Pin Plus Interests equals Pinterest purchased from iStockPhoto.com

So, everybody seems to have a post about Pinterest. My post is a Pinterest poll, to find out when you are using this “newish” and fast-growing social media site, and if you are not yet using it, plus a short description for folks who are new to the site, and a few how to tips for all.

Why am I interested? I’ve been asking if people are using Pinterest at various meetings and events (not geeky events, but like at my pottery class) and LOTS of people are saying yes I use it and I love it. More so than other new or hot sites in the past. So I’m curious.

Here’s the Poll Link:  When do you use Pinterest? http://poll.fm/3jug4

What is Pinterest?

Skip this if you are on it already, or read it and comment below if you would describe it differently.

Pinterest is a cross between a social media site and a bookmarking tool (like delicious.com) for webpages and images on the web – but VISUAL and easy to use. When you find an image or webpage you want to remember and/or share with others, you use their little tool, a “pin it” button, to select the image you want to pin, then it opens your Pinterest page, and you virtually “Pin” the image and a link to the site you pinned it from to a virtual cork board – under whatever category or title you think fits.  This is all easier to do than it might seem from this description. Here is the Help page with lots of simple info about how the site http://pinterest.com/about/help/

When you login to pinterest, you see the most recent images/website links pinned by those people that you have selected to follow on pinterest. And those who follow you, see what you pinned. If you like something – click it and check out the original blog post or product behind the pin. You can also just “like” the Pin, or re-pin it to one of your own boards.

Why would you use Pinterest?

That is a subject for another post, but I use it to book mark interesting sites so I can find them later, to collect images that appeal to me or interest me; I’m a photographer by hobby. I am also using it to let people know who I am as a person, not just as a PR/Social media consultant; as a break from my work day; and I am learning to use it so I can help clients use it for their businesses. To find me there go to Pinterest.com/cathylarkin

Look for a future post with links to some of the best posts out there on Pinterest – the pros and cons. Some artists and bloggers love it – it drives traffic and new customers or readers to their sites, other artists ans bloggers hate it and see it as a way that others can steal their images or work. It’s complicated, but the huge surge in popularity has put it in the forefront of social media sites. Here is a link to my @Pinterest board of articles on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cathylarkin/pinterest-how-to-info/

Pinterest Tips:

Be sure to bookmark the actual product page or blog post on the site, not the homepage. On some sites there are several items or images or blog posts on that home page. If you just hit pin this, and select an image, although it looks like you posted a specific image and link, you’ve posted the image, and a link to the home page. If I am that blogger and I write three more posts, then your pin get’s disconnected from that post. so always click the headline of a post, then pin the image from that page.

If you go on a pinning binge, try and vary the subject a bit - otherwise you might fill the welcome screen of your followers with all of those ice cream recipes and make them so hungry that they unfollow you. Pin a few ice cream recipes, then a few cute cats 9or whatever else you like), then back to ice cream etc.

At first you will follow people, and all their boards, to get started, but begin to be selective, follow selected individual boards of a person - the things that you also like or think are interesting. And if you have kids who use your computer (or are using this for business), be aware that one person’s taste in art may include tasteful (or less so) nudes, and one person’s funny or humor board, may shock you or make you raise your eyebrows. So my advice is to be selective. Everything is public on Pinterest, tehre are no private boards,and others can see the boards you choose to follow.

If you are a blogger or sell products on the internet be sure to get the “Pin it” button for your site: here’s the link: http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/ – although several social share plugins for wordpress sites have already added the Pin it button to their services.

Pinterest is still in Beta, and invite only, but it is faster to get an invite by asking someone who is on the site to send you one. If you want an invite , just leave a ask for one in the comments below and I’ll send one to your email address.

Share your pinterest tips, times you use the site, if you love it, hate it or don;t get it.

