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PRetty in Pittsburgh

On checking out and lack of motivation

It’s been a doozy of a summer. I’ve been living that pandemic summer for three summers now!

  • 2020: COVID was still new.
  • 2021: I had a newborn premie.
  • 2022: I became immunocompromised. Ugh. I won’t go into too much detail but I was diagnosed with a blood disorder in May called ITP where your platelets go way down to dangerous levels. Two hospital stays, three rounds of steroids and many IV treatments later we are still figuring things out. The good news is I feel fine and it’s treatable, but the bad news is the treatment I am on wipes out your immunity so I’ve had to lay low and cancel on a lot of things.

I am not sharing this for sympathy but rather a reminder that the pandemic is still happening and also a reminder to go to your routine doctor appointments and get tests and bloodwork when they are ordered. I would have never known I had this if not for routine bloodwork.

Now that we have that out of the way, the last two+ years have been so weird. If you’ve read this blog for any period of time, you know that I am a type A go-getter. But the last several months I’ve shifted a bit. I am still involved in professional organizations but things like updating this blog, working out at 5:30 a.m., sending out my newsletter and networking have fallen by the wayside. I remember in 2020 people said being stuck at home gave them so much more time to do things like learning a new language. I never understood that.

All this to say, if you’re feeling stuck, or not motivated, embrace it. I miss my pre-pandemic self and world so much, but I can’t even imagine having that schedule now. Yes, I have a one-year-old who is into EVERYTHING right now so that doesn’t help, but a child or not, I look back on a typical work day for myself and I cannot imagine doing it all now. I think the pandemic plus the state of the world makes it OK for us to not be as motivated, and things out of our control like health issues. Plus, no one has been waiting with bated breath for me to drop a new blog post or attend an event, so I think I’m OK. 🤣 As long as my work is done, my child is healthy and happy and we have groceries and toilet paper, then that’s the new way of thriving.

And one final point. Check out of social media every now and then. I love to delete the apps off my phone some weekends to stay away since it’s always my go-to when I am sitting to mindlessly scroll. I have to be on it for work but I don’t have to be on it all the time. And for those Instagram storying their entire honeymoon: please don’t. I love seeing beautiful trip posts, but like, enjoy your trip. I know content is everything, but take photos and videos and share later like the good old days. Aren’t photo dumps still cool? (Also, let’s change that name.)

The good news: we’re entering a new season. Fall and holidays will of course be as fast as the first half of the year, but my fall goals include getting my platelets under control, eating better and doing fun fall things with my family. I also hope to be more consistent with my blog and newsletter, but I am not making any promises because sometimes, a nap is better.

There’s Magic in the DMs

Direct messages a.k.a. DMs can be a scary place sometimes. Lots of odd robotic “collab” requests. Weird men saying “hello, beautiful,” and much more. For influencers, I am sure there are a lot of hateful messages as well. I once DMd an influencer because she said “um” before every frame in her story and it drove me nuts. But then I realized there is no good to come of that and quickly deleted it.

There are not *too* many stats out there on these conversations because they are private. But I was able to find that one in every five organic stories gets a direct message. And I’m sure that number multiplies per follower count.

So what’s the point?

The point is, there can be magic in the DMs.

Instagram DM

Sure, feed posts get a lot of traction, but I know personally when I post something in my stories that people feel strongly about, I get a ton of responses. Maybe it’s a heart eyes emoji when I share a photo of my cute baby daughter. Or a laughing emoji when I share a relatable TikTok or Reel. I remember last winter when I was pregnant and shared a question whether or not to get the owelet sock (a very polarizing baby product), I had SO many responses. And lots of advice on other baby products. It was overwhelming that I didn’t ask a public question again on baby products. I’ll stick to texting a few trusted friends. But that’s not to say I wasn’t grateful.

