WithIt June 2012 Newsletter

WithIt's professional conference, "Pathways to Success: Strategies, Connections and Meaning," Aug. 14-16, will offer two keynote presentations from one impactful and engaging executive. Grace Killelea, senior vice president of talent and leadership initiatives for Comcast Cable, will explore timely topics in two seminars: how to survive and thrive in a challenging economy, and leading from the middle.

"I am most excited to welcome Grace to our lineup of speakers," said 2012 WithIt Education Conference Chair Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA. "This year's conference program is following the overwhelming response from last year's conference to offer stepped-up focus on business-oriented topics and skills development."

Killelea empowers women to move beyond the barriers--both real and imagined--that professionals experience at many stages of their career. Tapping into a powerful network is one way a person can move beyond what blocks her success. Here, Killelea shares tips on building an effective professional network:

* Networking is an exchange of power, opportunity and information ... it's not just exchanging business cards or phone numbers.

* You don't have to "like" everyone in your network. You do have to develop contacts with people in, up and around your current role. There are folks in my network I don't consider friends, but I do consider them important people to know.

* Know the difference between a network and a support group. If there is wine and crying, it's a support group. You should have and use both!

* You should dedicate a minimum of one hour per week to developing your network. Coffee meetings, lunches or a quick drink after work are easy ways to make connections with peers, leaders and co-workers. These efforts will help build your champions and allies in your own company.

* Have connections in your "non-work" world as well. Contacts at church, associations and community partnerships are important, and teaching your children or the young people in your life to start building a network early is key. If you look at successful individuals, most have networks that started early. College also creates network connections that will last a lifetime.

* If you don't know how to network, then volunteer. It's a great way to meet people, and it gives you access to senior folks in the association or groups in which you are interested. You can't just show up, sit alone or with folks you know, and think you are networking.

* Do your homework before going to an event. Google the presenters and the folks you can confirm are attending. This will provide information to help fuel a conversation and make connections. If nothing else, make sure you thank the organizers of the event with a handwritten note.

* Don't walk up to a complete stranger at an event and ask for a job or a favor. Find a way to make a connection, make an introduction and then follow up at a separate time. If they offer assistance, that's great! Make sure to follow up, too.

* Learn to be of service and help make connections for other people. Introduce folks who may have something in common or could benefit from one another. The more you give, the more people will be willing to extend themselves to you.

* Have a great handshake and a good business card--seriously. It's amazing how many folks don't have either. A bad handshake is like wearing flip-flops to a formal event. It might get you noticed, but not in a good way.

* Don't think every social media tool is a positive networking experience. Be thoughtful about what you share and where you share it. Putting every thought out into cyberspace can destroy your brand and your network.

For more information about Killelea and other conference speakers, visit WithIt's Annual Professional Conference page. The early-registration deadline for this year's conference is July 9; click REGISTER to sign up today.

LEADERSHIP STUDIES

Media Roles

The peak age for girls' leadership ambitions is 8 years old, according to MissRepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. A former actress, spokesperson and advocate for girls, women and their families, Newsom wrote, directed and produced the 2011 Sundance documentary Miss Representation.

Newsom's film correlates media's misrepresentations of women and the under-representation of women in leadership positions. Consider the stats: Today, the average daily media consumption of U.S. teenagers is 10.75 hours a day. Female executives, meanwhile, hold only 18 percent of American leadership positions. The percentage of leadership titles women hold by industry:

11 percent in military

12 percent in sports

16 percent in business

16 percent in film and TV

17 percent in politics

18 percent in law

21 percent in non-profit

23 percent in academia

What's more, 64 percent of businesswomen see the absence of female role models as a barrier to their development.

As the only home furnishings industry association dedicated to women's leadership development, WithIt is a powerful conduit for changing the norms--in the home furnishings industry and beyond. Take the first step by encouraging your female peers to join WithIt, and be sure to reserve your seat at the 2012 professional conference, "Pathways to Success: Strategies, Connections and Meaning," Aug. 14-16.

For more information about MissRepresentation.org, view Newsom's talk from the 2011 TEDXWomen's Conference here.

NATIONAL EVENT

Celebrity Gala Salutes 15th Anniversary

Tickets are now available for WithIt's 15th Anniversary Celebrity Gala, a not-to-be-missed celebration that will recognize WithIt's indispensable role in nurturing the careers of countless women in the home furnishings industry.

The Gala will be held Saturday, July 28, from 7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. at Parisian Palace, a famed mansion in Las Vegas located at 6150 Palmyra Ave. The evening festivities will include regional food-and-wine pairings by celebrity chef and sommelier Chef Quattrocchi, a silent auction, on-camera interviews with HGTV's Lori Dennis, and entertainment by acclaimed opera singer Marco Antonio Verela and the Women in Music and Arts Foundation.™

In addition, WithIt and the Design Leadership Network will present the Las Vegas Woman's Leadership Achievement Awards, a recognition program that honors Las Vegas industry professionals who make significant contributions to the furniture and design industries. The recipients are: Dana Andrew, vice president of marketing, International Market Centers; Beth Schwartz, editor, Luxury Las Vegas magazine; and Andrea Thomas, owner of Thomas Design Source and scholarship director for NEWH The Hospitality Industry Network.