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Take a Step Back – Look at the Big Picture Once in a While:

Small biz owners can get so caught up in the day to day biz operations we need to occasionally take a step back from our work, and from the lure of social media and blogging (or avoidance of same) and think a few things through. Take some time to really identify your ideal customers and clients, and your secondary groups. Think through their needs, interests, and WIFFM (What’s In It For Me). For more on this see my post: Social Media and blogging can turn cold calls into warm leads.
Do Your Customer Homework with Pew, Nielsen or Hubspot Demographics
Try not to make assumptions – don’t assume they aren’t on Facebook or Twitter. look up key terms to see who’s talking about them. Check the online demographics research from sites like Pew Online Research Center (example: 65% of online adults use social networking sites) or Nielsenwire (example: What Americans Do Online – Social Media, Blogs and game dominate). and Hubspot.com Example: 12 Mind-Blowing Statistics Every Marketer Should Know.

DIY Customer Research:
You might even create a free online survey of your own (you can use Survey Monkey or Zoomerang or do a Facebook or LinkedIn Poll), send it to your email list – you do have one don’t you? Or create an in-person/on paper survey if you have a bricks and mortar operation, or if you attend trade shows (or for the #handmade crowd, if you attend craft shows, or wholesale marketplaces).

• Ask your customers what they like about your product
• What makes yours unique, memorable, useful, fun etc.
• Ask what they would like to see more of, less of, new features, new styles or colors etc.
• Ask them if they use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs and how often.
• Do they read newspapers, magazines, books, ebooks, on kindle or iPad?
• Ask if they research items to buy online.
• Ask what their hobbies are. You might find you have a lot of golfers who love your hand creme, so you could develop packaging that takes advantage of that, as an example.

Tie Your Research Back Into Your Blog and Twitter:
Like digging in the rich compost next spring, turn what you have learned into fuel for your blog and social media sites. What three to five topics interest your customers, one of them may be ways to use your products, or how your items are made, or gardening or in my case,my customers want to hear about PR, Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn, blogging & small business.

My Ratio of Social Media Activity – 60:20:10:10 -
My rough ratio of social media activity is:

• Make 60% of your tweets, updates & convo about them – your customer’s or client’s interests, needs, WIFFM;
• 20% who you are – tell your story, your hobbies, make your brand human;
• 10% sales messages – Twitter connections often come to you after a while – w/o your pitching them…if they like what they see. But don’t be afraid to remind them that you are in the business occasionally. be clever about it too.
• & at least 10% fun or randomness. At one point I followed 1 random person a day, some of them turned into customer, friends and sources of good info.

With social media, as in any networking event, you never know if that one random person you strike up a conversation with, turns into your next big referral. It’s kind of like a highball drink over ice – 60 % is the ice cubes, 20 % is the tasty beverage, 10% is the lemon or lime twist, and 10 percent is when you put it altogether and share it with someone else. Yeah…kinda like that. And if you notice the image above – each drink is made a bit differently, my ideal ratio might not be your (or your customer’s)…cup of tea!

This is just a guide and it is roughly what I try to follow, or suggest for others to try if you are not sure what direction to go on Twitter.

Tomorrow I’ll post a link to the transcript of #HandmadeChat, a conversation with a bunch of folks on Twitter (I was the guest/expert) where we talked in detail about this topic. Lots of good info there too.

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Related posts:

1. Social Media And Blogging For Business Can Turn Cold Calls Into Warm Leads
2. Tips for Connecting the Social Media Dots
3. How To Create a Social Media PR Plan

Here are my ideas to consider when branding a business, company, business venture (or even a product) in the digital age:

1) Does the name say what you do? Secondarily, does it do so in a catchy or memorable way? Finding a name that clues in the consumers you want to attract to what your company does should be a primary objective of most brand names; in addition to the considerations listed in the other post.

Ideally you want a business name to be a mix of memorable and catchy, plus tell people what you do, and have no competition in the marketplace. An extra benefit would be if it also gave them a feel for your company in a way that would help the name appeal to your specific consumer base: mainstream and solid, edgy and fun, or comforting and helpful – for example. I realize that this is a tall, almost impossible order, but the exercises you go through to create a great a brand can really help your business in the long run.

