YOUR RESTAURANT’S DIGITAL IDENTITY . SPRING 2012

What is it? Who’s using it? How can you benefit?

Pinterest.com is a social networking site with a visually-pleasing“virtual pinboard” interface. Users collect photos and link to products they love, creating their own pinboards, while followingthe pinboards of other people whom they find interesting. It offers a unique opportunity for restaurants to display photos and videosof their offerings that is much easier for users to navigate and share.It is also exploding as a social media platform and is positioned to become the breakout application of 2012 – TechCrunch reportsthat Pinterest reached 10 million unique visitors per month fasterthan any standalone website in history.

Functionality – To sign up for Pinterest, you need an invitation –which you can easily obtain either through a friend that is already a member or by making a request through the website. After you’vebecome a member, you download and install a simple “Pin It” button on your browser toolbar, which enables you to grab imagesfrom any website page and post them to your pinboard. Alternatively, you can upload images directly from your desktop.Other users can then pin your image to their board, comment onthem or follow your account. The iPhone application gives you theability to upload pictures directly to your account. The interface issimple, intuitive and addictive. While Pinterest isn’t as sophisticated an application as Foodspotting or Foursquare – that is also its appeal – simplicity.

Pinterest - Why Your Restaurant Needs to Be There

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http://www.socialmediarestaurant.com

Feb. 23, 2012Article by John Moore

Applications – Restaurants can employ this easy-to-use platformin a number of different ways.

• Post pictures of new menu items • Ask patrons to post and comment on pictures of their favorite dishes• Invite the Chef to post pictures of favorite ingredients or recipes• Pin pictures from reviews or local food bloggers

The list is virtually endless and the possibilities of viral propagation are huge. Pinterest just announced a feature that allows users to automatically post photos to their Facebook accounts; other platforms are sure to follow. And the advantages of linking food pics to your Facebook Fan Page are obvious – people can easily locate pictures of your dishes without having to dig through photo albums, or months of Wall posts.

The best part is – like the best social media – Pinterest can be a collaborative effort between management, staff and patrons, offering everyone an easy and intuitive method for sharing visual media about your restaurant.

Food is one of the most popular categories on Pinterest.

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http://www.mashable.com Article by Matt Silverman Feb. 28, 2012

Our friends at Statista have gathered a bit of data from comScore to illustrate just how engaged Pinterest users have become over time,and in comparison to other networks. In January 2012, users spent thesame amount of time on Pinterest as they did on Tumblr — on average,89 minutes per user.

The Rapid Rise of Pinterest

“Time on site” is one of the most valuable metrics for social networks,publishers and online marketers. More than mere follower counts oreven pageviews, the amount of time users spend with your contentis always top priority in the quest for user engagement.

Social network superstar Pinterest has enjoyed hockey stick growthin recent months, but it’s also worth noting that the time visitorsspend browsing and pinning has also increased sharply.

Social media is fast-changing, and nearly every month a new darlingsteals the spotlight. But the latest hot platform, Pinterest.com, is snatching up share faster than most and giving restaurant marketersa venue on which they can pin both information and aspiration.

Pinterest had 17.8 million visitors in February, up from 11.7 millionin January, according to market research firm comScore, which saidPinterest is one of the fastest-growing standalone websites. Pinterest, which was launched in 2009, has become especially popular in the nation’s geographic midsection, comScore said.Women generate about 84 percent of Pinterest’s activity, comScorenoted, but male interest is growing.

Another website aimed more at men, Gentlemint.com, has experienced far less explosive growth despite a similar invitation-only platform that allows users to “pin,” “re-pin” and “like” interestingphotos and items on “boards” that users subscribe to, much likeTwitter followers.

“Pinterest is a perfect fit for any brand that can establish an emotionalconnection with its target consumers using pictures,” said Dan Kim,founder of Red Mango and a self-described “Pinterest addict.”

“Although fashion is definitely the industry that can leverage thePinterest platform from both a visual and e-commerce perspective,foodservice brands can be equally effective, if not more so, simplybecause consumers love seeing pictures of beautiful food,” Kim said.