There are so many conversations going on behind the scenes that we don’t see. We work with influencers at my company, and they share screenshots of story metrics on campaigns we work with them on so we can track them for reporting, and sometimes we get some gems that share actual DMs/conversations. Here, followers may share important information we can relay to our client like how informative their story was or even intent to purchase. I know these conversations are meant to be private, but I wish there was more data on the DMs that Instagram would share (not necessarily the messages themselves but how many).

The DMs are a place where authentic, one-on-one conversations are taking place in social media. People are relating to each other, sharing information and connecting. While we can’t all see what’s going on or how many messages are being shared, this is where the magic happens.

What are your thoughts? Slide into my DMs.

Pittsburgh’s First-Ever Beyond Boss Event

On February 1, Beyond Boss came to life in Pittsburgh and I was HERE FOR IT. This event included networking, mini personal branding shoots, content creation tips, Instagram best practices, a kickass panel of women, food, drink, fun and so much more.

Seven+ years ago I reached out to Caitlin Thomas to be my wedding photographer, but she was sadly booked. (Luckily I was able to snag Hot Metal Studio.) But in the meantime, we kept in touch over the years and this was her brainchild (and the first time we met in real life). Caitlin says after she had two kids, she wanted to find her “thing” and this was it.

If you’re familiar with Create & Cultivate, Beyond Boss is a similar type of deal, but very much its own thing. And it’s much more than a one-day event. Beyond Boss is an online community of women, and a podcast, to keep the networking and inspiration up. I found out about the event from Instagram and instantly snagged a ticket. What’s cool is Caitlin started a private Facebook group so attendees could mingle and get to know one another here. She even posted that if you were coming alone, to meet people here so you could connect before the event. So important, since sometimes coming to these types of things can be super intimidating. Their goal was to be as positive and inclusive as possible.

The Day Of

The day began in the morning with getting glammed from Glam to Go, then it was time for branding headshots. Caitlin not only planned this entire event but took all the shots that morning. Impressive. She was quick and efficient and made me feel like a queen. I mean how cute is this?

She is planning on doing more mini sessions, and I can’t encourage women enough to get in on these. We all need a few glamour shots even if we’re not running a business. We ARE all running a personal brand though, so make your social channels pop with fun, polished, high-res images. We’ve come a long way since our Facebook profile pics were us in college holding a drink.

Women started to trickle in and began mingling and sipping custom coffees from The Loveliest. There were also custom illustrations by Oh Joyful Day, handmade luggage tags from Krisna Poznike, mini manis from Beauty Bungalow, and of course some Beyond Boss merch.

Then we were broken into three groups to attend the workshops:

Photo by Dana from All Heart Photo and Video via the BeyondBoss Instagram account

While I loved all the workshops, I truly loved what Rachel had to say about Instagram and her mentality of quality over quantity. Something that is definitely a trend in social in 2020 with likes being less prominent.

After the workshops, we all did a brief meditation and the powerhouse panel of women spoke about business, social media, motherhood and more. Then there were cocktails, food, music and dancing to round out the evening.

Even more special was that 20% of all proceeds went to The Alexis Joy Foundation, which helps women and their families who are affected by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Beyond the Day: Community and Connecting

After Instagram-storying like crazy that day, I had many new followers that I was able to connect with after the fact. (One of my favorite new accounts is Alisha Cohen from Lish Creative – how fun is her Instagram?!)

Since then, the conversation has kept going either on Instagram, texts, the Beyond Boss Facebook group and just talking with other women in general. It was truly a fun experience that really just made me feel inspired and empowered. I know, it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Sometimes I feel bad when I have to say no (or charge for my time) but the panel especially reinforced the fact that we all have talents and little time, and your time is precious. So don’t feel bad or apologize for this.

The future holds so much for Beyond Boss, so if you’re a woman in Pittsburgh (whether you own your own business, work for an agency, corporation, or non-profit, are a stay at home mom, are in college, and everywhere in between), this is a community of women worth connecting with.