I also realize that many big-name companies violate my suggestions, but it was a long, long time from start up until Apple Computers became “Apple” and Google became household names / brands.

2) What’s the competition for your name? At minimum, do a Google/Bing search for the company name and for the main keywords under which people will be searching for you. Does someone with a similar name to the one you were considering own the top several spots? That may be hard to break into. Click on the sites to make use they are full sites, not just placeholder web pages.

2b) Do a search of the Government Trademark database. Whether or not you eventually decide to trademark your name, you should know who already owns what trademarks, and in what categories, around your name. Start with a search of the US government’s trademark “TESS” database. A basic search is simple, but consult with a trademark professional for more information; trademarks can get complex. This may save you from a cease and desist letter from lawyers sometime in your future – long after you’ve selected your name and set up your business. I currently know two business owners who are embroiled in a dispute over a business name and trademark.

2c) Can you buy/own the .com URL/domain name. Yes, .co or .net CAN be OK, but .com still currently rules the internet. If someone else owns the .com, but has not developed it, do some research, it may be held by a domainer who just wants to sell the name, or it might be a company just about to get angel funding and create a fancy site that will eclipse your own .co or .net. You can check the domain name Whois database to learn a bit more info.

A side note here – DO NOT – let your web designer, business manager or other staff member purchase your domain name for you – if they do it  in their name – then technically they own the name.  (I have recently seen this done to one business owner, and know of more than one business dispute arising from this practice). Buy the domain name yourself, and DO NOT lose the username, password and pin (especially if you register the name for ten years). Most web designers are good people, but I have witnessed disputes where people were threatened with losing the domain name around which their business was built.

2d) Check the Username of Handle on social media sites before you settle on a name. If social media is going to be a part of your marketing and PR strategy, then make sure the brand-name “handle” or username is not already taken especially on several of the prime social networks that your customers use. If you own the trademark, it can take time, but you can get the handle back from someone else. But not if you just own the .com; only the Trademark might win it back. If the name you want is taken, but you don’t have the trademark, you can try similar, related or alternative names. But be sure the username/handle passes the memorable and tells what you do test.

Now get naming!

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Related posts:

1. Cathy Larkin’s Web Savvy PR Tip 1 – Social Branding

Small Business Savvy Storm Tips:

The East Coast is Not Used to Storms Like Hurricane Irene:

My brother, who lives in Louisiana, called. He’s been through several Hurricanes and pointed out a surprising point to me – that the storm surge from Hurricane Irene may come up the Delaware River (which I am less than two miles from) and it may flood smaller streams that feed into the Delaware. There is one such stream at the end of my street, luckily down hill from me. He sent me the link to NOAA’s Interactive Storm Surge Map: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ssurge/risk/index.shtml?gm

When I ran the map, I set it for category 2 hurricane at the top of the chart. Try it for the expected category when it may hit you, then zoom in on your area and look at the color coding at the bottom to see the depth of the storm surge - turquoise is 6-10′. To my eye, an awful lot of Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE; and New Jersey are in that area, (and those are the place just near to me – parts of Maryland New York are at risk as well) – it’s not just the coast like we usually see when east coast hurricanes often turn out to sea.

Things a Small Business Owner Can Do Today in the Face of a Natural Disaster

I am not an emergency management expert, but there are several simple actions you can take to secure your business against the storm, there are resources listed at the bottom of this post for more information. At minimum, do two sets of computer back ups of your important files and store one in office, in a high area in a waterproof container, take the other set home with you and keep it safe and dry. Perhaps set up an online back up like Carbonite; better late than never. At bare minimum, email yourself the most recent files you are working on or might want in the next week, using a web-based email system like Gmail that you can access form any computer. Also put those files on a thumb or flash drive or external drive of some sort, and seal it in a ziplock bag.Make copies of your last several years of taxes. This PDF list by the Small Business Administration has the best list of things to consider – even at the last minute like today: http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html.

