Pinterest is hot! But before we even get to that point I know you’re thinking, “I’m on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Social media already overwhelms me…do I need to be on Pinterest too?” Yes, here’s why: Pinterest is referring more web traffic to websites than some of the other platforms combined!
Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
Pinterest is gaining enormous traction in just the last couple months. Unique visitors to the site grew 400% from September to December 2011 and it’s quickly becoming a favorite tool, especially among the design and retail communities.
With that said, we’ve found ways to use Pinterest to grow your business and build your brand all while adhering to Pinterest’s etiquette.
Quite simply, if you are doing work you would love to share, pin it; if your work is inspired by someone or something, pin it; if there is something you personally like, pin it. But let me break this down a little more to make sure you are fully leveraging Pinterest.
How to humanize your brand and why it’s so important
People like to do business with other people they know, like and trust. Creating boards that show who you are is compelling. It offers a personal side to your business. If you are already using personal branding for your business, use Pinterest to take it to the next level. Use boards to showcase your lifestyle – maybe a “Your Style,” “Offices I’d Love to Have,” “Best Books List” or “Dream Vacations.” These boards help show who you are and give your followers a chance to connect on a personal level with you.
The tip to network with out being pushy and self promotional
Just like any social network, Pinterest is meant to be social. Social media gives you a unique opportunity to get in front of people you might not reach otherwise. You can connect, comment, like and re-pin just as you do on Facebook and Twitter. As you start doing this, you are putting yourself and your business in front of more people. The best way to comment is to be genuine and never self promote in someone else’s thread.
What it means to curate content and how to create boards for your target
Curating content means creating boards around a particular idea, category or theme. This becomes even more of an opportunity when you are 100% clear on your target customer. If you know who your target customer is and what they find entertaining, educational and empowering start creating boards that sit in the sweet spot of what they want and what you are an expert on. This helps position you as an expert on that content.
Exactly how to optimize your post for more web traffic
Just last month one study showed that Pinterest drives more visitors to third-party websites than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined and in many cases Pinterest is driving more web traffic than Twitter. Each pin is a permalink taking people directly to the website where it is from. When you post, be sure the link takes them back to your website where there are opt-in forms or take them to a page where they could purchase, see more items, pin more items or opt in to hear more from you.
Pinterest also wants you include a thoughtful description on your pins. You can include the name of the product, what it was inspired by, price and the link to find it on your website.
The secrets to frictionless sharing on Facebook and Twitter
Pinterest is set for frictionless sharing with Facebook and sharing on Twitter is beyond easy. You likely already have a following on Facebook and Twitter. By sharing your pins directly to those sites you are leveraging your resources and expanding your reach to communities you’ve already built.
To share directly to Facebook sign onto Pinterest, click your username at the top-right toolbar, then click Edit Profile. Next, you can add/remove Pinterest to your Facebook Timeline by clicking the slider. ON will add your pins to your Facebook Timeline. OFF will remove Pinterest from your Facebook Timeline.
When you are pinning something you will be able to select which board it is pinned to and then in the lower right corner check the Twitter box. That will share the pin directly to your Twitter account.
Overlooked Basics that Could Impact Your Brand
There are so many social networks now, a lot of us start to overlook the basics. Be sure to make your bio fantastic, use a great profile picture and include links to your website. In most cases you can use your Twitter profile for Pinterest.
2 Ways to Quickly Integrate with Facebook
Like all social media sites we start with zero followers. One way to ramp up your following quickly is to invite your Facebook friends to follow you and follow your Facebook friends. Pinterest has made this really easy.
Click the Invite Friends button in the top right. Then click Facebook in the left margin. Two columns will appear – Invite Friends and Friends on Pinterest. To invite friends, click the red Invite Friends button, select the friends to invite and send requests. To follow friends, click the Follow All button for the Follow button next to their name.
Use the Goodies
It’s important to let people know your are on Pinterest so they know to find you there. A simple way to do this is to add a pin it button to your website. People will be able to go straight from your website to your Pinterest account where they can see more about your brand.
Go to Goodies and scroll to “Follow Button” for Websites. There are a few options available. Select the image you would like and Pinterest will generate code. Paste the code into your website.
The other Goodie that makes Pinterest easy and more likely for you to use is the Install a Pin It bookmarklet to your browser. Follow the step by step instructions. If things are easy to pin, you’ll be more likely to do it.
How Crowdsourcing Can Feature Your Brand without You Selling It
Ask fans of your brand to pin pictures of themselves with their favorite product of yours and tag you, then you can repin those photos onto a VIP board. It’ll show potential customers that your current users really like using your product and it will help build a relationship with your current customers.
Little Known Ways to Optimize Your Pins
Put keywords and hashtags in each description as it relates to your product or service. Users will be more likely to find your pin when searching for something specific if it is optimized. You could put #design #print #damask #wallpaper for a pin about wallpaper.
Search for pins from your company
Pinterest is active and there is a little trick for seeing what people are pinning about your company.
This gives great research and insight into what is popular and can help direct some of your efforts, so keep an eye on it. It also allows you to comment back to people from one place.
We would love to hear other insight you have and things you’ve done on Pinterest to grow your business.