Pinterest More Important to Brands Than Instagram

Our “Social Media around the World 2012” study is clear: the two social networks with the biggest growth potential are Pinterest and Instagram. They seem to be the only sites that will find their place next to the big four (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Google+) and the local heroes (Qzone, Vkontakte).

The user facts

The facts about both sites are pretty comparable at first sight. About one quarter of the online population knows both sites. The adoption rates are still very low: 3% use Pinterest and 4% Instagram.
Looking at the other facts, there are some important differences between Pinterest and Instagram. Half of Pinterest users log ondaily as opposed to just 31% of Instagram users. Also, 60% of Pinterest users intend to use the site more often in the future whereas for Instagram users this is “only” 40%.
My conclusion is that both sites have a strong growth potential, but the level of enthusiasm is a lot higher among the early users of Pinterest.

The brand link?

A lot of managers are in doubt whether they should invest time and resources in these two photo sharing sites. Looking at the growth potential of both sites, I think it is certainly something to look into as a brand manager. In addition, our survey shows that Pinterest probably has the biggest potential for brands. 41% of Pinterest users are currently sharing brand-related content on the site, compared to 35% of Instagram users. Both sites do well in this regard, but just as with the overall stats, Pinterest scores better than Instagram.

Gmail Now Lets You Search Within Email Attachments

Beating your head against the wall trying to find a specific attachment in your overstuffed Gmail inbox? Google just made life easier for you with a newly added keyword search feature for Gmail attachments.
Previously, the popular email client only allowed search within text files, but now users can search within files from several leading programs, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Powerpoint and more. This comes just a few months after the company announced that personal emails will turn up in your search results.

Several other popular email clients — Yahoo and Outlook included — have had this feature for years. To try this out for yourself, simply add “has:attachment” to the beginning of any keyword query. Limiting the search to a specific file type involves adding “filename:(file type)” to the search term.

For example, if you wanted to look for the name of your favorite tech website in a PDF attachment, you would type: “has:attachment filename:PDF Tecca” into Gmail’s search. That search will then pull up the related content.

Have you tried out Gmail’s latest feature yet? Tell us what you think about it in the comments.

Building a Twitter Strategy in 3 Steps

No one can tell you what to tweet, but it's essential for you to ask real questions that provoke your followers to "listen" and "engage" themselves in a conversation. And these high-concept buzzwords are easier said than done. What you really need is a proper Twitter strategy - and these are some advices that will help you to get there.

Know your audience and follow their conversation:
It may sound cliché but it is utmost important to know whom you want to reach on Twitter and listen them. You need to be specific and limit your demographic scope as well. Target your audience based on your industry and the market you cater to. Once you know your audiences, look at the terms they are talking about and the way they describe themselves. These would be your keywords to expand your reach to people who fit into your audience. Also, focus on the profiles that influence your audience.
To reach out to your targeted audience and make them follow you, it is essential to listen what they are talking about. You need to understand how they talk and what they like or share (read retweet). Listening to your audience will also help you to understand what people are saying about your company/ products or services. Similarly, find out what people are saying about your competitors. All these will help you to understand how your audience talks and what motivates them. And the trick is to tone yourself to match your audience.

Set your goal and don't forget to track it:
This is where your strategy begins - set a goal. And tracking it will give you the numbers. And metrics is not all about tracking your follower count. Rather, focus on the numbers of profile that are actually paying attention to your account. Approaches differ based on the size of a company's fan base; however, the overall goal should be on brand awareness. Additionally, you need to focus on creating buzz for your company and generate new leads. Some of the metrics you need to consider include retweets, clicks, direct messages, Twitter mentions etc.

Defining the marketing approach:
Target your language towards your audience. Be thoughtful and accurate while sharing something. Decide your approach - whether you want to be formal or informal; should you include hashtags or buzzwords; the kind of content or links you should share; the effort you need to put to find new followers and reach out to existing ones, and the special offers and campaigns that you can provide.
Be authentic in your approach and your audience would surely love it.
Finally, don't forget to calculate your ROI to estimate the overall success (or failure) of your Twitter strategy. Based on your goals, find the worth of each lead that Twitter is generating. Though it is a perpetual work, you need to be flexible and keep on experimenting with your Twitter strategy for success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7238590