Flooding Risk from Storm Surge Along Coast or Coming Up Inland Rivers

If your business looks like it is at risk for flooding, you may need to take more serious measures. Sand bags around significant places were water might slip in. Move important files out of basement areas or out of the bottom of the file cabinets. Unplug computers (and phones if you can) before you leave for the weekend – and get your electronic cables up off of the floor, or move items to higher floors, if available. I know someone who had a basement office that got just a few inches of water, but it got into some of his electronics and surge protectors. Drape computers in trash bags to protect from incidental moisture. What is the minimum equipment you need to continue your business in the short run, and can you make that happen? See the link to Irene storm surge listed above.

Wind Damage From Natural Disasters to Businesses

In case of wind damage, also consider moving important files, computers and copiers away from windows, especially in tall buildings, as the winds at the 25th floor may be much higher than at ground level, and sky scraper windows have been broken in other urban hurricanes, according to the Weather Channel. If your business or home is along the shore – you may need to be boarding up windows and piling up sandbags. Follow the guidelines for your state or county government, and please head evacuation notices.

Small Business Resources for Before and After a Natural Disaster

For larger issues of dealing with a natural disaster in your business, or in your larger business, check this Wall Street Journal Online article and the FEMA business and other links below – they will get you thinking about supply chains, personnel, alternate locations and more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703296604576005060742737534.html

• This article points several other good ideas, photograph your premises and machines, and back them up online – to aid in insurance claims; have a plan for getting in touch with staff in the event of a natural disaster: http://www.stormfischerinvestmentgroup.com/Protect-Your-Business-with-a-Disaster-Readiness-Plan.c2743.htm
• Ready business – prepare. Plan. Stay Informed:
• http://www.ready.gov/business/index.html
• http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html
• For those not under immanent threat of a natural disaster, consider these two items from FEMA. Although they are targeted to larger companies – there are still things a small business can learn from them:
• FEMA’s pages for business: http://www.fema.gov/business/ or http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/howto/index.shtm
• Or - The Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry (A download/PDF: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/business/guide/bizindst.pdf
• http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/PrepYourBusfortheUnthinkable.pdf

What are your tips for helping a business survive a disaster?

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I found two other guest posts of mine that I had not cross-posted here – until now.

Blogger Outreach – PR Pros & Bloggers Can Work Together: A Gig Coin guest post from last year that still holds value: How Bloggers, PR and Marketers Can Work Together, including info on brands and mom bloggers.

How to use Twitter Chats for Small Business:

One final link from last year, on Twitter Chats – A Small Business Secret Weapon, a Blog Talk Radio interview of me by Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell. (Here is the actual radio interview link: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/?s=Cathy+Larkin&x=3&y=7 , and here is the link to a short overview post: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/2010/08/24/twitter-chats-a-small-business-secret-weapon/.)

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1. Press Releases and Twitter for Business – My Recent Guest Posts

To catch some of my recent online activity check out these guest blog posts:

Press Releases for Small Business:

First, a guest post on Melinda Emerson’s Succeed As Your Own Boss blog on press releases: What is a Press Release and How Can a Small Business Use Them? Part 1

Twitter for Business:

An interview of me by Julie Diaz Asper on Gig Coin: How to use Twitter for Business: Expert tips from Cathy Larkin:

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How Twitter Lists work

To use your lists, once set up – just select the list you want to see from the lists tab. Instead of showing you the most recent tweets from all of your followers, it shows you only the recent tweets from those people who are on that list.  Hit Home to go back to your main view of the recent tweets from all of those you follow. Lists allow you to focus in on those whose tweets you most don’t want to miss, and to group people who provide certain types of info you think is useful, for easy reference. (see post links at the end for more on using lists).

