Recent reports rank it the third most popular social media site, behind only Facebook and Twitter. I’ve also heard from friends with blogs and retail sites, particularly within the home decor/design space, that it’s now the biggest driver of traffic to their sites.

As we all try to figure out how Pinterest best fits into the larger communications outreach puzzle, here are five tips for doing Pinterest right:

1. It’s not about you, it’s about your customer: Your boards can’t be exclusively product-focused or even exclusively brand-focused. On social media, especially Pinterest, it’s not about you, it’s about your customer. For example, for home brands and retailers, you’re expected to be a design influencer and resource – with links to fashion, furniture, colors, retailers, etc.

2. Stop shilling, start filling (your boards): My favorite brand on Pinterest is West Elm, the furniture and accessories store that’s part of Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma dynasty. They tread very lightly in promoting their own products and instead offer design inspiration in a variety of ways, including themed boards chocked full of ideas around colors, textures, design styles, etc.

Here’s an example of how West Elm has created a board all around the color coral: http://pinterest.com/westelm/coral/. Sure, there are some West Elm products mixed in, but most of the pins are of rooms they see on blogs, retailer sites, interior design firm sites, etc. It’s about helping guide and influence someone who’s looking to design with the color coral, in a completely non-salesy way. It’s not about them taking any sort of control of their brand or trying to sell anything directly. It’s about influence and trust, not marketing.

In my opinion, West Elm is a case study in how to do Pinterest right…and the experts claim it’s paying off. In February, Pinterest drove more traffic to websites than Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.

3. Keep It Simple: Avoid image descriptions are too long and too salesy. You do not need to include your URL in the description. The beauty of Pinterest is that it’s already connected to your site in the pin, as well as listed at the bottom.

4. Think Keywords: Think like the person you want to find you and use the words that they would use, not the words that you would put in a marketing report to your company president. Basically, it’s on-site SEO. If someone on Pinterest is searching for a red blanket, that’s the phrase they’re going to use – not “XYZ Brand coverlet in scarlett, available exclusively at yourbrand.com.”

5. Be Human: The best thing that can happen is that someone repins your post with your original description intact. To maximize the likelihood of that happening, it needs to sound like something a layperson would say, not the director of marketing. Pretend you’re your next-door neighbor or your kid’s 5th grade teacher. What words would she use?

Cooper was the featured in a Q&A for Oak Cliff People, the community newspaper for the area of Dallas where he lives.

It’s a fun read, including the best & worst gifts he’s ever gotten, why Dr Pepper is the devil and what he’d write a book about (if he were to ever write one).

Click the image below or this link to open the PDF.

Snelling Staffing Services

DALLAS, April 12, 2012 – As the economy continues to recover from recession, employers are increasingly looking to hire more staff to meet growing demand for their products and services. To better position itself to address the hiring needs of its clients and the growth of its franchises, staffing services and job placement firm Snelling has reorganized its leadership team: Bill Hamrick has been named senior vice president of operations, Michael Zimmerman is now vice president of franchise sales and DeDe Parker-Todd has been promoted to vice president of operations performance.

“As the economy heals and companies, big and small, are getting busier, we want Snelling to be a trusted resource in helping them hire the right people for the right positions, whether that be temporary, contract or direct-hire,” said David Allen, president and CEO of Dallas-based Snelling.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for temporary workers has grown 37 percent since the end of the recession. In February alone, employers added 45,000 temporary workers to their payrolls, making up nearly 20 percent of all non-farm sector jobs added for the month.

In addition to the greater focus on operations and efficiencies within the Snelling organization that Hamrick and Parker-Todd will spearhead, the firm also anticipates increased interest and need for franchises across the country. Zimmerman will lead Snelling’s growth into new markets, as well as identifying opportunities for expansion within existing markets.

Hamrick and Parker-Todd are based out of Snelling’s Dallas headquarters. Zimmerman is based in Boston.

In 2011, Snelling ranked on the list of the fifty largest U.S. staffing firms, as reported by Staffing Industry Analysts, a global advisor on contingent work. With 116 offices nationwide, Snelling generated $230 million in annual revenue in 2010. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, the staffing services industry generated $103.1 billion in revenue in 2010. (2011 financials not yet available.)

About Snelling:

Snelling is a full-service, WBENC-certified workforce solutions provider serving temporary, temp-to-hire, contract and direct-hire staffing needs. Since opening its first office in 1951 in Pennsylvania, Snelling has grown to 116 office locations throughout the United States. Snelling is committed to helping businesses, candidates and communities prosper by creating successful employment connections. For more information, visit www.snelling.com.

