Marketing Strategies – Let’s check out why Pinterest is the world’s hottest social network and just maybe the only social media you need! Does Pinterest look like a website just for collectors, foodies, and vintage fashionistas? While it may be all of those things, over time we’ve learned that it is much, much more.
You would be wise to incorporate some social media marketing into your marketing strategies. However, as every business knows, it’s an important yet time consuming endeavor. You can spend hours updating your page and reaching out to your followers or fans via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, and unless you are seeing actual results – social media can feel like a lot of work and wasted effort. Pinterest is one of a few select platforms that really does pack a powerful punch! We recently reviewed a great book called “Pinterest Power” by Jason G. Miles and Karen Lacey. It’s now a must read for any social media manager. Since following the book’s basic principles, we’ve seen substantial growth on our Pinterest company page, and we’re firm believers in its benefits. We wanted to highlight just a few of those benefits.
One incredible thing about Pinterest is it’s compounding power. In about half the time it takes to build a following on Twitter or Facebook, Pinterest generates about double if not triple the results! Here’s how your business can shine on Pinterest.
Pin from the heart. Pinterest offers a business the opportunity to share its own likes, desires, inspiration – and to be inspired by others as well. As Pinterest Power puts it, Pinterest allows people to “discover new things handpicked by people that we trust, not search bots.” Allowing followers to see the emotional and inspirational side of your business will not only build trust, it will create a sense of authenticity. “Pin your passion. Pin images that mean something to you and resonate with what your brand stands for. This can be design ideas, creative assets, quotes, projects you’re proud of, or ideas that you like.
“As you emotionally engage your viewers through your images and Pinterest activity, a personal connection and trust will develop. Some of these relationships will convert into sales,” say Miles and Lacey.
Use great images! Pinterest is an image-driven website! Using high-quality images will generate interest and, if done right, clicks back your business website. Generating killer content and sharing it on Pinterest will also allow you to do this. “By pinning content from your own website or blog you create the links that will direct people to your products or services,” say Miles and Lacey.
Use theme-specific and keyword-titled boards. Create a theme for each board – as specific or narrow as possible. This will allow your followers to know what they’re going to be viewing when they follow your board. Keywords in posts and titles of pinboards are also important. We recommend organizing your boards based on these two aspects to maximize searchability and interest.Label your pins with long tail keywords so they can easily be found during a search. Remember to label your boards with keywords and make sure to categorize them as well.
Be social. We know, this seems a little obvious for a social media website, but it’s a point that must be reiterated as you’ll achieve substantial success by doing so. To be social on a site like Pinterest means not just following other boards, but also commenting and re-pinning engaging content onto your own boards. Commenting is a great way to reach out to followers and other industry professionals. If done correctly this also will establish additional trust and credibility for your business.
Pin from all over the web. Pin from multiple sources – not just one pin board and not just your own website. Pinning from external sources, other boards, and different followers will allow you to reach many different users. This will also generate attention to your own boards, and create a sense of community amongst your followers.
Make sure Pins lead back to you. For marketers, the idea behind Pinterest is to generate clicks back to your website. Make sure all of your own pins with your own content lead back to your website. If you search Pinterest and find someone else has improperly linked your content, it’s always fine to leave a comment with your URL.That being said, only lead followers to your website for your own content. Never change another pin’s URL.
Measure your success. Keeping track of your monthly growth by tracking pins and followers is important. As we previously stated, Pinterest generates feedback and followers in about half the time it takes to keep an active presence on Facebook and Twitter. There are other ways to measure your growth on Pinterest as well.“Understand which are your most popular pins and which get pinned the most times from your website,” say Miles and Lacey. “This will show you what kind of information appeals most to reader and which posts you should be promoting more.”
Aside from an important component in your marketing strategies, Pinterest is fun, engaging, and inspiring. While this blog post breaks down just a few key points and benefits we found especially helpful, we highly recommend marketing your business on Pinterest. You will be amazed by how fast your pins will pickup speed when creating quality content and socializing with other pinners in your industry.
Follow Isadora Agency on Pinterest!