A similar feature has been available on some of the third-party tools such as Tweetdeck and Seesmic for a while, but Twitter now has it’s own version. To date, it seems like you can have a maximum of 20 lists (I kinda “geeked out” and created the max already). This feature is more useful the more people you follow on Twitter. BTW – you do not have to follow someone to put them on a list.

How to create a Twitter list (as of current writing – features do change over time):

1. Decide on the name of your list
   1. This name can be changed later.
   2. There is a limit on list name length – balancing short with telling us what it’s about is best. You can tweet and share your public lists with others.
   3. I’ve seen many people with “must follows, ” friends,” “social media,” PR, “small business” etc
   4. Think about how you will use your lists, see below for ideas.
   5. I have a friends lists so I don’t miss the tweets of those: I’ve interacted with on Twitter, those I’ve met in person, and those who I’ve talked with on the phone etc, (I’ve made this a private list – so someone isn’t miffed that they aren’t on it). It also have a clients list and a prospect list – also private. Since I’ve followed so many people back, and don’t always catch their tweets, and this list makes it much easier. I also have a PR peeps list, and social media follows list, moms on Twitter, small business etc.
2. Decide if each twitter list will be public or private
   1. You can make your list private, so that only you know who is on your list (but be aware – nothing is really private on the internet, things can get hacked, or a problem with the site can make it unprivate; I’m just saying.)
   2. You can make each list public. This means that it will show on your profile page the name of the various lists you have, and who is on each list – other people can see who is on this list, and even “follow the list” which adds your list to their page of lists.
3. Find people to add to your list – see below
4. If you click on a person’s Twitter username (in your Twitter stream/timeline or from the who you follow/your followers pages) – and when you see their profile – you click the down arrow in the little gray box (it kinda looks like a bulleted list). Then you create a list – as above. That person you selected is now on that list. Once you have a few lists created, you then check or uncheck the box next to a person’s name to add or remove them from a list.

For more ideas on how to use Twitter lists to be more effective on Twitter – please see my two guest posts on the topic:

• Cathy Larkin Shares How to Effectively Use Twitter Lists http://twitterandyourwebsite.com/cathy-larkin-shares/
• More Advice From Cathy Larkin on Using Twitter Lists http://twitterandyourwebsite.com/twitter-lists-second-post/

both by Phyllis Zimbler Miller.

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2. New Twitter Feature Reveals Short Link’s real URL
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Many Twitter users (and many Twitter plugins) use shortened links to replace the full 200 character site and page title link with something like http://bit.ly/hu7j9o – to show a link to a blog post, article, image, video etc. in order to save some of our 140 characters and spaces. The problem has been – so do spammers, traffic bots (many of them have been getting more sophisticated) that’s made it harder to determine who’s real. So, in the past, there was no way to check if the link went to a real blog post or site, or to a spam link, sales pitch, MLM or something questionable in nature – unless you clicked the link.

Why is this reveal helpful?

Now you can hover over the link, and see where it goes. Eventually, spammy traffic sites, might try to use more legit names, but at least for the moment it is very helpful. Also I can see if the link if from a site I know and like and trust – perhaps from one of my favorite bloggers. In which case, if I trust the source, but don’t have time to read the post, but know that it’s likely to be good content, I can retweet it for my followers and read it later, when I have more time. ( I try to read most of the links I retweet, but not always – there I admitted it).

It is also helpful for identifying those Spammy Twitter users or sites that mix a few real tweets & tips, but all of their links go to a spammy, traffic generation, get more twitter followers fast. MLM essentially crap link. This can be really helpful in deciding whether or not to follow someone. If I see a junk link, attached to what SEEMED like a legit tweet, I’ll click on the person’s username – and check their profile real quickly. If I see a ratio of 500 tweets, following either 10 or 999, and 3 followers and no lists – and most tweets look like junk – then I take a moment & click the down arrow & select report for spam/block – so they can’t follow me. & Twitter will investigate and delete/suspend the account more quickly. But not all bad links are the fault of the person who tweets it.

