When most people think of Pinterest, they envision DIY crafts, home décor ideas, and fashion trends, however Pinterest has so much more to offer than just ideas to repurpose an old bookshelf. In fact with 70 million plus users in just over 3 years it’s the fastest growing social network to date. People referred to products on Pinterest tend to spend 70% more money than visitors referred from other channels. And thus it has grown to be a great visual platform to help grow your small business whether you sell products or services. Here are a few tips to master Pinterest.
Think Visually.
Across the board of social media platforms, posts containing intriguing graphics receive approximately three times more user engagement than those with no images (http://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2013/06/07/how-to-use-pinterest-for-small-business/). More so than Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is a vastly visual platform. When scrolling through Pinterest, graphics are the first thing to capture a consumers’ attention, so use this to your advantage. Regardless of the content being pinned, pair it with a striking image. The more captivating a pin is, the more likely it will be repinned, sending it around the world of Pinterest, while simultaneously leading pinners back to your company page.
Guest Board.
If you really want to engage your followers on Pinterest, create a guest board that other people can pin to. This is a great way to make customers feel personally involved with your brand. A guest board is also an excellent opportunity to see what your target audience is currently interested in, thus helping you pin content better tailored to them. A guest board shows customers how much you care about connecting with them, and the importance of their opinions and feedback.
Pin Your Pinners.
Create a board that gives a special insight to your company, like behind the scenes things. This could include pictures of employees, the office, office events, philanthropy projects, etc. Think of it as a visual “About Us” section. A personal board helps put a face on your brand, which as a result, helps consumers relate better to it. It also puts the business in a positive, fun, and personal light that a customer otherwise would not have notice or have the chance to see.
Pin Videos.
As stated above, Pinterest is extremely visual, but sometimes a flat image isn’t enough to get everything you wanted across to your followers. Videos are a great tool for engagement and can offer more insight to a company. Video content can range from promotional videos about your products and services, to something you thought your customers would find interesting or helpful.
Promotional Pins.
While there needs to be a balance, Pinterest can be used to promote products, services, promotions, specials going on at your business. Create graphics that will encourage re-pins; helping it spread across Pinterest. For example, create an image promoting a sale or featuring a special coupon.
Stay Organized.
Last but certainly not least, keep your boards and pins organized. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of random pins, so categorize your boards, and pin things onto the proper board. A hectic, cluttered, disorganized Pinterest page can turn customers off and potentially drive them away from your business. Also, try to remain consistent on board titles and arrange your boards in a logical order. For example, keep the boards that are frequently pinned to at the top of the page, and ones that are not as related to your business towards to bottom.
Pinterest might once have only been regarded as a place to find a weekend craft project, but it’s now become an important marketing tool for small businesses. Utilizing these tips, in conjunction with staying active and interacting with others through ‘liking’, commenting, re-pinning and following, will certainly get your business Pinterest campaign off to an excellent start.
