Pinterest is no longer just a digital corkboard for people to bookmark their favorite recipes, home decorating tips, and wedding planning ideas. Pinterest has expanded into the business realm, and it has proved quite powerful for some when it comes to driving sales and connecting with potential customers. Whether you are a retailer, service provider, chef or a blogger, telling your story via Pinterest is a good idea.
How Pinterest Can Help Your Business
Many people perceive that this dynamic platform is good for catalog design, DIY projects, decorating tips, and not much else. Then again, the site's $3.8 billion value suggests otherwise, doesn't it? There's untapped SEO in those Pins, you just need to know how to access it.
Out of all social media sites, Pinterest is the top converter for Top of the Funnel advertising. In addition, people on Pinterest spend more money, more often, than other social media sites.
Nearly 50% of online consumers have bought a product or service based on a Pinterest recommendation. Pinterest also generates more revenue per click than Twitter and Facebook.
Five Tips for Optimizing Your Business’s Pinterest Page
Pinterest is more than an online scrapbook that you brush off with the occasional flip-through; it is your chance to tell the story of how your business or organization works.
You may be thinking that there are plenty of platforms that offer the same behind-the-scenes opportunity as Pinterest, but every platform works differently. Think similar language; different dialects. Below you'll find five golden tips on how to coordinate your social efforts and tell your business’s or organization’s story using Pinterest.
Step 1: Make your website “Pin-friendly.” Just like you put Facebook and Twitter icons on your page, you should do the same with Pinterest. Download the "Pin It" widget and use it on your website. The addition of a Pin It button does two things:
- It allows your users to Pin and share site content
- It tells you what content is resonating with readers.
These two indicators can tell you how to effectively target your content.
Step 2: Organize, organize, organize. Organized content is accessible content. By categorizing your content into themed boards, users can find and share it easier. For example, if operate a catering business, separate your boards into types of dishes, e.g. seafood, Italian and salads. On the same not, if you own a clothing boutique, divide your boards into clothing, accessories and shoes.
Step 3: Brand your Pinned content. Including a small company logo on your photographs shares your content as well as your brand; no watermark needed.
Step 4: Include product or service details. Pinterest users often troll the site with a shopping mindset. Describe the product or service you are pinning. Give Pinners what they want to know and they will pay you back in traffic and referrals.
Step 5: Become an active participant. Re-pin helpful information, answer questions, and engage with other users by starting comment threads. The more active you are, the bigger the returns.
How Does a Business Join Pinterest?
When you are ready to sign up for Pinterest, be sure to join as a business. Go to business.pinterest.com. If you already have a Pinterest account, you can convert it to the business version. Create boards geared toward your target market. If you run a storage company, you probably shouldn’t make a board about your favorite cookie recipes.
After you’ve been Pinning for a while, check your metrics and analytics. To access your metrics, first verify your website. You can track your own Pins, re-pins, redirects from Pinterest and Pins made from your website.
What About Other Social Media?
Social media is a monster of our own making. The funny thing is, depending on who you ask, the monster is either friendly and beneficial or an uncoordinated and under-utilized tangle of atrophied arms and legs. For some, it’s full of optimization and analytical potential or for others, it leaves them feeling professionally vulnerable and justifiably clueless. Ultimately, your perception reflects your comfort level with the business applications these platforms have to offer.
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram are just some of the top social media sites out there for your business to capitalize on.
These platforms are an often essential and expected part of the current business culture. Your perception of the medium might be holding you back from plugging into the interests of your target market in a meaningful way.
Only when you deconstruct the "monster" can you see the makings of a collaborative partnership: potential that never sleeps.
Questions and Final Thoughts?
How are you currently using social media to market your brand online?
Watch this video to learn how to use Pinterest's free analytics tool.
Pinterest Web Analytics Walkthrough from Pinterest on Vimeo.