How Subaru Took Advantage of #MakeADogsDay

I’ve been a big fan of Subaru’s dog campaign ever since I saw the first commercial spot with a family of golden retrievers and labs “driving” one of its vehicles. I mean, what’s not to love about that? They are also called the Barkleys which is just too adorable. And it’s not by accident since according to the company, about half of Subaru buyers own dogs. But something I am not always a huge fan of? When brands half-heartedly get behind a hashtag or trending “national holiday” simply for the sake of not being left behind. So a “one post and done” type of deal.

A few weeks ago, I saw a commercial from Subaru stating that tomorrow was #MakeADogsDay which I thought was in line with their brand, but I was also skeptical that this was another “one and done” approach. Subaru, however, proved me wrong.

Make a Dogs Day is a “holiday” actually established by Subaru. I learned that the brand has an 11-year partnership with the ASPCA and part of its Subaru Loves Pets campaign, Subaru invited dog lovers to do something special for their dogs, while they sponsored a nationwide effort to help shelter dogs find loving homes. The next day I opened up Instagram and saw a sponsored post. Subaru had sponsored posts in its feed, and when I clicked on its stories, it was sharing images that fans had sent in of their dogs. Smart. The hashtag was also trending on Twitter, so Subaru had utilized paid social across several channels to promote this day. Smart again.

Not only that, but the company also used its paid budget to tap GMA (I am assuming this was paid because how else could it have executed so perfectly?!) and promoted this with a segment.

And then there was Amazon. When I tapped over to my Amazon app, Subaru had also established a presence there to encourage customers who use AmazonSmile to donate to the ASPCA. And that evening when I was watching TV again, I saw more spots about the day.

There was an influencer play, too with none other than Doug the Pug showing his support! Subaru utilized earned media, too. There were national placements in Newsweek, but also local placements talking about dealerships across the country having “Pawties” to celebrate the Subaru Loves Pets campaign.

After October, Subaru didn’t simply shut off this messaging, either. I just looked over at Subaru’s Twitter feed and saw a retweet just a few days ago from the ASPCA, talking about the upcoming Share the Love event which again provides funds to the ASPCA, as well as other national and local charities.

The Takeaway

Subaru’s marketing is not “one and done” with a quick tweet about a trending hashtag like #NationalDogDay. Rather, it actually took the time to establish its own hashtag, which reflects its commitment to pets and its mission, vision, and values as a company. This is something the company is doing year-round and was smart to execute a paid and earned approach so customers and potential customers keep the brand top of mind.

Influencer Events: Extending Brand Life Beyond the Party

If you’ve spent more than two minutes on Instagram at any point in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed a LOT of influencer events. These events are usually super Insta-worthy: think floral backdrops, perfectly set tables, ocean or poolside — the works. But beyond the bells and whistles of these events, taking a step back and asking yourself, “What’s the point?” should be in the back of each consumer’s mind. We follow brands for a reason — we should be getting something out of each post. And as for the brand, if you’re putting on these events, the question should be, “Is this influencer going to do their job and create awareness for my brand or product?” I decided to dig a little deeper.

Image via Molly on the Move

Brand Social Media

I worked in the fashion retail space for about four years, so deskside visits and magazine editor events were a staple in that industry. I ALMOST got to have a full-blown NYC editor event with MY bells and whistles, but the budget got cut. Womp womp. At any rate, when I was there, I had the opportunity to see what other brands were doing in the space. Two winners: Old Navy and Aerie.

Old Navy
First, Old Navy does an editor/influencer event several times a year to kick off its new season. Not only do they invite influencers, but its Instagram stories are updated that day, and archived via story highlights for easy access. They showcase vibrant colors and fun — very true to their brand. They also incorporate influencer posts and call out when and how to shop these looks. I also like how they do sponsored content, too. This example from 2017 and their #sayhi campaign LOVED that) from Pop Sugar incorporates the influencers and how to style the pieces.