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Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-4477

Silence of the Clams, featuring an all-male cast of three, is a parody of the 1990 Oscar-winning Jodie Foster/Anthony Hopkins thriller, Silence of the Lambs. Butch FBI agent Clarice Startling is assigned to help find Nancy Pelosi’s missing daughter and save her from “Beaver Bob,” a serial killer who skins his victims “down there.” Clarice attempts to gain better insight into the mind of the killer by interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lichter, a convicted psychopath who “eats” his female victims before he kills them. The twisted relationship forces Clarice not only to confront her own psychological demons, but leads her face-to-face with a demented killer, so evil that even she may not have the courage – or strength – to stop him!

The cast of three men (Mathew Butler, Austin Tindle, and Mikey Abrams) play 15 characters in 22 fast-paced scenes in the span of 90 minutes.  The production is under the direction of Linda Leonard and is rated R for adult language, humor and situations.

Silence of the Clams runs April 27 – May 20, 2012, with performances Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m. There is no performance on May 19, but an additional performance has been added at 7: 30 p.m. on May 20 at 7:30 p.m. Performances will take place at the Rose Room Theatre, located inside the S4 Nightclub at 3911 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas TX 75219.  Tickets are $20-$25 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.  All patrons must be 21 years of age or older and have proof of age with them.

About this Production:
Silence of the Clams
by Jamie Morris
April 27 – May 20, 2012
Content Advisory: Adult Language, Adult Humor and Adult Situations – Ages 21 and up
Directed by Linda Leonard
April 27, 28, May 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 @ 8 p.m.
May 20 @ 7: 30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$25

Box Office Info:
Online: www.uptownplayers.org
Phone: 214-219-2718

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About Uptown Players:

Now in its eleventh season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including over 900 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 17 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first ten seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players has been featured on Good Morning Texas and Daybreak on WFAA. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Snelling Staffing Services

DALLAS, March 1, 2012 – Dallas-based Snelling has named Gina Ashton as the national staffing services firm’s chief financial officer. Ashton is a veteran of the staffing

services industry, having been recruited to Snelling from Instaff, where she served as chief financial officer. Prior to that, she served as chief financial officer for seven years for Today’s Staffing.

“Gina’s significant experience in the staffing industry, paired with her experience in various other industries prior to that, made her a natural fit for Snelling,” said David Allen, president and CEO of Snelling.

In 2011, Snelling ranked on the list of the fifty largest U.S. staffing firms, as reported by Staffing Industry Analysts, a global advisor on contingent work. With 116 offices nationwide, Snelling generated $230 million in annual revenue in 2010. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, the staffing services industry generated $103.1 billion in revenue in 2010. (2011 financials not yet available.)

About Snelling:

Snelling is a full-service workforce solutions provider serving temporary, temp-to-hire, contract and direct-hire staffing needs. Since opening its first office in 1951 in Pennsylvania, Snelling has grown to 116 office locations throughout the United States. Snelling is committed to helping businesses, candidates and communities prosper by creating successful employment connections. For more information, visit www.snelling.com.

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 Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

February 27, 2012- To help attract attention to National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 26-March 3, 2012), eating disorders and food addictions expert Tennie McCarty offers tips to parents on how to spot eating disorders in their teen children.

“Over the years, most of the talk about eating disorders in teens has focused on anorexia and bulimia, typically blamed on unrealistic body images portrayed in the media. Increasingly however, the discussion has turned to the opposite end of the spectrum – compulsive overeating and food addiction. As the obesity rates in American children continue to skyrocket, teen overeating and addiction to food are becoming serious concerns to many parents,” said McCarty.

“First let me say, it’s no secret that teens to eat a lot, particularly during growth spurts. Unfortunately it’s what can make identifying compulsive overeating and food addictions in teens difficult,” said McCarty.

Here are a few warning signs that can help parents tell the difference between their teen’s “healthy appetite” and a problem with binge eating:

1. Hides food – When you’re cleaning your teen’s room, are you finding food and food wrappers stashed in strange places? I’m not talking about a Snicker’s wrapper on her dresser that she forgot to throw away. Finding food that’s been deliberately stuffed under covers, crammed on the top shelf of the closet or hidden behind her TV could indicate binge eating (and the embarrassment that follows).

2. Avoids eating with others – If your daughter never seems to accept invites from her friends to hang out at the food court or if she has a history of cancelling plans where food may be part of the outing, she may be avoiding eating with others because she’s ashamed of the amount of food she eats.

3. Emotional eating – Does your teen find comfort in food when she gets a bad grade, fights with her brother or feels rejected by someone at school? That may indicate a pattern of emotional eating in response to stress, which is a significant underlying factor for compulsive overeating and food addiction.

