With over 25 million users, Pinterest is a thriving online community. It reached 10 million users faster than any other site in history. Generating more referral traffic than LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter together, Pinterest brings big results. And businesses in certain sectors need to add Pinterest to their social media list and harness its potential power. As we’ve been working with company’s who’s brands, products and services fit within the Pinterest promotional framework, we are discovering five ways to effectively use Pinterest for business.
This blog is part 1 of a 2 part series on Pinterest…part two will be published tomorrow. Enjoy!
1. Pin-Friendliness
Make your entire website pin-friendly. Did you know you can actually install a “Pin It” button on every page? Give your visitors the opportunity to pin featured images from all your blog posts and webpages. Images that clearly communicate the content will obviously be more successful in communicating your message. You can also utilize a “Follow Me on Pinterest” button on your home page. When creating your boa
rds on the social network, use relevant and keyword-rich titles to ensure great Google rankings. Become an expert in your specialty by becoming familiar with what pinners are searching for.
2. Cross Pollinate
Create a Pinterest tab for your Facebook, embed pins in your blog posts, and tweet your favorite pins. Connecting your social media platforms together will prove to be more powerful in the long run. You should also interact with the Pinterest community by commenting on other pins, liking them, and repinning them. Just like any other social media platform, you have to mingle and network with other users to become relatable.
3. Utilize Multimedia
Set up your Pinterest boards to be interactive when using Pinterest for business. Share relevant podcasts or videos. These types of multimedia pins could include clips from webinars or presentations, product demos, tutorials, or even behind-the-scenes tours. Give your Pinterest audience more to view than just images. Remember, people get bored quickly, so a variation of pins could really be a chance to shine in the Pinterest world.
4. The 40/40/20 Rule
You should only be pinning about your brand 20% of the time. This includes any contests or specials you are currently running. Use another 40% to provide educational or instructional content. Pinterest can be just another platform in which you educate your audience or share tips and tools that would be helpful for them. Use the last 40% of the time to motivate and inspire. Building a Pinterest platform requires time and good content. Not all your pins have to be directly related to your product, service, or brand.
5. Pinners Like Free Stuff
Giving stuff away is a great way to get traffic to your website. Using Pinterest for business will easily increase your traffic flow if you offer free stuff. You can pin your offers for free podcasts or e-books by using the description section. Any pins that include a CTA have been known to see a huge percentage increase in visitor engagement. You have to be willing to offer something of value for free up front in order to reap long term benefits.
It’s clear that Pinterest is not a fad. It is here to stay. Take advantage of this booming social media platform and start to use Pinterest for business asap! And tune in again tomorrow to learn how we’d recommend you begin to maximizing pinterest for your marketing efforts.
