Pinterest has been the topic of social media conversations since it burst onto the social scene, but now the conversation has now evolved into how to use Pinterest for business.
I recently sat in on a panel focused on social media in 2013 and one of the comments made was that the only people who use Pinterest are planning a wedding. I beg to differ on that one. Pinterest is the third largest social network in the world. I think it’s time that businesses figure out a way to use it to connect with customers and help build their brand. However, the question still remains, how do you use Pinterest?
Here are 5 ways on how to use Pinterest for business
1) Start simple. If you don’t have the “Follow” or “Pin It” button on your site, get it up there. Check out Pinterest’s Goodies page to find what you need and select the option that works best for you.
2) Create “Pinnable” content. Finding the right imagery or content sounds like a daunting task, but it can be very simple. Depending on your business you have a couple of options.
- If you’re an e-commerce retailer, focus on the imagery and photos of your product. Get creative and have fun.
- Lead generation focused business can also have fun. If you have a lot of content or write a blog post, incorporate a photo and encourage readers to pin it. You can also share industry stats via imagery as well.
3) Promote your Pinterest boards. This isn’t the typical “if you build it, they will come” scenario. You need to encourage your customers to actually use the Pinterest buttons you’ve setup on your website. Intertwine your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest presence by talking about your newest board or favorite pin through tweets, status updates or even subscribing to a third-party app to display your Pinterest account on your Facebook page.
Here’s a great infograph on who is using Pinterest. Find out where there is overlap with your target and get the conversation going.
4) Optimize for SEO. Pinterest is ideal for any linking or keyword strategy. When you create a description for a new pin, make sure to add the keywords on which you want to focus. You can add in broad hashtags like #bouquet or #wedding to tag your pin to be relevant for those internal Pinterest search queries
If you’re pinning a product someone could purchase, you can add the money symbol in the pin’s description along with the price and Pinterest displays a banner over the left corner with the price. This can be useful to attract a tad more attention to pin appearing in search results or on your board.
5) Connect with your brand advocates. If at any time you’re curious to see who on Pinterest is sharing your content, visit the “sources” subdomain followed by your URL.
For example, type in: http://pinterest.com/source/yourdomain.com
If people are sharing your content, you will be brought to a page that displays a series of original pins and the names of the people who posted them. I suggest following their boards and repining a few of your favorites
Each social network can work for your business in different ways. Pinterest is one that can be more difficult for you if you’re not purely retail, but there are always new opportunities to explore.
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