Pinterest may be the current social media belle of the visual marketers' ball, but that doesn't mean everyone truly gets it yet. While Pinterest is an exciting opportunity for business marketers, capitalizing on this unique platform can feel elusive.
If you are interested in marketing your products or services, the goal behind Pinterest is simple: Create brand awareness by providing eye-catching images that drive traffic to your website, increase sales, revenue, and cash flow.
Sounds easy, right?
Not for most businesses still struggling to piece together a successful social media marketing plan. So how can you begin to integrate Pinterest into your overall marketing strategy?
Here are a few Pinterest tips and tricks to help you make the most out of this visual marketing tool.
1. Learn the language
As with any social media site, there is a language unique to the network. Learning the lingo before you get started will help you quickly adjust to this new environment.
- Board – think of boards as content buckets of similar content. You can capture content and add it to these boards where they become easily shareable.
- Pin – a pin is an image that you have captured and added to a board.
- RePin – the act of sharing someone’s pin to one of your boards.
- Comments and Likes – similar to Facebook, Pinterest allows you to like someone’s pin or leave a comment on the pin.
- Pin it button – this can be added to your browser allowing you to easily pin anything you want to share.
2. Share interesting content
This may feel like a “well, duh” kind of moment, but you would be surprised at how uninteresting some of the Pinterest boards I see truly are. Make sure the content you share is always exciting, interesting and appealing to your followers. When you are pinning images, presentation really does matter. Take a look at this beautiful cheesecake from the SoNo Baking Company.
Based on presentation alone, I not only want to buy it, but I want to run out and do it right now.
While sharing interesting content is incredibly important, so is consistency. If you are going to commit to marketing your business on Pinterest, it will not happen overnight. This means you cannot simply throw up a few images and scurry away. You can only continue to generate interest and intrigue by adding fresh content to your boards on a consistent basis.
3. Be relevant
Post content that your followers will be interested in sharing. Who is your target audience and what are they looking for? While it is fun to pin your interests, hobbies, and activities outside of work, make sure you share content from your site and others that speaks to the needs of your potential customers.
4. Optimize your profile
Complete your profile on Pinterest and optimize it for search. Add keywords that best define and describe your business. Remember, people connect with human beings, not automated robots. Make sure you use keywords but also add those things that make you unique. What do you enjoy outside of the office and what are those “coffee table” type details that will generate conversation? Add those to your bio as well.
5. Promote your Pinterest page
A few ways to bring added exposure to your pins:
- Connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts to Pinterest.
- Share your Pinterest posts on Facebook, including a link back to the pin.
- Join Facebook groups or other online groups where members share tips and tricks that can help you promote your business. An excellent group (and chat) to join is Kelly Lieberman’s #Pinchat.
- Publish your Pinterest posts on Twitter.
- Add the “Follow me on Pinterest” button to your website and blog.
- Promote your social site to your email list or add an announcement to your weekly/monthly newsletter.
6. Share quality images
Pinterest is a visual marketing medium; therefore, the success of your content will rely heavily on the quality of your images. So, take really good pictures or create images that cause people to take action.Make sure you have professional-looking images taken against a clean background and photographed with style. Use photo editing software such as PicMonkey to edit the images and add flair to an otherwise boring picture. Pictures are your currency!
7. Follow similar pinners
Follower pinners with similar content, pin posts by bloggers you follow and then like and comment on their content. When you are active in the Pinterest community, other users get to know you and will follow you, repin your pins and help you gain more visibility.
As with all social sites, sharing is based on the law of reciprocity. This means that you give and take mutually; sharing others' content which in return will hopefully open the door to mutual sharing of content. Besides the business benefits, sharing others' content just creates good social karma so make it a must-do in your marketing strategy.
8. Pay attention to your analytics
The ability to reach a large audience isn’t the only plus when it comes to Pinterest marketing. You also have available to you an analytics tool that allows you to see how much traffic you are directing to your website, plus which pins are receiving the most attention. There are a few steps involved before you can access Pinterest analytics. Read the step-by-step instructions.
Those are a few of my top Pinterest tips and tricks to help you promote your business. What tips can you share?
Happy pinning!
About Rebekah Radice
Rebekah Radice, co-founder of BRIL.LA, has traded narcissism for purpose. When not driving growth, you'll find her tricking family into thinking she's Emeril Lagasse - likely covered in marinara. The spotlight was fun, but impact is better. These days she's using 20+ years of brand brilliance for good.