Unlike Twitter, which is based on 140-character verbal spurts withphotos occasionally attached, Pinterest is all about the pictures,which gives users wide latitude in communicating menus andphilosophies. The site’s terms of use have raised some copyrightconcerns, so corporate users suggest having lawyers read themthoroughly before posting photos and links.

http://www.nrn.com April 2, 2012Article by Ron RugglessHow restaurants can succeed with Pinterest

“The key is to create boardsthat appeal to your targetconsumers throughout theirentire emotional spectrum,not just their interest in your products.”

- Dan KimFounder of Red Mango

Christina Wong, a spokeswoman for the seven-unit Tender Greenschain, said the brand has found Pinterest an effective way to addresssome marketing challenges, such as “how to convey Tender Greens’overall company philosophy and communicate the multitude of waysthat they’re so much more than just a healthy ‘salad place.’ ”

Wong said Los Angeles-based Tender Greens has been on Pinterest for about one month and that the boards are managed by Erik Oberholtzer, co-owner and chef, as are the other social media sitesused by the brand, including Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Oberholtzer spends about an hour or two per day on social media,which ranges from posting all of the restaurants’ daily specials on Twitter, responding to individual Twitter replies, sharing content on Facebook and managing Pinterest, Wong said.

“Tender Greens uses their Pinterest page as an overall brand pageabout the Tender Greens lifestyle, what they’re doing as a companyand what inspires the individual chefs,” Wong said in an e-mail.

Nation’s Restaurant News asked a few steady Pinterest users to sharetheir top three tips:

Chiara GranadoSocial media coordinator for Genghis Grill, a 60-unit casual-diningchain based in Dallas

1. Be strategic: “Post photos [or pins] that will generate visual conversation for your brand,” Granado said. “Think of content that fellow pinners can relate to with your brand. If you have a concept thatimplements freshness of food, a fun dining environment with family,unique ingredients, etc., pin photos of farmers’ markets with fresh veggies, a family having quality time together, or even photos of different spices or sauces.” Granado said boards need to be labeledclearly. “If you have a board dedicated to your customers and whatthey do in everyday life, appropriately name it ‘Our Customers’Lifestyle,’” she said.

Albert ImMarketing manager of Austin-based Mama Fu’s Asian House:

1. Picture it: “Pinterest’s boards are a wonderful way to organize andpresent information to anyone willing to click on them – they’re like bigphotographic hashtags,” Im said. “The trick is to give people a reason toclick. Since Pinterest is such a visual medium, it’s important to makesure that anything presented on the boards, whether it’s about MamaFu’s or otherwise, is new, interesting, or unique both in information AND presentation.”

2. Engage: “Like any social media outlet, Pinterest is a community,” Im said. “As a Pinterest user, it’s a great feeling to contribute contentthat others pick up and share with friends - so it’s important to reciprocate. I also make a point to involve others in our pins wheneverpossible, whether by sharing a moment with Mama Fu’s fans or giving a shout-out to the creators of user-generated content. Plus, what betteropportunity is there to learn about the passions and interests of ourfans than by engaging them on a more personal level?”

3. Have fun: “That’s the main draw of Pinterest. And when we have fun,people pick up on it,” Im said. “Whether it’s photos from a recent promotion, user-generated content, or random funny/inspiring bitsfrom the Internet, ‘fun’ is the thread that holds it all together.For example, we have some customized ‘art’ boards on our page that don’t really serve a specific function, they’re just fun to make.”

Erik OberholtzerChef and co-owner of Tender Greens:1. Build a community: “Pinterest provides a way to virtually build a community of like-minded people who share our philosophy and arehopefully inspired by what we share,” Oberholtzer said. “Pin visually stunning photos that share what your brand’s story and message is allabout. People who follow Tender Greens and are customers at ourrestaurants believe in farm-to-fork sustainability, supporting local farmers and a living healthy lifestyle.”