4. Creates unexpected drama – I’ve raised three daughters, so I know firsthand that drama is just part of having a teen in the house. But does it seem like your teen is creating drama simply to turn to food as a coping response? For many compulsive eaters and food addicts, any crisis can justify emotional eating and if there’s not a reason to eat, they’ll create one.

5. Seems depressed or embarrassed – Whether it’s compulsive overeating or anorexia, people with eating disorders commonly share the same feelings of depression, guilt, shame or anxiety, because they’re ashamed of the amount of food their eating or the changes (gains or losses) in their weight or body shape.

“I’ve largely used the feminine pronoun, but that does not mean that our teen sons aren’t at risk of the same behaviors. To be crystal clear, boys can and do have the same eating disorders that girls do. Boys can be compulsive overeaters and food addicts, and they can suffer from anorexia and bulimia,” added McCarty.

About Tennie McCarty:
Tennie McCarty is one of the foremost experts in treating addiction to behaviors and substances, especially food. A certified addictions specialist and licensed counselor in chemical dependency, she has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Addicted to Food, ABC’s Nightline 20/20, The Dr. Oz Show, The Joy Behar Show, NBC’s Today Show, Style Network’s Ruby, A&E’s Intervention and others. Nearly 25 years ago, she co-founded Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas.

Tennie’s book, Shades of Hope: A Program to Stop Dieting and Start Living (featuring a foreword from Ashley Judd), is available now for pre-order and in bookstores March 6. She will also appear nationally on Dr. Oz on March 6.

Visit Tennie’s site at www.TennieMcCarty.com and follow her on Twitter: @TennieMcCarty.

About National Eating Disorders Awareness Week:
National Eating Disorders Week aims to prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. More info can be found at http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

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Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Dallas, February 23, 2012 - Local specialty coffee shop Pearl Cup Coffee has announced it will open a new location in early 2013 at Sylvan | Thirty, the highly anticipated mixed-use development currently under construction at the crossroads of North Oak Cliff and West Dallas. It will be Dallas-based Pearl Cup Coffee’s third location and will occupy the 2,000-square foot corner space facing the intersection of Sylvan Avenue and I-30 frontage road. The coffee shop will feature a roll-up garage door, exposing the interior space to an expansive patio.

Founded in 2007 by partners Carlene Saelg and Rita Davis, the specialty coffee shop seeks to provide the most ethically sourced coffee in a space that reflects their sustainable commitment to green building practices.

“Being a green company is a choice we make out of our own personal commitment to do our part for a healthy planet,” said Saelg. “We appreciate that Sylvan | Thirty is seeking LEED certification — that’s something that resonates with our brand — and we think we’re a great fit with the other local and independent concepts that have committed to the project. We simply love making great coffee and want to become a community gathering place for the neighborhood.”

“Pearl Cup Coffee is going to be a great meeting place for our neighbors in West Dallas and North Oak Cliff, particularly for folks walking up the Coombs Creek Trail,” said Brent Jackson, president of Sylvan | Thirty developer Oaxaca Interests. “Their shop reinforces our commitment to local, community-focused businesses. Their dedication to environmentally conscious business practices and desire to embrace the surrounding neighborhood makes them a perfect fit for Sylvan | Thirty.”

Pearl Cup Coffee is the fourth tenant at Sylvan | Thirty to be announced. Other announced businesses include farm-fresh grocer Cox Farms Market, artisan butcher and wine shop Matador Meat & Wine and a culinary incubator, which will be overseen by chef Sharon Hage.

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Websites:

www.iheartsylvanthirty.com
www.thepearlcup.com

Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 384-1867

DALLAS – February 23, 2012 –

The Uptown divas return for another entertaining evening of Broadway music with plenty of twists, laughs and surprises.  Providing host duties for this year’s festivities will be the incredibly funny and talented Paul J. Williams and Marisa Diotalevi. This year’s divas will sing and dance to 30 songs from recent Broadway hits such as Catch Me If You Can, Xanadu, The Wedding Singer, Memphis and Shrek, as well as classic favorites like Fiddler On The Roof, Sweet Charity, Dreamgirls and Chicago.

This year’s cast includes Michael Albee, Beth Albright, Lon Barrera, Kayla Carlyle, B.J. Cleveland, Coy Covington, Brendan Cyrus, Marisa Diotalevi Sergio Garcia, Whitney Hennen, Jim Johnson, Summer Kenny, Jeff Kinman, Linda Leonard, Sara Martin, Tony Martin, Kelly McCain, Kevin Moore, Arianna Movassagh, Mark Oristano, Chad Peterson, Thomas Renner, Stephanie Riggs, Rick Starkweather, Amy Stevenson, Max Swarner, Angel Velasco, and Paul J. Williams. This year Broadway Our Way is written and directed by B. J. Cleveland with music direction by Kevin Gunter and Adam C. Wright and choreography by John de los Santos.

