Do you or do you know of anyone who needs help in their internet marketing?  Do you or do you know of anyone who needs help in knowing how to use Pinterest to market their business?

I recently joined Pinterest and started activiely Pinning.  My Google Analytics report is a proof positive that Pinterest is a great SEO tool.  here's shot of a portion of my Google Anaytics report today.  You can see that Pinterest is in Number 7 as the source of visitors to my blog:

If you or someone you know would like to how to make Pinterest work for your business, I invite you to join me in the mini workshop I am doing this Friday Night (March 9), 7PM at Starbucks.  Yes, there is a fee. You can register here. I promise you, the fee is so worth it.  I am limiting the attendeed to 6 - I have 4 more opening. Register HERE now.

I am just testing my Instagram connecting it to Posterous.  And who's the model I chose? My Little Brown Gal in the office. her name is Pua :)

I want to be known as the Scott Monty of Maui, Hawaii.

What Scott Monty did for Ford Motors, I want to do for Hawaii's Premiere Mortgage Company and Aloha Luxury Properties. 

“Who the heck is Scott Monty?”  some of you who are not familiar with social media may ask. 

Scott Monty is the head of social media at Ford Motors. He is currently on the staff of corporate communications in Ford Motor Company and holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager.  Simply put, Scott’s innovative use of social media brought Ford Motors back to its feet.  

Scott has been called "an unstoppable force of nature," and "the best corporate social media lead on the planet".   Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford Motor Company, called him "a visionary."  He is the strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.

Four months ago I was hired by Tricia Morris to be the Social Media Director for her companies – the Hawaii’s Premiere Mortgage Company (a.k.a. Premiere Mortgage) and Aloha Luxury Properties.  They hired me to help them manage this new “social media craze” going on such as Facebook and Twitter. They hired me to keep them up to date with social media marketing.  Fortunately for them, I knew that success in promoting a brand/services using social media goes far more than just participating in Facebook, Twitter and E-mail blasts.  And so as soon as I was hired, I started doing some evaluating, assessing, then strategic planning on using this new media to promote our biz. There's a lot to do.

There are many challenges ahead. The good news is my bosses are very supportive of what I am doing. The not so good news is that we have a tight budget. I have to prioritize our spending. So many ideas but we cannot finance them all right away.  Another good news is Premiere Mortgage and Trica Morris already have a great reputation in the mortgage industry on Maui – that makes my job easier. Tricia and her staff are excellent mortgage broker/originators - they are great at what they do.  The not so good news is that even though Premiere Mortgage has a great reputation, the fact is the real estate and mortgage industry is struggling right now.  So many foreclosures – only a few are buying. The challenge is to find the few, connect with them, and let them know what we can do for them, in the hope that they will chose us over others when they make a decision to apply for a mortgage loan. 

Then there's the challenge is not giving in to the pressure of amassing a lot of “followers” and “fans” for the sake of amassing them.  It is so tempting to just succumb to that thinking that the more fans and followers we have, the more successful we are.  We know it’s not true, but it’s still a pressure.  However, even though I believe it’s not the quantity but the quality – I also know that the quantity is important and not to be ignored.  It’s hard to strike a balance, but we must.

Do you believe in the power of social media? Can it really help a company in an industry that we know is struggling right now? Or is social media just another snake oil, another fad that soon will fade? If Scott Monty was able to do it (help the company he was hired by), I'd like to say I can too (help Premiere Mortgage and Aloha Luxury).

I would appreciate hearing from you – please share your thoughts on the comment section. Did you have success in any of your social media campaign? Please share.  Did you try participating in social media and and it failed? Tell us about it.   I think this would be interesting discussion.

George Harrison. Not only is he an excellent musician, his personal life is interesting as well.  And that's what this movie "Living In The Material World" is going to show us.  This movie will have it's premiere showing here on Maui, at the Castle Theatre at the MACC, on Sunday Nigh, Oct. 2nd at 6PM.  Be the first to see, one time only on the big screen here on Hawaii.

 Tickets are sold for $20 dollars, and when you buy the ticket you know that you are helping restore the trees at Baldwin Beach.  Yes, this evening is a fundraiser by the Maui Film Festival and Maui Tomorrow Foundation to support Bringing Back Baldwin Beach — The 'Trees Please' Project  The [project is a commitment to re-plant indigenous Hawaiian trees on Maui. Starting at Baldwin Beach. One Tree at a Time.

 The "GEORGE HARRISON: Living in the Material World"  is a  Martin Scorsese Picture It features  Olivia Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and George Martin among many others. The film is 208 minutes long and will include a 15 minute intermission.

Rich in mesmerizing archival footage, Martin Scorsese’s expansive documentary on the Beatles’ lead guitarist George Harrison—one of the greatest musicians of the 1960s and ’70s—traces in detail all aspects of Harrison’s professional and personal life, including his embrace of Indian mysticism and music, which forever changed the sound of the Fab Four. Not even Scorsese’s shimmering 1978 concert film THE LAST WALTZ and his galvanic 2005 documentary NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN are any real preparation for the grand scope and the depth of musical and emotional detail—never has Harrison’s music sounded so good or made so much sense—as in this stunning and mesmerizing musical tour-de-force. With Olivia Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Eric Idle, George Martin, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector, Klaus Voorman, Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton among others. An HBO Films Release.

Click on the photo to see a larger panorama

and more Haleakala Crater Photos at A Maui Blog 

A few more days before this great cultural event. I am so looking forward to it!  I blogged about this a couple weeks ago and got a lot of positive response.  The post I did on this is not available at this time so I am re-posting this. 

The festivities begin on Saturday, June 18 at 9:00 a.m. at Kamehameha ‘Iki Park, in Lahaina, Maui.  The Pāʻū Parade will commence at 9:45am from Kenui St. down Front St. to Shaw St. Six Commentary Stations along Front St.: Longhi's, Kimo's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Lahaina Pizza Co., Wharf Cinema Center, and Kamehameha 'Iki Park! 

Among others, the parade includes:

• Mayor of Maui, Alan Arakawa
• The Maui Fire Department
• The Royal Hawaiian Guard
• Miss Aloha Hula 2011, Hulali Canha of Halau Hula Kealaokamaile
• Maui Theatre, ‘Ulalena
• Maui Cheer Allstars
• Kula Kaiapuni o Maui ma Nahienaena, The Hawaiian Immersion School at Princess Nahienaena Elementary School
• The Na Koa Ikaika Baseball Team
• Save Honolua Coalition

After the parade, there is a ho‘okupu ceremony at Moku’ula Ahu.

Pa'u Riding

The ho‘olaule‘a (a Hawaiian celebration or festival) includes:

• Exhibits and tours by Friends of Moku‘ula and Hui O Wa‘a Kaulua
• The Royal Hawaiian Guard
• Lahaina Restoration Foundation
• Makahiki Games with Kula Kaiapuni ma Nahienaena
• A pa’u and parade entry awards presentation
• Food booths
• Maui made crafters and entertainment

The festivities are scheduled to last until sunset.

If you’re on Maui, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind cultural experience. See you there!