2. Participate and be a part of the conversation: “Engage with the Pinterest community beyond marketing your restaurant’s own message,”Oberholtzer said. “Comment on other users’ boards, like items and followinteresting people. It’s important to remember that Pinterest is not aone-way marketing or advertising platform, it’s a virtual inspirationboard where users pin ideas and what inspires them to reference later. We share what inspires us as chefs and restaurant owners in addition to sharing content about things we like including local small farmers and artisans, craft breweries, art and artists, recipes, dish ideas and inspiring news articles.

3. Offer useful Information or resources. “It’s not all about TenderGreens all the time,” Oberholtzer said. “We do share facts about our company, but we also share expert tips about what fruits and vegetablesare in season, recipe ideas, sustainable design ideas, a local farmer’s market map, wedding/catering resources, craft beer reviews and evengardening/farming techniques.”

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2. Share the board: Pinterest offers the option of allowing users topin to other users’ boards. Operators should encourage that to buildengagement, Granado said. “If you have a board for ‘Summer Recipes,’let consumers be a part of the ‘visual’ conversation, and have them pinphotos of their favorite summertime recipes and summer pastimes,”Granado said. “Let it be fun, and make sure that no one abuses theboard, so you will have to make sure you or someone else is managingyour social media directly. By letting others pin to your board — whoknows? You might come up with an LTO that might be a hit amongyour customers. It would be even greater buzz to let your customersknow that new LTO was influenced by the many ideas from your pinners on Pinterest.”

3. Engage with other pinners: “Use the search function in the topcorner and type in a keyword that relates to your brand,” Granado said.“Type in ‘stir-fry recipes’ or even ‘mango-flavored drinks,’ and comment[on] and ‘like’ other people’s pins. You don’t necessarily have to re-pintheir pins, but show other pinners that you are watching them in thesocial space and that you are interested in their pins. This is a greatway to gain more traffic to your boards.”

www.mashable.com March 12, 2012 Article by Janet Helm

a series of boards that feature timely holiday recipes, seasonal menuideas and how-to cooking techniques, along with DIY projects andkitchen resources. Most content originates from CookingLight.com,which has made Pinterest the most important social media referralsource for the site, according to Allison Lowery, who manages Pinterest for the magazine. Cooking Light was also quick to add “pin it” buttons to all online recipes to make it easier for readers to pin to Pinterest.

2. Tell StoriesPinterest was made for visual storytelling. Grocery delivery service Peapod tells a tale with its “Delivery Trucks” board. The pins share images from the road by showcasing the various trucks in transit. One truck got stuck in an NYC blizzard; another donated food in Connecticut as part of Peapod’s Kids Give Back program. A separate Pinterest board provides the back stories of Peapod’s delivery truck drivers.

3. Host a ContestSeveral food brands have achieved success with “pin and win it” contests on Pinterest. Saveur magazine created a dinner party pinboard contest, asking pinners to build a dream dinner party on their own boards using at least three recipes from Saveur.com. Participants tagged pins with #saveur and #dinnerparty to help extend the reach (the hashtag searchability function of Pinterest is similar to Twitter). The winner will be featured on Saveur.com. Similarly, Relish magazine created a three-day “Pinathon” to see who could pin the most content from Relish.com to win prizes. Before launching a contest, be sure to consult Pinterest’s terms of use.

8 Best Practices for Food Brands on Pinterest

Pinterest has become the fastest-growing website ever, now withnearly 12 million monthly users. The site illustrates the evolution from the “social graph” to the “interest graph” – or the shift from friend-based networks to those that connect people based on their shared interests.

Food is one of the major niches or shared interests on Pinterest. In fact, food lovers were among the first on Pinterest; they saw thebenefits of pinning instead of clipping recipes. These foodies usedboards to plan dinner parties, collect holiday baking ideas, and create their own virtual cookbooks.

Not surprisingly, food bloggers have also become Pinterest powerusers. The Food and Drink category has become one of the largest and most active in terms of pins and repins.

While the Pinterest terms of use prohibit commercial use of the site,Pinterest’s lack of enforcement means that marketers are rapidly turning to Pinterest to help visually curate their brands. (No doubt the legal issues surrounding Pinterest will be worked through and the terms of use will likely evolve.) In the meantime, there are numerous opportunities for food brands to leverage this easy-to-use, image-sharing social network, although it’s best for marketers to work with experienced legal counsel to minimize risks.

