Will Pinterest work for my business?
By Amanda Fulling
Several people have asked me if Pinterest is the “new” Twitter, or what is that new icon by Facebook and Twitter, that says Pin It? Would it work for my business? I am always trying to find ways to bring more exposure to my clients’ products using Social Media Marketing, so here’s a quick overview of what Pinterest can do and how you can leverage it in your social media marketing efforts.
Simply put, Pinterest is an online virtual Pinboard. Using Pinterest you can organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. Users can comment on, re-pin to their boards and like other peoples’ pins as a way to interact. (Courtesy of http://pinterest.com/about/)
Promote your website:
I am a firm believer of using your website as your business’ home base. While engaging in social media allows you to participate in the right conversations, those conversations should be leveraged to drive potential customers to your website. You wouldn’t abandon your retail space to hawk your wares in the street, and the same approach should be taken to your website. A great way to drive website traffic is to upload pictures of your products to your Pinterest account, putting the price of the item and linking that item to your website!
If you build it they won’t come:
This isn’t Field of Dreams people, just because you create a Pinterest account and start
pinning doesn’t mean you will magically get followers. Cross pollinate, shout from the roof tops that you are now using Pinterest by placing their icon next to your “Like Us Facebook” and “Follow on Twitter” links! Tell your following that you are pinning by linking to your Facebook page!
Speaking of Facebook and Twitter:
No one likes a narcissist, so you can’t just talk about your products without interacting with other pinners! Just like Facebook and Twitter, you must engage in conversation. Do this by commenting on their pins and maybe even re-pinning their pins to show your support. You could even create a “Pin Board” dedicated to your customers’ pins.
Tag Your Pins
While Pinterest is a social network it also functions a lot like a social search engine. Just like your blog posts, make sure you are tagging your pins correctly. This will make it easier for Pinterest to categorize your pins for them to come up in searches. Also rearranging your boards so that the “fuller” boards are first. Not only are they pleasing to the eye but that helps your pins get placed on the “popular” pages.
Social Spy
Curious to know who’s pinning your content? Go to www.pinterest.com/source/yourdomain.com. Replace YOURDOMAIN.COM with your own website of course!
Bottom Line: As with all social media, you only need to be on the sites where your customers are. So start by browsing around and seeing if you can find your target audience. If you can, use the points above to try engaging with them and see if you can start a conversation. You wont know if it will work for your business until you give it a shot and if you find it isn’t working to engage customers, Pinterest is still fun!
Amanda Fulling is a Social Media Sherpa for ska works.
Noteworthy Marketing Trends
Great article, Amanda! I think Pinterest is fun much I’m really confused about what to do with it!
Love,
Aunt Denise
Love Pinterest! You can really spend hours gathering ideas! I’ve gotten some great home decorating ideas as well as some pretty terrific style ideas.
great submit, very informative. I’m wondering why the other specialists of this sector don’t realize this. You should continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a great readers’ base already!