply, and I'm looking forward to all of it with the added bonus of being closer to my family.

And, of course, here I'm in a better position to give to my Zoetic Freelance clients and to meet new ones!

Some of my favorite places in Des Moines so far are . . .

• Downtown, especially the East Village. This area strongly reflects the efforts the city is making to make downtown a main destination. They seem well on their way to succeeding, if not there already. I'm especially looking forward to the Farmer's Market opening in May!
• Historic Valley Junction. This is a quaint section of town with a nice  collection of antique and specialty shops. In the winter, they offer free carriage rides and in the spring/summer, they have a farmer's market, too.
• Jordan Creek Town Center. This is a somewhat new shopping center that has some great places to eat like The Cheesecake Factory, P.F.Chang's, on the Border, etc. The shopping center also features a sparkling lake, which I've found to be quite a relaxing environment.
• Ankeny. This is a growing town to the north of Des Moines where I work a part-time job. A small-town feel that offers nearly as much to see and do as a bigger city would. The people are great, too!

Are you in Iowa or do you know someone in Iowa whose small business could benefit from an email newsletter? Then shoot me an email at Kristen@zoetical.com!

It's that time of year again. People everywhere get sentimental and begin to review the past year and its accomplishments (and not-so-accomplishments), and then eagerly start to make New Year's resolutions. Email marketers are no different.  Come late November and early December, the email marketing industry starts buzzing with "year in review" reports and predictions for the next year.

You'll see a common denominator in these reports and that is the realization that 2010 has been the year of social media. While email marketing may seem to be overshadowed by this new and shiny toy, the truth  is that the two go hand in hand quite nicely and work best under equal lighting. ExactTarget, a leading ESP, totally gets this as is evidenced by their brilliant whitepaper series, "Subscribers, Fans, and Followers" as well as their purchase of CoTweet, a top social media management tool.

As far as predictions for 2011 go, it is likely consumers will become more and more "channel-choosy." They will want more control of what messages they want and where they want them (Facebook, mobile, and email). The result will be a more defined role for email marketers within the whole media mix. 

On a side note, email marketers should also keep an eye on the new Facebook Messages and watch their lists closely to see how many of their subscribers adapt this new email service. Because Facebook Messages shows the plain-text version by default, they should fine-tune plain-text versions of their emails accordingly.

As always, it's a great time to learn and grow.