Category Archives: Me

Pinterest Management Service (and why you need it)

You wake up. You read emails. You answer emails. You slam coffee. You check Facebook, Twitter, you like, post, RT and Tumble. You slam more coffee and get on with tasks for the day. Three hours later, you haven’t tweeted in a while and a cold sweat of panic and guilt washes over you. More coffee. Then on to Instagram. You like and comment and wonder how you’ll find time to snap great pics of your hectic life. You get back to the “real” work of making sure your business is running smoothly…phone calls, meetings, coffee, more phone, spreadsheets, email email email.  Oh phooey. You forgot about Pinterest. You switch over (after checking Facebook and Twitter) and as the cascade of bright and shiny images loads on your screen, you do all you can not to jump out the window.  It’s just. Too. Much.

Ok, now that you’re in your fifth panic attack for the week (you may want to cut back the coffee just a wee bit ;) let’s take a deep breath and figure out what you can do to take some things off your plate.

The truth is, Pinterest isn’t hard to manage. In fact, it’s so darn pretty, it’s rather fun. But it does take time, and if not kept in check an hour can turn into four spent pinning and re-pinning and that just can’t happen during your crazy work days.  However, if you have a brand that is: visual, product based, creative, graphic, or female-focused, you really should have a solid presence on Pinterest.

Here’s how I can help.  Beyond my normal consulting services, it has become very apparent that this new social media channel is sometimes just too much for a small business to handle.  I have been managing many, many Pinterest campaigns over the past two years, and understand fully what it takes to keep your brand alive and well on this channel; thus the creation of my Pinterest Management Program. It’s simple:

Cost: $300/month – 3 month minimum
Includes:
- A minimum of 5 pins per day (typical pins range between 8-15) – equally divided between your brand’s original content + strategic pinning and repinning of other content. We’ll keep things in your voice and with your aesthetic so it feels genuine and on-brand.
- Mapped out strategy plan for creating boards, and following key influencers.
- “Likes” of every trackable pinner who has pinned something from your brand.
- Liason with your web programmer to make sure you have a visible Pinterest presence on your own site, including “Pin it” buttons, “Follow me” etc.
- Analytics presented at the end of each month.
Cost Compare:
A grande latte + snack at Starbucks can run you between $9-$11. For $10 a day you will have guaranteed visibility in the fastest growing social network on the planet. It’s calorie fee, locally grown and supports small business.

Interested? Let’s chat and get started! There’s no where to go but up!
email: traceyteeATmacDOTcom

*image by Ashley Goldberg

My Curated Collection on Cargoh.com

Are you shopping on Cargoh? Oh you should dear friends, you really, really should. Cargoh is a social marketplace for independent art, design + culture. An easy to use e-commerce solution for independent creatives to buy and sell the things they create. The site is interactive, highly curated but with loads of variety and beautifully designed. For handmade goodies created by insanely talented people, I just love this site!

Lucky for me I got to curate a collection and have a little interview with co-founder Cariann Burger (who might literally be the nicest gal ever.) Have a look them go and check out the other curated collections by loads of online notables who are waaaay cooler than me like Ampersand Design Studio, Hollye Jacobs, Rue Amandine, Natalie Holbrook and Erin Loechner, just to name a few.

Happy Shopping!

The 10 Commandments of Pinterest [infographic]

As I gear more and more clients towards an active Pinterest presence, I thought it would be fun to whip up a graphic for those of you getting started with this Pin-Phenomina; and also provide something to share for those of us who are starting to see both good and bad Pinterest trends come to pass.

Do you agree with my 10 Commandments? Did I leave anything out? Let’s discuss!

{and please join the fun and follow me!}

Pinterest and why retailers should be Pinning


I’ve been away from my blog for a bit, mainly because I’ve been super busy with clients but also, I must confess, I have been Pinning.  Are you on Pinterest yet? At first glance I looked around and almost had an anxiety attack, but then like most social media integrations, once I let it wash over me and fell into the rhythm of pinning and being pinned I quickly realized how this is such a goldmine both for the user and for just about anyone with an online presence.

