Almost every break out time slot had a speaker sharing insights and ideas for email campaigns. There were also a few really great content marketing sessions. I made note of a lot of great tips: some we implement already and a few we can’t wait to explore.

Emails are being read first on mobile devices. Now, this obviously depends on your industry, and individual results may vary, but by and large, people are reading email, especially outside the hours of 8am-5pm, on their mobile devices. That being said…

(Michael Barber)

• Emails should be glance-able
• No scrolling left to right
• Large calls to action (thumbs are bigger than mouse pointers)
• Large font, too – at least 16pt

(Justine Jordan)

• Remove “Click here.” People do not “click” with their thumb
• Personalize your emails – they perform better to the tune of +26% open rates
• Send emails based on birthdays, purchase history, or any other data you have

And if you need any inspiration for emails, check out reallygoodemails.com.

If you finish this blog post with one nugget of advice, I hope it’s this: be authentic. Twitter itself suggests that the best tweets share meaningful moments — big and small. People follow companies (for a variety of reasons, including) to get a look behind the curtain, and see who you really are and what you’re all about.

Here are a few easy-to-implement tips to get you started and to keep in mind as you grow your Twitter base.

What is it they say about pictures?
Tweets with images result in more engagement whether you measure Retweets, Favorites or Replies. You have a limited number of characters to work with. Including an image uses a finite number of those characters, but you know what they say: A picture is worth a thousand words.

First is better than third.
Even if you’re tweeting as a company and not an individual, use first person language. Say “we,” not the name of the company. Never include your own handle in a tweet. Twitter is all about conversation. If your Twitter account seems boring and sterile, your company may seem that way, too.

Oreo is a great example of a lighthearted and personable Twitter account.

Be a tease.
Twitter is practically designed to help you be coy; take advantage. 140 characters are all you have to intrigue people and entice them to click on your content. While teasing your information, also be clear with your wording as people are more likely to click on your link if they know what to expect.

Tweet around.
If you tweet around your industry and about the things that you find interesting, it’s likely that your followers might also find it interesting, even if it’s not directly related to your products or services. Not every tweet is going to close a sale or gain a new follower. You’re trying to promote conversation and engage with your followers.

For example, Nike has built a very successful and recognizable brand. Some of their tweets are about the fitness industry without pushing anything they sell. In the example below, they do include their tagline as a hashtag, but this tweet doesn’t tell you anything about their products.

Peak time.
Have you picked up on any trends in engagement among your followers? Do you get more retweets or mentions on certain days of the week or even at certain times of the day? Pay attention to engagement by day and time and see if you pick up a pattern. (By the way, you should also be checking out your Twitter Analytics for other great stats on your account!) For B2B companies, we typically see peak engagement on weekdays after 11am ET, and it’s pretty quiet between 8pm and 9am ET as well as on the weekend.

#ButNotTooMany
Hashtags are a great way to extend your reach. You probably have a goal to increase the number of your followers, and an easy way to reach potential followers is to include hashtags in your tweets. Be sure to search and include hashtags that already have a strong presence. New, custom hashtags can also be included in your next campaign to promote conversation and engagement.

And remember, one or two hashtags per tweet is ideal. Any more than that, and well…

Emily Almasy is one of the three of us who has caught the Game of Thrones bug and will continue reading:

• A Clash of Kings (book 2) by George R. R. Martin

She also enjoys reading cookbooks cover-to-cover:

• Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes you can Trust by Ina Garten
• Cooking Light The New Way to Cook Light: Fresh Food & Bold Flavors for Today’s Home Cook from the editors of Cooking Light
• The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket by Katie Workman

Shelley Bainter is taking two books on her trip to small-town America:

• The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson
• The Lifeboat: A Novel by Charlotte Rogan

Candice Hogan continues the A Song of Fire and Ice series with:

• A Dance with Dragons (book 5) by George R. R. Martin

And if Santa sees fit to bring these requested titles:

• The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir (P.S.) by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
• The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook: Heirloom fruits and vegetables, and more than 100 heritage recipes to inspire every generation by Dr. Brent Ridge

Karen Sinclair has been enjoying and will finish:

• Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre

Karen Stinneford has this wonderful variety of books to see her through the end of the year:

• Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (p.s. this is one of Shelley’s favorites!)
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (also one of Shelley’s favorites)
• Plainsong by Kent Haruf
• South of Broad by Pat Conroy
• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson

Starting the agency’s Pinterest account wasn’t a lot different than starting to browse Pinterest in your PJs from your couch. First, create a company account with Pinterest. You can create the account using your Twitter or Facebook accounts, or simply create a unique username and password. From there you can upload a picture or company logo and fill in other specifics on your profile. After that, all that’s left is to create a few boards and add some pins.

We’ve set up a number of different types of boards: by client, by project type, etc. Some boards showcase a recent project we’ve completed while others have a range of clients shown, but all one particular service.

We’ve also created some just-for-fun boards, like our Holiday Favorites board. Here we’re spreading holiday cheer and sharing our favorite holiday recipes. We’ve incorporated the pins into blog, Facebook and Twitter postings.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your company’s visual representation, Pinterest is a great place to start. Pinterest boards leave a lasting impression on your new business meetings and are a great tool to incorporate into your overall marketing efforts.