The evening also features a gallery of nearly 100 terrific auction prizes, including theatre tickets, restaurant gift certificates, hotel stays, artwork and much more!  A reception follows each performance.

The production runs March 16 through March 25, 2012, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays.  Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (at Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219.  Tickets are $40-$45, including the post-performance reception, and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718.

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Now in its eleventh season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of over 15,000 patrons, including nearly 1000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first 10 seasons. In recent years, Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards, and the Dallas Observer, and has appeared on the WFAA-A list and Best of Big D – D Magazine. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

DALLAS, February 21, 2011 – Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts has been selected to takeover and manage a 12-property, 1,877-room hotel portfolio, which includes Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton and Holiday Inn hotels in Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina.

“Our lender clients choose Prism because we stop the bleeding and immediately start restoring value to hotels, and all is done in a seamless manner even with large portfolios like this one,” said Steve Van, chief executive officer of Prism Hotels & Resorts.

Prism currently manages 52 properties in 18 states nationwide, including all major brands and independents. The company has a hotel receivership practice with more than 275 assignments to date.

“Our extensive experience working directly with lenders and our ability to attract top talent, as evidenced by our 92% employee satisfaction rate, allows Prism to provide the stability and capital appreciation opportunities that our clients seek,” added Van.

As an additional service to clients, Prism has created an interim hotel brand called InnPlace, which serves the flag needs of a hotel at greatly reduced costs, including no Property Improvement Plan (PIP) requirements or termination fees. Prism may flag some of the 12 hotels in this newly-acquired portfolio with the InnPlace brand.

About Prism Hotels & Resorts

Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts is one of the fastest growing full-service hotel investment, management and development companies in the United States. The company currently manages more than 7,500 rooms for multiple owners including urban, suburban and resort destinations.  Prism is approved to manage all major brands, as well as has extensive experience with independent destination hotels. For more information, please visit www.prismhotels.com.

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Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Dallas, January 31, 2012 – Days ago, Prism Hotels & Resorts gathered together the general managers from its 40 hotel properties across the country — 53 managers from 16 states — for its annual leadership conference. This year’s conference, which was inspired by the bestselling Jim Collins book Good To Great, featured former Mexican Cabinet Minister and presidential advisor Dr. Juan Hernandez as its keynote motivational speaker.

After being enthusiastically introduced by Prism Hotels CEO Steve Van, Dr. Hernandez, who is a frequent fixture on CNN, Fox News and Univision and has been featured on the cover of Fortune Magazine as one of the “Smartest People We Know,” talked to the hotel management firm’s managers about his professional experiences and personal friendships with many of Latin America and the United States’ top political leaders and what traits made those men great leaders. He also spoke about the changing demographics of the Hispanic population in the United States and how businesses can and should embrace and capitalize on the rapidly growing demographic.

Dr. Hernandez has been named “Humanitarian of the Year” by Latin Trade Magazine and one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business Magazine. He has advised international corporations and presidential hopefuls including Felipe Calderon (Mexico) in 2006, John McCain (US) in 2008 and Juan Gutierrez (Guatemala) in 2011. Dr. Hernandez has written and edited eight books on politics and poetry.

After Dr. Hernandez’s motivational keynote speech, Prism Hotels’ top corporate executives led the 53 managers in attendance through various leadership workshops and roundtable discussions – all centered around themes from the book Good to Great and how they can apply those themes to create “the best performance and the best results” (a Prism company motto) for their hotel owners.

“These conferences are always so inspiring to me. We have great leaders at each of our properties and it’s very important that we publicly recognize them every chance we get,” said Prism Hotels CEO Steve Van, who was recently named one of Hotel Business magazine’s People of 2012. “The biggest takeaway from the conference was the idea from the book Good to Great to ‘get the right people on the bus.’ The entire conference seemed to echo that theme. From each of our properties’ front desks and housekeeping staffs to the back-of-the-house operations and maintenance, we can only be as successful as the great folks we have working for us.”

The conference was capped off with Prism’s annual gala and awards ceremony, where select manager were honored for exceptional performance in 2011.

About Prism Hotels & Resorts

Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts is one of the fastest growing full-service hotel investment, management and development companies in the United States. The company currently manages more than 7,500 rooms for multiple owners including urban, suburban and resort destinations.  Prism is approved to manage all major brands as well as has extensive experience with independent destination hotels. For more information, please visit www.prismhotels.com.

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Full biographies on Dr. Hernandez can be found at http://www.juanhernandez.org/biography.

Media Contact: Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191