As an experiment, I used Pinterest to plan my daughter’s 1st Birthday Party. I created a Board where I dumped Etsy finds, recipes and inspirational ideas for my “Glittery Winter Wonderland” theme.  It was such a help to see all the imagry in one place, and I loved that others started repinning my lovely Etsy finds…giving these hard-working and super creative designers another platform to showcase their wares.  I loved the way Evie’s party turned out, and from there I officially became a Pinning Junkie.

So why should you join Pinterest and waste even MORE of your time on yet ANOTHER social media platform? I consider Pinterest, like Twitter, to actually be a daily enhancement. If used wisely (i.e. not obsessively) you will find a great way to categorize your daily web chaos into specific, totally visual Boards.  Trying to decide on what color to paint your dining room (my next project!). Make a Board with color and room inspirations! Looking for easy weeknight recipes? Pin your fave blog posts and emails to a board for quick reference in a pinch.  Want to keep gift ideas from multiple sites in one place? Create a Gifts Board and boom. You’ll have all those great finds in one spot.

And therein lies the benefit for retailers.  We are a searching generation, and if your stuff in out there in a place where people are actively seeking new gems they can buy, it stands to reason you will benefit with conversions.  In addition, Pinterest has a nifty Gifts category where anything with a price added into the description is segmented in incremental dollar amounts. That means not only do your followers see your newest wares, but with the price added, so does EVERYONE else. And by everyone, were talking about an estimated 7.5 MILLION users and counting.  In addition, Pinterest is highly searchable in Google – giving your SEO more sticking power with loads on inbound links.

There’s so much more to discuss here, nuances and etiquette being two points that warrant their own posts.  But in the meantime, I’ve officially added Pinterest management to my Consulting services, however – PLEASE NOTE: Just as I stress to all my clients with regards to EVERY social media endeavor, a “commercial” Pinterest account MUST remain authentic and transparent.  Too much “buy this buy this buy this now” will not gain you any new followers.  This is another opportunity to showcase your brands personality, and therefore must be considered an integral and highly visible part of your digital identity. I can help with this.  Either to get your mind around the concept and train you to manage it yourself, or show you how I can elegantly manage it for you to take some weight off your shoulders.

I’ll leave you with my three most urgent words of Pinterest advice, and a fab infographic from Mashable:

1) Don’t blow off Pinterest right now. With brands like West Elm, HGTV, Anthropologie and Kate Spade already pinning up a storm, you do not want to be left behind.

2) Don’t let Pinterest take over your life. Find balance and work it into your daily marketing routine.

3) Never forget to stay true to your brand.

oh – and be sure to follow me! :)

I Have a Curated Slideshow on Kirtsy.com

This was so much fun! Have you checked out the newly revamped Kirsty? It’s streamlined, curated, and a visual treat for anyone who loves thematic roundups.  While I do love Pinterest, it sometimes gives me anxiety.  Kirtsy is cleaned up, designed with restraint and organized with a great eye. I was so glad to participate!

Many thanks to Gabrielle of DesignMom (a blog I hold in the highest respect and read daily and she’s also Co-Founder of Kirtsy) for allowing me to indulge my current neon obsession.

Hope you like my little slideshow!

About Me: Love from Ampersand Design Studio

If there were ever a more applicable scenario where “the feeling is mutual” could be so completely true, I’d like to see it. Because I have so much awe and respect for the gals of Ampersand Design Studio, that it’s funny almost, that they’d turn around and write such a lovely thing about me. But write they did, and even though I’m slightly embarrassed at the niceties, I’m even more proud that some peers whom I admire think that what I’m doing is good.

Please read their blog. You will be inspired daily. HIRE THEM if you need gorgeous graphic work. And if you’re considering joining a few issues of NewNOW, let this be an outside opinion for you to noodle.

Etsy Find: Jenn Ski German Shepherd Print

Jenn Ski’s mid-century inspired artwork has always made me smile, but this adorable German Shepherd print has just put a giant grin on my face.

