66 THE POWER OF VISUAL STORYTELLING she even pins press clippings about Luxury Monograms to add a level of authenticity. So how does Pinterest fit into Melanie’s overall marketing strategy? “For me, the real advantage of Pinterest comes from adding the Pin It! button below product images and blog posts—this encourages others to generate exposure for me. I have noticed that reminding people and making it easy for them to pin my products is the most effective use of Pinterest for my business.” Melanie has also hosted a number of successful contests through Pinterest. Contests further encourage fans to repin her products, gaining even wider exposure for Luxury Monograms. “My followers are women who love to decorate and entertain. I develop effective information on my Pinterest account that inspires and educates on product usage and ideas. Inspiration is a very effective marketing tool.” Melanie, who now hosts webinars teaching other entrepreneurs how to use Pinterest, says the platform has shown her the real power of social sharing, and it has allowed her to find a new passion: “Each morning I wake up to an inbox full of stores wanting to carry my line, magazine editors wanting to feature me, and tons and tons of sales. The only thing I love more than seeing my business do well is being able to help other entrepreneurs do the same.” Pinterest contests are growing in popularity as a fun way for brands to inspire fans and promote products. HP hosts an ongoing Pinterest contest to promote its HP SpectreXT laptop. Each week the company announces a different theme on its website for fans to create a Pinterest board around. The board needs to include just one pin of the HP SpectreXT laptop, and entrants submit the Internet address for their board through the dedi- cated HP web page. Each week’s winner is decided by public vote from the submissions, which are rewarded with prizes, including an HP SpectreXT laptop and $500 Amazon gift cards. HP has cleverly assimilated the con- test into its own website, helping to drive traffic between the two and simultaneously collecting contact details from entrants. As the contest is ongoing, HP ensures that consumer engagement remains high and doesn’t