Pinterest is sometimes viewed as a social media tool intended more for recreational use than marketing. However, for the right kind of business, Pinterest can be a very powerful customer acquisition and brand awareness tool. How, you ask? Let’s start from the beginning:
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for images, "re-pin" images to their own pinboards, or "like" photos (read more of the details on Wikipedia).
Why would businesses use Pinterest?
Businesses of any size who sell products to consumers should examine using Pinterest to reach a wider audience than they would be able to by driving traffic to their website. The best thing about Pinterest is the likelihood that lucrative products go viral--being posted over and over again on different pinboards and then shared on other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
How can I get started?
Pinterest is one of the more simple social media tools to set up and adapt to. There are no hashtags, no follower lists to manage and it’s quite simple to get started. Follow these easy steps:
1. Sign up for Pinterest. Registering is simple - it just takes a few seconds to connect the site with your Facebook account or fill in a few fields and register with your email address.
2. Build a profile that’s consistent with your brand. Make sure your username is the same as your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media accounts you have - that way, your fans will be able to easily identify your business. The description should be the same, picture should be the same, and link to your website or another social site to increase traffic.
3. Create boards that relate to your products and post. Are you an apparel store? Create a board for clothes, outerwear, shoes, accessories. The more specific you are, the better the chance is that other Pinterest users will find and share your content. Post products from another source (like your website or Etsy store) so Pinterest users have a way to find out more and purchase the product.
4. Use hashtags. A newer feature in Pinterest, hashtags are a way to categorize posts and a search shortcut. Hashtags are used differently on each social media site - whereas on Twitter, it’s really only advantageous to use two or three in each Tweet, you can get away with using more on Pinterest. However, I would keep it around a handful - we all know how obnoxious posts with 20 hashtags can be. If you’re interested, this blog discusses the use of hashtags on Pinterest in more depth.
5. Have fun. Show your personality. Don’t post only your own products. Make connections: comment, favorite and share other people’s posts. Build a community and the Pinterest traffic will come to you.
Are you a Pinterest user? If so, I’d love to hear the tips and tricks that work for you. And as usual, if you’re looking for feedback or have any marketing questions, please feel free to check out my website or email me at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com.
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