As my Pinterest bio reads, I’m a midwesterner by birth and a southerner by choice. Technically the midwesterner part could be debated since my hometown in Southern Illinois is close enough to Kentucky that I think it is technically south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But, if that does not qualify me as a southerner, surely the fact that with the exception of short assignment at a PR agency in New York, I’ve spent the past 19 years living in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina does.

That, coupled with being married to a southern gentleman and raising a son in Raleigh, NC, has recently resulted in my heightened awareness (and embracing) of my southern-ness. As I watched friends from all over North America collaborate, socialize and talk at length about social media last week at PRSA’s Counselors Academy Conference, I realized there’s much to be learned about social media from southerner charm. Not following me? Well let me pour you a glass of sweat tea while you keep reading!

• Use your manners. My son has never walked out the door to go to a friend’s house without me reminding him to mind his manners. It’s no surprise that his regular use of “yes ma’am” has won the praise of all the other moms. Saying please and thank you in your social media conversations will go a long way in earning respect. “Please like my agency’s Facebook page.” “Thank you for commenting on my blog.” Give it a try! Please.
• Remember, salt and pepper are a pair. Having breakfast at the New Orleans Ritz, the host hotel of the conference, Abbie Fink asked Chuck Norman to pass the salt. Chuck passed the salt AND the pepper. This was something I learned when I moved further south, and Chuck said he was taught as a child in etiquette class that the two are married and should be passed together. If you blog on behalf of your brand, think of it as salt and pepper. Your brand has it’s attributes, messages and maybe even personality. You have your personality, interests and opinions. Yet it is important for the two of you to move about the dining table of social media as a set. [...]

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If you’ve heard of Pinterest, you probably already know it is one of the fastest growing social networks. I think the only thing that is growing at a faster rate is the number of blog posts on all the whizbang things you can do as a Pinterest user. Don’t get me wrong, I love using Pinterest for fun and reading lists of Pinterest tips. Even more fun? Figuring out how to use it for business.

Isn’t that still the big question for those of us in PR, marketing and social media? How should my business be using Pinterest? Or maybe you are asking it this way: how does Pinterest fit into my marketing plan? Or maybe even…what is the value of Pinterest? If you are looking for information on what Pinterest is, how to set up a Pinterest account or how to use Pinterest, this post is not it. (I suggest reading Pinterest 101 and the other sections on the Pinterest Help page.)

The point of this Pinterest post is to take a step back and think about a few things companies can do to harness the power of all those people who have already gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs over Pinterest. These three tips are based on the work we’ve been doing with our clients that I suspect apply to all or most organizations.

1. Before you think about pinning, think about others pinning you. If you’re already pinning and haven’t checked to make sure that images from your company’s website can be pinned, stop reading and do it now. This is particularly important if you sell a product and have product photography. As an example, I recently pinned a photo of Prada sunglasses I was considering as a splurge purchase after trying them on but leaving them behind at Nordstrom. Still thinking about the designer shades the next day, I found them online and decide to see what my friends thought by pinning the image directly from the Nordstrom website. With more than 313 repins and 116 likes, I kinda have to think I’m not the only one who is thinking about clicking the order button. The tip: make sure your website is Pinterest friendly so that pinners can pin images that link directly to your website. Tools such as Flash and website photo galleries that might have given your website umph just last year might not work for Pinterest. Talk with your web designer or IT manager about the cost of making these changes and make it a priority in your overall marketing spend. [...]

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From triangle.com:

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 3, 2012) ―The North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America announced today the winners of the 2012 InSpire Awards. The fourth annual event recognized the best in regional PR and communications with awards in 45 categories, including newly added nonprofit and government subcategories. Valonda Calloway, co-host of NBC-17’s My Carolina Today show, served as emcee for the event, held at the Capital City Club in Raleigh on May 2.

Modeled after PRSA’s national Bronze and Silver Anvil Awards, the InSpire Awards are open to all public relations, communications and marketing organizations and professionals in the state. Silver InSpire Awards recognize entire campaigns, while Bronze InSpire Awards honor specific tactics or components of programs.

“The InSpire Awards represent the best in North Carolina PR and communications,” said Eva Hornak, NCPRSA board president. “It was great to see so many talented professionals together celebrating their work and accomplishments.”