Aerie
Aerie KILLS their events. They have amazing aesthetics, food and drink, and always some type of activity like a custom hat station, as an example of its last event. I like how they showcase their PR team, then move into the event and showcase not only the influencers attending, but what they are posting, adding that content to their stories as well. At the end of each, they always have a swipe up to actually shop the merchandise, too, so the consumer can get the experience, then make an action. And they keep the theme going for the entire season. Not only that, but they have amazing events (after this “Squeeze the Day” preview, they did a Q&A on how to be a better friend) with some inspirational people, staying true to their brand message.

Influencer Social Media

A few months ago, I was in a hotel room on a work trip mindlessly scrolling Instagram, per usual. All of a sudden, I saw a few fashion bloggers posting about Pittsburgh and got instantly excited! Whenever I see someone travel here, it makes me happy. At any rate, I was trying to guess what they were in town for. There are limited retailers here, so I had about four choices. I first thought Aerie, but they always do their events in LA and NYC, and I then learned it was another brand based here (a fitness apparel line). The brand did all the logistics right — each influencer stayed at the Hotel Monaco, and they took them to an amazing-looking dinner at Bar Marco, one of my favorites. The actual event was held at Slate, which is a space that’s a “blank slate” so brands can come in and work with a clean space. They had pieces for the bloggers to try, yoga and more. It was really nicely done. But as I was watching the blogger stories I noticed not many of them were actually talking about the pieces or the brand. They were all saying they were in Pittsburgh, posing with one another, but then it was done. I barely got to learn what makes the product good. Would it be a piece I could wear to yoga? Great leggings for running? I will never know. Not many of them posted about the brand — there was a tag or two but the execution from their end was weak. I am not even confident the brand did any Instagram stories. This was in April, and the one blogger I follow regularly JUST did a post on the brand last week or so. Then in her stories a few later she was already talking about a competitor, Lululemon. What was the point?

In the complete opposite, I want to call out an influencer who did it right. I’ve talked about Jessica from How Sweet Eats many times (she’s from Pittsburgh so that just makes her automatically good from the start!). But Jessica has some of the best content in the game. A few months ago around the same time as that last Pittsburgh event I mentioned, I saw she flew to NYC for a So Delicious influencer event. She posted a few glimpses into the beautifully done event, but since then, I’ve seen her post multiple times about the brand, and did a custom recipe to promote their new Oatmilk Frozen Desserts. She mentioned she’ll be working with them more in 2019. It may be easier for food influencers to do this, but Jessica I’ve noticed picks brands to work for more than just a “one and done” post. Fashion influencers, on the other hand, post ALL the brands. Her posts are more quality and have more longevity, and now I associate her with that brand. Super well done, on both the brand and influencer parts.

One Week, One Month, One Year Later (+Budget Considerations)

One thing that’s difficult to do is to measure your event beyond that day — but isn’t that the point? Brands are spending lots of money to rent space and fly people in (plus pay hefty influencer fees). I have to think the team has to deliver a post-event report to the CMO or other executives. What does this include? What are their goals? I think more brands need a longevity plan. Yes, the Pittsburgh brand had a few posts done post-event, but during the event felt completely lackluster and I learned nothing about the products.

How could they have changed this?

  • Establish goals far in advance
  • Plan your event around the goals
  • Devise a contract with your influencer(s) that outlines their exact deliverables and not just before and during the event, but long after. If they come back with a price that’s too much, consider a lower-follower, higher-quality influencer (think: micro or nano!). Nano influencers may even naturally post about your product long after, especially if you’ve made it a good experience for them (even if it’s not part of the contract).
  • Don’t just think about the influencers at the event. Think about your brand’s audience or customer. What do you want them to get out of an event? Yes, tapping into an influencer network is important, but if the consumer doesn’t get anything out of it, chances are you’ve wasted a lot of time, and a lot of money. And your influencer has quickly moved on to the next paid partnership.