What is Pinterest? Well in case you haven’t heard all the buzz lately, it’s a fast growing new social network. According to Hubspot, “In December 2011, Pinterest made HItwise’s list of the top ten social networks, sitting at #5 and beating out big names like LinkedIn and Google+.”
I know, I can hear you saying “I don’t have time for yet another social networking site.” But if it could help you grow your business would you be interested? Well it can, more on that in a minute. First let me tell you a bit about Pinterest.
If you’re a visual person like me, you’re going to love Pinterest. It’s all about sharing images by ‘Pinning’ them to your ‘Boards.’
You organize your ‘Pins’ by putting them on Boards you create and name. Other people can ‘Repin’ your Pins onto their Boards as well as ‘Like’, ‘Comment’ and share them on Twitter and Facebook.
It’s super easy to get started and I’ve got several resources to help you along scattered throughout this article.
Benefits of Using Pinterest
Besides the fact that it’s fun and addictive? One word, traffic. Serious traffic to your website. And more traffic means more clients. And who doesn’t want that?
You can monitor how much traffic you’re getting from Pinterest by using Google Analytics. This is a fabulous and free tool I hope you’re already using to monitor your website.
What to Pin
Pinterest is not meant to be used only for promotional purposes. Even the big brands are being creative about what they Pin.
As a small business owner you want to mix it up and have a good balance of fun and interesting information along with promotion of your products and services.
Use Pinterest to illustrate different aspects of your personality and your business.
What’s the right ratio? I always advise more value than promotion. Have a look at my Pinterest account to see the various boards I’ve created.
Actions to Take
1. Install the Add the Pin It Button to your browser so you can start Pinning. Then create some Boards and start Pinning.
Pinterest will give you some ideas for Boards, feel free to change the names of the Boards to something unique and to add additional Boards. Think about creating Boards around specific topics that relate to your business.
2. Start following people. You can find people to follow using the ‘Find Friends’ drop down box under your name in the top right navigation.
You can also find people by browsing through Pins by going to Pinterest and clicking on ‘Everything’ right below the Pinterest logo. There you can also select specific categories to search.
3. Repin, Comment, and Like other people’s Pins. You don’t have to be following someone to do this. You also have the option to share each Pin on Facebook and Twitter.
4. Be sure to include the url to your Pin in the description box of each Pin. You can use a url shortener like bitly so the link looks tidy, and more importantly so that you can track the clicks. Just like on Twitter, you can also use hashtags in the description area.
5. Add a Add the Pin It Button button to your website.
6. Add the Add the Pin It Button to your blog posts. But before you do, make sure that you have designated a featured image for each post. Otherwise, it’s kind of pointless.
7. Upload your videos to your Boards. If you post your videos in blog posts, it’s best to Repin them from your blog so that the traffic goes to your blog/website. If your videos are only on YouTube, you can Repin them directly from YouTube using the Repin button. Still haven’t started with video for your business? Please read this.
I hope you’re starting to see how you can use Pinterest to grow your business. As with most things that are new, the best way to learn is just to dive in and start using the it. So set aside some time to get started with Pinterest and watch your traffic grow.
Additional Resources
How To Resources
– Free 44 page ebook from Hubspot
– 56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest
– Help on the Pinterest Website Help
Create Images
– Canva
Follow on Twitter
Download the iPhone app
© Stephanie Ward
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG, OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to create meaningful and prosperous businesses. Grab your FREE copy of the special report ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: https://www.fireflycoaching.com/.
How do you use Pinterest for your business? Share your thoughts and questions on this topic below in the comments section.
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant post. I’ve read so many blogs about Pinterest and a lot just talk about how great it is but you’ve explained how to use it simply too. I will be pinning this to my Pinterest Help Board and sharing it on Twitter too. Thank you
Thank you for your feedback Sian, much appreciated. I’m so glad you found the information helpful. Also thanks for sharing the post. Looking forward to checking out your Pinterest page.
Hi Stephanie,
As someone just coming to terms with Pinterest: I agree with Sian! this is a really excellent practical and useful explanation as to how to make it work for your Business. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Thank you for your feedback Niall! Looking forward to connecting with you on Pinterest.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Pinterest and how to use it.
One thing that I think that businesses and brands need to think about in all this buzz and hype is your point #7 – about posting video… There is a real risk in all the buzz and noise about Pinterest that many miss the fact that the most done thing online as regards social media by all ages is watching video. YouTube is the main site for this, but not exclusively. I think all brands and businesses should think about the role of video – as also it may be easier and more relevant that images alone for many businesses – especially service industries! The amazing results that even simple digital cameras can do and editing packages standard on many computers mean one can make videos by yourself even – as content is the key not just the fancy quality.
Amen Gary! Thank you so much for your comment. Video is so hot right now, I always encourage my clients to start using it. I actually use a simple digital camera to record all of my videos. I appreciate your emphasis on this valuable aspect of Pinterest.
Hope to ‘see’ you on the Pinterest Facebook chat tomorrow – Shedding Light on Pinterest for B2B – Join us & bring your questions to the Free Facebook chat April 13th http://bit.ly/HGUINJ