Largemouth Communications received the Best in Show award in the Silver division, and Clairemont Communications took the Best in Show award in the Bronze division—both representing the top-scoring entry in each division. In addition, UNC-Chapel Hill students Joseph “Fitch” Carrere, Michael Coletta, Jacquelyn Johnstone, Adam Schifter, Sarah List, T.J. Scholl and faculty advisor Scott Misner received the Student InSpire Award of Excellence for their entry “BIG:Durham.” The top-scoring entry in each category is listed below. A full listing of all the Awards of Excellence and Honorable Mentions is available by clicking here.

[...]

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Earth Day might have been last week, but each Thursday at Clairemont is a Green Thought Thursday! Today, Clairemont intern Margot Horgan shares why going green is so en vogue…

In honor of Earth Day, Vogue published a list of its top ten must-have items for going green. With everything from home goods, to food, to transportation, this list of items is 100 percent stylish and 100 percent eco-friendly. We’ve shared the list with you below, so make sure to check it out!

1.     Suntanned leather shoes from Esquivel. Why Vogue loves it? The suntan collection is made with only sun-tanned leather and for the first time, George used the sun as a tool to bronze the leather eliminating the use of harmful dyes and treatments as well as lowering the number of energy-consuming machines traditionally used in the production of shoes.

2.     The Natural bamboo bicycle from Panda Bicycles, starting at $3,000. Why Vogue loves it? This company, based in Colorado, produces the first steel-lugged bamboo bikes hand built in the U.S. The bamboo is sustainably farmed and processed, and they offer custom paint and finishing touches to ensure each bicycle is different.

3.     Freitag Truck Tarp tote bags, F52 Miami Vice, $105. Why Vogue loves it? The bags are unique because they are made from used truck tarps—each one having its own look and its own state of use. Furthermore, each one-of-a-kind bag is still cut by hand in Zurich, Switzerland, and gets its individual look depending on the color, the writing, and design of the tarp.

4.     Greenopia Digital City Guides, $5; Available May 1. Why Vogue loves it? Whether you’re looking for a nontoxic dry cleaner or the best natural shampoo, download the online guide Greenopia, which lists eco-friendly retailers and services in major cities from Honolulu to New York—all without wasting a single piece of paper. And, with their new e-reader version, you can get access on the go, making it even easier to stay green while traveling or on vacation.

5.    La Isla hand-embroidered bikinis. Why Vogue loves it? La Isla has partnered with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to donate a portion of its 2012 proceeds to his organization, which works to protect oceans and educate children about their importance.

6.    Irving Farm Coffee Company special edition Rainforest Foundation coffee bag. Why Vogue loves it? All of the Irving Farm Coffee Company’s beans are roasted at its farm in upstate New York, and from every coffee bag sold, $1 is donated to the efforts of the Rainforest Foundation. Plus, the bag itself biodegrades, leaving behind only water, CO2, and natural fertilizer. [...]

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We hope to see you there!

We can’t wait to celebrate Mother Nature and all of her glory tomorrow at Briar Chapel‘s Earth Day celebration. Deemed “A Celebration of All Things Local,” there are a few things that we’re sure you won’t want to miss. For those of you who like to plan ahead, here’s a schedule for the day:

Morning Activities

7:30 a.m. Registration for the Briar Chapel 5K begins.

9:00 a.m. Ready…set…go! It’s time for the Briar Chapel 5K.

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Afternoon Activities

3:00 p.m. Food trucks, including BaguetteAboutIt, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Will & Pop’s and The Parlour, begin serving!

3:15 p.m. King BMX stunt crew performs.

3:45 p.m. Lizzy Ross Band takes the stage.

4:15 p.m. Linda Watson of Cook for Good and author of Wildly Affordable Organic offers a cooking demonstration.

4:45 p.m. Tom Maxwell plays some tunes.

5:15 p.m. YardSprout demonstrates how to create your own container garden.

5:30 p.m. Another performance from King BMX stunt crew.

6:00 p.m. Afternoon activities conclude and food trucks pack up and go.

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Evening Activities

6:00 p.m. Best Buddy Contest video showcase.

6:30 p.m. Best Buddy Contest winner announced.

7:00 p.m. Disney-Pixar’s “Wall-E” will be screened on the green.

We hope to see you there, everyone! Happy Earth Day!

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