Not all bad links are on purpose

Some folks have fallen for a spam tweet and had their accounts hacked, so that they automatically send out this tweet mixed in with other tweets. Some people may have retweeted what SEEMS like (or what they thought) was a good link. The headline of the post was interesting, but they didn’t take the time to click the link & read the “post” – and not realize that the post title “Travel Activity among Seniors up this Valentine’s Day” actually takes you to a URL selling a diet pill or a twitter auto traffic building site. Don’t report these folks for spam – if the rest of their tweets look clean, and they have an average twitter following – they may just be newer to twitter – if you’re nice, you’ll let them know the link the RTed was bad, or to check & make sure they didn’t get hacked. 100 tweets, following 50, followed by 64, on 10 lists. That’s a bit more legit looking.

Let me know if I missed any other benefits of this “link reveal” feature, or some other consequence I missed.

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2. Twitter Chat Tips
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Social media and blogging are not usually an immediate short-term fix, but together they can form a robust strategy that has worked over time for myself, and many others, to gain clients and/or customers. I have personally gotten business, and good paying business, from connections made through social media and blogging, as well as from the various activity I engage in online. Of course any social media activity should be integrated into your other marketing efforts – oops, you don’t have a marketing plan? Well that’s fodder for another post, but trust me – social media needs to be one piece of what you do to connect your business with customers and clients, but it should not be the only thing, nor should it be isolated and separate from your business activities. See the section below on integrating social media into your biz or more of those details.

How can social media bring in warm leads for you business?

My readers may be tired of hearing me say this but it starts with knowing your customer. And by knowing your customer, yes their demographics can be a good foundation, but I’m really talking about learning what they want and need to know about – that your company, your business services, (knowledge, products and information) can help them solve their problems and reach their goals. Think of how you can become a resource that they can look to for help in those areas.

Identify 3-5 topics they need to know about that are within your company’s area of expertise. Design your content (Website copy / blog posts and titles; social media profiles, messages, and activity; comments you make on other’s blogs; brochures; services etc) around those categories of information. What are your clients or customer’s pain points, and be a resource for easing their pain. And be consistent, focus your online content around these topics, mixing in some of your interests and personality – so you become a real person – not just a faceless brand they can’t identify with

To make a long story shorter, if you write blog posts about one of those topics of most interest to your customers and prospective clients, and send those posts out into the world with good SEO, and supportive social media activity ( for example answering a related question on LinkedIn, tweeting additional tips on the topic, retweeting or posting to your Facebook Fan page an article from someone else that highlights a different aspect of the topic etc). Existing clients will begin to think of you more often in relation to those subjects and will be predisposed to hiring you when it comes time to buy. Prospective customers will also become interested in hearing more from you on a topic, and will begin “warming up” by connecting with you via their favorite social networking site, or signing up for your e-newsletter or the RSS feed of your blog. Your unique perspective on these selected, focused topics is a part of why they may (or may not) choose you. I have found that in addition to turning cold calls into warm ones….that often this type of activity actually spurs clients and prospects to call you…That’s what I call a hot prospect!

How to Integrating Social Media Into My Small Business? You ask…

Social media should be integrated into a business both online and offline. It should be

• on your business cards (maybe only mention the main site where you are most active, or better yet where most of your clients are active)
• on your website/blog (which should also be on your card. There are great plugins and widgets to provide links to your active social sites),
• mentioned (when appropriate) at the networking events you attend
• on your press releases
• in your brochures and other printed materials
• in your ebooks and other informational products
• in your bio that you use in printed materials, for speaking engagements, and online bios/profiles
• and in your “about” or “contact us” page of your site
• it should also be in your enewsletters
• in your on-site, in store displays

People want to connect where they feel comfortable – so why not make it easy for them. But, if you have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (or other) account – but aren’t using it at least weekly – you might want to remove it – most importantly from your online links. No on wants to “like” a Facebook page, with one irrelevant post on it.