Here are eight tips and best practices to get you started.

1. Add ValueOffer helpful advice and useful ideas that your followers would findvaluable. Cooking Light, one of the early stars on Pinterest, has created

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Relish magazine launched a successful 3-day “Pinathon” contest.

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7. Leverage Your Offline EventsUse Pinterest to bring your offline activities to life with photos and video footage. One of Greek yogurt brand Chobani‘s boardshighlights the travails of the CHOmobile as it canvasses the country.Cabot Creamery showcases farm families that are a part of the Vermont cooperative, and McDonald’s has a Pinterest board dedicated to the building of its first Olympic park restaurant in London.

8. Be PinnableUltimately, Pinterest is all about visual content, so be sure your sitehas quality images worthy of pinning. Each online recipe and articleneeds some type of image, or it’s virtually unpinnable. Flash-basedwebsites are also unpinnable. On the other hand, infographics arepopular on Pinterest; consider ways you can convert your writtencontent into an infographic. Install a “pin it” button and “follow me”badge on your site, and be sure to promote your Pinterest accountacross your other channels. Include key words in the description ofyour pin to increase your searchability, and recognize users who pinyou by visiting pinterest.com/source/yoursitehere.com to see whereyour pins are showing up.

4. Curate Your Core ValuesCreate boards that showcase the lifestyle your brand represents, notsimply the products it sells. Whole Foods, one of the first food brandson Pinterest, features boards on gardening, recycling and fitness. You’ll also find pins of inspiring kitchens and art projects, along withfaces impacted by the Whole Foods Foundation, the grocery chain’scharitable group, which addresses world poverty and hunger.

5. CollaborateCreate collaborative boards that allow external pinners to contribute.It’s a way to award and engage a few of your top evangelists or favorite bloggers. For instance, create a board dedicated to their pins, an approach used by Better Homes & Gardens and Whole Livingmagazine. America’s Test Kitchen created several boards focused on projects that feature pins from contributors – from homemadegifts to slow-cooker recipes.

6. Engage and IntersectPanera asks its followers to share their favorite pairing (like soup andsalad) using the hashtag #youpicktwo. A board is dedicated to thesecreative pairings, and even features photos of pairs like Julie & Julia or Will & Kate. Dunkin Donuts asks users to share what they’re drinkingand how they’re “running on Dunkin.”

Pinterest has become the fastest-growing website ever with over 12 Million members as of March 2012.

http://www.mashable.com Article by Christine Ericson Feb. 25, 2012

With an average of 1.36 million users daily, the social photo pinboardhas taken the web by storm, and top online retailers are following suit.Who are these feverish pinners? According to full service agencyModea, the majority are female mothers — 28 percent have a house-hold income of $100k+.

13 Pinteresting Facts about Pinterest Users

It’s no secret that the Internet loves Pinterest. Now, most users areeven spending more time, on average, pinning than they are onhanging out on Facebook. Here’s what you need to know aboutPinterest user demographics.

New to Pinterest?Find helpful tips for beginners at pinterestguide.com

Categories on Pinterest

1. Home2. Arts and Crafts 3. Style/Fashion4. Food 5. Inspiration/

Education 6. Holidays/Seasonal 7. Humor 8. Products 9. Travel 10. Kids

TOP 10

Most Popular Board Names

on Pinterest

TOP 10

1. For the Home 2. My Style 3. Products I Love 4. Books Worth

Reading 5. Food 6. Favorite Places

& Spaces 7. Recipes 8. Craft Ideas 9. Christmas 10. Crafts Still Craving More Pinformation?

Check out the AMAZING infographic above athttp://on.mash.to/GDh3kf Top 10 Lists from mashable.com

March 12, 2012 Article by Lauren Indvik

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http://www.mashable.com March 21, 2012Article by Stephanie BuckInfographic by Column Five

Pinterest usersspend an average98 minutes onsite per month,third only to Tumblr (2.5 hours) and Facebook (7 hours)

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