Nearly two years ago we decided Lucy needed a playmate, and without really knowing what kind of dog we wanted or if we could possibly love another dog as much as Lulu, we went to a Colorado Puppy Rescue adoption event and came home with a quirky little runt we named Fran.  Frannie is one giant ray of sunshine, a happy, perky, hilarious pup who will lick anyone to death if she’s allowed.  That dog has nothing but love in her heart…so much so that we can’t decide if she’s stupid or literally nothing bothers her. Her entire world revolves around Lucy, and second to Lucy comes Evie.

We’re not exactly sure what Frannie really is – she’s mostly German Shepherd, but she’s small – only 45 pounds with the biggest pointy ears you ever saw.  In short, she’s absolutely adorable.

If you’re considering getting a dog and are hesitant to adopt a rescue puppy, let me put a big vote in the corner of DO IT for you.  Both Lucy and Fran were adopted from Colorado Puppy Rescue, we don’t know anything about their heritage or lineage, and we couldn’t have been luckier.

Anyway, this print looks a lot like Frannie, and captures that perfect wide-eyed expression with those “flaps” standing straight up that we see from her every day. Thanks Jenn for giving me a few minutes to gush about my dogs.  With a newborn in the house I’m afraid our first two “girls” have been a bit neglected these past few months, but that doesn’t mean we love them any less!

Welcome Delightfuls!!

Hi y’all!

I take it you received our update newsletter, and you clicked on through to check out my blog.  This is a work in progress, and there are big design changes in store very soon.  Please excuse pages with missing information and photos…all will be completed soon in colorful, bright shininess.

So glad you’re here though.  If you want to find out a bit more about why and where I’m headed, please read my New Beginnings post which sort of sums it all up.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Tracey

New Beginnings

Today is March 1st, and I am officially a consultant, a freelancer, and a stay-at-home-mom. After four amazing years as Co-Founder of Delight.com and GentSupplyCo.com we have closed down the business and moved on to other new adventures.

It seems strange and oddly disarming that I won’t be working 80 hours a week. For so long I’ve been attached to my BlackBerry and laptop checking orders, solving problems, ordering products, building pages, editing photos, securing press, and generally running myself ragged.  Was my commitment too much? I’ve BlackBerried  on the operating table, and I was typing furiously on my laptop while being induced.  I never once went on vacation (which were few) and didn’t work; and there wasn’t a single weekend without many hours spent on the comp.  I didn’t lunch with friends, my roots went waaaaay too long between highlights.  I’m not saying this is healthy, but this was my life and I loved it. I loved my business partners, I loved LOVED my amazing staff and will miss them dearly, and I loved what we achieved with Delight.

I’m excited to now take all my bumps and scrapes along the way and parlay them into helping others achieve their dreams in business.  I have some amazing clients already, and I can’t wait to dig in and support them in growing their companies.  It feels good to go back to my writing roots as well.  I think there might be a book in the works at some point about certain adventures my Husband and I endured while trying to get pregnant – but right now I’m also enjoying the adventures of raising my beautiful little girl.

Oh did I mention that part of my new life? Consulting will be amazing, but I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with my daughter.  Anyone who knows me knows I won’t be long without my hands in a new project or venture – but this time around she’s gonna be by my side.  If you can’t reach me on Fridays this summer, I’ll probably be at the pool.  If I’m gone for an hour in the afternoon, we’re probably out for a walk.  15 minutes off chat?  You can bet I’m changing a big poopie.  It will be hard to create a schedule that supports both my clients and my daughter, but I know it can be done, and I’m up to the task.

My hope is my new site will also support these aspects of my life and give you, my readers and clients additional inspiration and advice  you can apply to your own lives.  My self-centered, namesake site will embody all that I love in life, and explore all that I’m good at in business.  Reflecting back through my 20′s and halfway (ahem) through my 30′s I think I have a few interesting things to say. I hope whoever is out there reading this will join me in my conversation.

I can’t wait for the years to come!

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