These step don’t have to be done all at once, but the more steps you implement, the more often you connect the dots – via social media & blogging – between you and your audience and potential customers, the warmer your next client / customer / sales calls will be. As I said – they may even call you…

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1. Tips for Connecting the Social Media Dots
2. How To Create a Social Media PR Plan

The extra fun part is that the product creator, Jen Groover, founder of www.ButlerBag.com (luxury handbags with an organizing “twist”), is local to the Philadelphia area, where I live, and is friends with a couple of my friends (and although we’ve never met, we do follow each other on Twitter – @JenGroover). For more about motivational speaker and author of the recent book about launching a business, “What If & Why Not” go to http://jengroover.com.

Jen’s three minute or so video presentation of her newest Butler Bag® on QVC has all of the right product and promotional “stuff,” and I thought that sharing it with you might help you all when creating product demos, videos, when writing up a product description, or even when describing a service your business provides. See the video here: http://bit.ly/productPRexample. While this example is about a physical product, a handbag/tote, the concepts I discuss also apply to other types of product publicity as well – even book promotion, software, services or an app.

Jen is a professional motivational speaker, and has been promoting her products for years, so she does make this video demo on @QVC look easy. While her skills in front of the camera might take you a bit of time to develop – they are only a part of the picture – good eye contact with the host and camera, smiling, passionate about her product, and looking like she’s having fun, tilting the product to show it’s features to the right camera, and not talking or moving too fast is just the tip of the promo iceberg.

But what she chooses to focus on when she talks about the product is where Jen really shines. (And by the way Jen is not a client of mine – nor is this meant to be a review of her bags – I just thought she did such a great job with her presentation that I wanted to share it with you.)

• The best thing about her presentation – she tells her product’s story in a way that connects with her audience – briefly, and makes it interesting.

◦      She’s just like any other busy woman – but she saw an idea in her home and turned it into a product – she was a new mother and while unloading the dishwasher she saw the organization of silverware tray and she translated that “birds-eye-view”  (and her product development expertise at other companies) into a handbag with integrated organizer (and a company) so we can find things easily. But it all started from a busy mom and woman trying to stay organized; something most of us can identify with.

• She showcases the bag’s features and benefits – briefly and succinctly

◦      A feature is the organizer insert that’s built into the bag

◦      The benefit of that feature is that it keeps your items separate, organized and easy to find

• She shows that she knows her audience and their needs and has developed a product that meets those needs.

◦      One key to developing an effective product is letting your potential customers know that you understand their lives and know how to make it easier.

◦      She talks about making it easy to find things in a purse, about fitting in a book or a checkbook, a water bottle – securely, or even turning this into a great-looking diaper bag etc.

◦      Her bag can be see as a “lifestyle solution” – an organized handbag makes some of the frustration of not finding things – go away; and we all know we have too much stuff & not enough time/organization to handle it. Her product solves one of her customer’s “pain points.”

• Then she differentiates her product from the competition, that is, she tells and shows how it’s features and benefits are different from those of other bags, while continuing to connect with her audience.

◦      Jen differentiates her bag by showing how the patented integrated, or built-in, organizer does not slide around or get squashed like other removable organizer inserts that you can move from bag to bag. I had seen those inserts before, and was wondering about them – she handled that question up front.

◦      She also demonstrates the benefit of the 10” shoulder strap feature, in that that it will fit over you shoulder even when you are wearing a jacket. Along with a few others.

Now I have not tried nor used one of her bags, yet, nor is this meant to be a review of this bag. But what I can tell you is that Jen Groover has shown you a great example of how to demonstrate a product, connect with the audience and customers, and how to differentiate a product from it’s competition. The same ideas, with a little work, would also make a great podcast, a written product description, or “services we provide” section of a website. Your homework is to take on of your products or services and walk through those tips above and see if your new demo or description works a little bit better.

By Cathy Larkin, @CathyWebSavvyPR on Twitter

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