"Las Vegas is the perfect backdrop for WithIt's Anniversary Gala, and we purposefully timed our celebration as a kick-off event to the summer Las Vegas Market," says WithIt Regional Vice President and Gala Chairperson Kassie Smith, Kassie Smith Lifestyle Group. "WithIt members, directors, ambassadors, governors and sponsors deserve this unique and luxurious celebration to honor our organization's achievements, as well as exemplary professionals committed to the West Coast design scene."

Gala tickets are $75 for WithIt members and $100 for non-members and guests. Access to a VIP clubroom, which will offer blackjack, champagne tastings and hors d'oeuvres, is available for an additional $25. A limited number of tickets will be sold; reserve a ticket(s) prior to the event. Get your tickets at www.withit.org.

Gala sponsors include Crescent Fine Furniture, Ekornes, Furniture Today, HGTV Home, Las Vegas Design Center, Lexington Home Brands, Liz O'Brien, The Media Matters, PROFITSystems, Rowe Furniture, Woolrich®, and Wright Global Graphic Solutions.

MARKETING

Power of a Pin

WithIt and IMRE encouraged home furnishings brands to put a pin in it during spring's High Point Market Competitive Intelligence. Crystalyn Stuart, president of 5Loom powered by IMRE, provided insight on how to harness the power of Pinterest for your brand.

Addressing a standing room-only crowd, she and panelists (Jamie Meares, owner of Furbish Studio; Rachel DeSchepper, web editor of Country Living; Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of marketing for High Point Market Authority; and Traci Zeller of Traci Zeller Designs) shared these tips:

1. Understand and optimize for social discovery. Social discovery is adding a new layer of opportunity for brands to reach consumers in the discovery mode--before they've refined their want and conducted a keyword search for the item. This change in how users are acquiring knowledge is shifting the consumer-purchasing funnel. Social discovery allows users to discover products and quickly move to purchase with a simple click-through.

2. Identify industry influence. Sixty-five percent of top brands across the home category, including furnishings and housewares, are active on Pinterest. Look at how others in your industry are using the platform, as well as how you can utilize the platform for your brand.

3. Create a balance of content. It is important to strike a balance with content that shows a brand's personality while still promoting your business to customers. Boards can be organized in myriad ways depending on who is contributing, the seasonality of your boards, and what you personally consider to be important. Remember, however, that many followers don't ever make it to your boards. Each pin is more likely to be viewed as a part rather than a whole of a themed board.

4. Attract a different audience. Brands are able to reach new readers, customers and influencers through Pinterest. Those who engage with your brand online may be a different audience than those who gain information via traditional media channels.

5. Get to know your customers, and let them get to know you. Pinterest provides a way for both the brand and the customer to get to know each other. The platform provides a space to express your personality and preferences, thereby allowing for a more harmonious relationship to be developed.

6. Mitigate your liability on Pinterest. Pin carefully. If you post original images, include a watermark on your image to retain your copyrighted material. As a brand pinning images that aren't yours, we recommend placing a disclaimer on your profile and boards to state your intentions clearly. For more about Pinterest liability best practices, click here.

7. Build a promotional engine. Pinning great content is fun, but now is the time to get serious on Pinterest and build your promotional engine--the driver that takes Pinterest from a simple pilot to a top contributor to your marketing mix. This is your strategic plan for driving awareness, quantifying and increasing user engagement and building loyalty among your followers. A few ways to build a promotional engine include:

Cross-promote across your branded channels - Link pins to your web site and other social channels to activate the way users discover your online services.

Loyalty Offers - Pinners collaborate and share with others for a special offer to unlock.

Blogger partnerships - Leverage or build your relationships with bloggers by repining their content to a specific board on your platform, or allowing them to curate or contribute to a board.

Contests and Sweepstakes - These are great for building excitement and increasing fan volumes, but be careful to not overuse contests and sweepstakes. If conducted too frequently, brands can suffer high attrition rates and a lower-quality fan base.

NY DESIGN TOUR WRAPUP

Thank you Betty Lyn Eller and Jana Platina Phipps for another fantastic tour!

Betty Lyn Eller and Jana Platina Phipps at Jane's Carousel

Stacy Naquin and Jennifer Brouwer on the
Brooklyn Bridge.

Linda Lane and Carol Gregg at Pam Scurry's fantastic Fifth Avenue home.

For more pictures from the NY Tour, go to the WithIt Facebook page.

Have a story idea for an upcoming e-newsletter? Submit your idea to Julie Smith Vincenti, Vice President-Media.

WithIt, Inc.

PO Box 16264, High Point, NC 27261

Office: 2125 Eastchester Drive Suite 103, High Point, NC 27265