Hello readers!! We got the opportunity to interview expert Social Media Author + Speaker- Peg Fitzpatrick
She is a co-author of The Art of Social Media and a social media pro who has worked with T.J.Maxx, Google, Motorola, Poopourri, McDonald’s, Kimpton Hotels, and many other big brands.
Lets start the conversation:
Varun: Who is Peg Fitzpatrick, apart from a successful Social Media Influencer?
Peg: I’m an author and blogger. I love reading and travel. I’m a wife, mother, and dog mama to a little Yorkie.
Peg: Great because I’m doing what I love but it is a lot of work!
Varun: What is the best thing you learnt while working with Guy Kawasaki ?
Peg: It’s hard to choose one best thing but one thing that I love about Guy is that he’s also willing to take risks with his social media and not play it safe or following the so-called “rules.”
Which, by the way, there aren’t any rules except the terms of service for the social platforms.
Varun: How can a business find success on social channels through organic marketing?
Peg: You can reach new people and find new markets with social media.
Varun: With all the places to drive traffic and leads, why should people focus on Pinterest or Instagram?
Peg: Pinterest and Instagram are not the same thing and have entirely different purposes.
Pinterest is better for blog traffic and referrals to your website. Instagram is better for brand awareness, social updates, and being part of a community.
Varun: Can you please tell us what led you to eventually try out Pinterest and eventually become an expert?
Peg: I’ve been on Pinterest since it was in beta and you needed an invitation. I loved that you could find ideas and inspiration but I’ve used it for my blog to find new readers and leads since I started there.
Varun: I have few questions related to pinterest, can you please share your thoughts over below mentioned questions?
a) Pinterest Ads are not available in certain countries. Why is that restriction and by when do you think, ad features will be available globally?
Peg: I don’t know when they’ll make ads available globally. Pinterest is very focused on trying to keep things non-spammy and they take time to branch out their programs.
Peg: Yes, Rich Pins provide more context about an idea because they show extra information directly on a Pin. There are four types of Rich Pins: app, product, recipe and article.
As a blogger, I use Article Pins. Each Article Pin shows a headline, author and story description.
Varun: c) As, Pinterest is a search engine just like Google, what Pinterest SEO tricks a business should follow and know before jumping into the tasks.
Peg: Use keywords in your Pin descriptions, article titles, board names, board descriptions, you get the idea. Everywhere you use text, think of your article’s keywords and SEO and bake these in as well.
Be smart when you set up your Pinterest profile and add let people know what they’ll find on your Pinterest account and website.
Hashtags are also used in Pinterest Pin descriptions now. Add up to twenty hashtags to help your content surface in the Pinterest Smart Feed.
Varun: One of the things that probably keeps people from marketing on Pinterest or Instagram is lack of graphic design skills. What are some tools and tips you can give to people to help overcome this challenge?
Peg: There’s a lot of great learning tutorials on YouTube!
I use and love these graphic design websites: Adobe Spark and Canva.
You can also find templates on Creative Market and other websites that can help you create custom designs for your business.
Varun: How do you decide what kind of content will work best for which social channels?
Peg: My content focus is my blog, book, and products. I build out from that so I start with an editorial calendar and layer this with the regular calendar for topics and themes.
Peg: It’s not possible to answer a question this broad. You need to figure out your goals for your social media, what social platforms will help you reach the right customers, and how you can create or curate content for the social platforms.
There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to how many posts, tweets, or Instagram photos. Quality is more important than quantity so create solid content and don’t share it all at once.
Varun: How do you check and stay on top of the latest updates, innovations, and new platforms in social media?
Peg: Follow Social Media Examiner’s weekly shows and breaking news updates – they’re on top of all the news. https://www.facebook.com/smexaminer/
Varun: How did you crack the best strategies for Instagram? Can we see some of the projects you have worked on?
Peg: The best place to learn about Instagram is by following successful accounts on the platform.
I love following these accounts for Instagram inspo:
Planoly https://www.instagram.com/planoly/
A Beautiful Mess https://www.instagram.com/abeautifulmess/
Marianna Hewitt https://www.instagram.com/marianna_hewitt/
Pantone https://www.instagram.com/pantone/
You can find my Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/pegfitzpatrick/
Varun: Before we end this amazing interview, what advice you can give to those Business Entrepreneurs who don’t give much importance to Social Media Marketing?
Peg: I would highly recommend getting started on social media. Start with LinkedIn and build your thought leadership. Social media isn’t going anywhere soon so it’s time to stop ignoring it.
You can also read: Interview with Josh Steimle- Founder of MWI
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We really thank Peg Fitzpatrick for sharing his valuable thoughts with us through this amazing interview session.
We hope you all liked the tips shared by Peg Fitzpatrick.
Please share your thoughts about this interview in the comment section.
You can also read the interesting interviews of other influencers of the digital marketing world here.