5 Pinterest Tips for Crazy-Good Results The image-sharing site can be one of the best, most up-to-date ways of generating buzz and enthusiasm for your business -- if used correctly.
This story originally appeared on PR Newswire's Small Business PR Toolkit
There are few things I do to help unwind after a long workday.
These things include:
- Digging in the garden.
- Aikido.
- And like 70 million other users, copious amounts of Pinterest browsing.
I admit it: I'm a Pinterest devotee. How can one deny the lush images of secret gardens, decadent looking desserts, martial arts action shots, exotic destinations and style blogger approved garb?
It's extremely plausible that one could spend hours perusing the social media giant, and I must confess, sometimes I do!
If you haven't heard of the magic that is Pinterest yet, allow me to explain. Pinterest is a social media platform that lets its users to construct themed "boards" by "pinning" photos from other users. You can also "pin" content you find on the web that you'd like to save for later or upload your own images from your website or computer desktop.
Pinterest may sound like all fun and games—pinning images of exquisite recipes and out of this world travel locales is terrific, but you may find yourself asking, "Where does the revenue come in?"
I encourage you to think of the site as a visual press release that doesn't need to be sent the media, but is a permanent visual expression of who you are and what you offer.
It's one of the best, most up-to-date ways of generating buzz and enthusiasm for your business offerings—anticipation that can lead to potential sales—if done properly.
Related: Who Writes Your Company's Blog Content?
The following will show you 5 stellar ways to use Pinterest to get crazy-good results …while stimulating interest for your business, book, product service, cause, or yourself.
1. Pinterest + A Product
When you think of Home Depot, you probably don't think that it would have a riveting presence on Pinterest. I don't know about you, but I'm not that excited about DIY bathrooms.
When pinning incredible photographs of extravagant home décor and amazingly stylized outfits, you probably don't think that planks of wood, steel wool and paint brushes that Home Depot sells would fit in well.
But then, you take a look at their amazing Pinterest presence and become transfixed. (And yes, I admit I was intrigued with their bathroom possibilities).
The vivid colors of the garden party styling images, the fantastic holiday DIY's, the current patio style challenge they have running is pretty alluring. Without really taking notice, you've become someone that yearns to shop at Home Depot. They get you in the door with a seasonal must-have.
They weren't in-your-face about why you should purchase their products and didn't beg you check out their website. Their carefully styled photos and fun audience centered interaction did it all.
You Try It: Construct a Pinterest board that has to do with something you want to sell (a vegan hair care line, a day planner, fun office prints, DIY bookshelves, you name it) and watch for business to come your way.
Tool To Help: To get the traction of a big company like Home Depot you can help your product go viral by creating a group Pinterest board. This is a board that you allow others to pin to (and that they can invite people to pin as well), so it encourages participation from other people. Plus your board appears on their Pinterest profile.
2. Pinterest + A Service
Melanie Duncan is a top "Serial Entrepreneuress" and business mentor who also happens to be a Pinterest marketing genius.
Take a look at her Pinterest profile to take a cue. She has a remarkable collection of boards focused on all things entrepreneur, Pinterest optimization and blog post related.
A treasure trove of great content lies within her boards and the people who are pinning from this board, mostly entrepreneurs themselves, happen to be her target market for Online Edge Academy and Entrepreneuress Academy clients…a match made in heaven!
Related: Create a Company Blog Series
3. Pinterest + An Experience
Popular blog and creative business conference, Alt Summit knows how to use Pinterest to market prettily. They have one mission with their latest Pinterest board and it was to get a group of motivated, creative business women to their conference in Salt Lake City.
To aid in recruiting women, Alt created beautiful boards packed with inspirational images, top blogging tips and creative articles.
Their potential guests would be more likely to invest if they could paint a striking picture of what the Alt Summit would be like—and that they did.
Tool To Help: Read this article to learn how to create pinnable images with a few clicks of a button.
4. Pinterest + A Book
Finance expert Kate Northrup recently published her book, Money, A Love Story made a connection with people looking to gain financial freedom and banish debt around the globe.
To help promote her book she created a "Money Love" board on Pinterest highlighting finance tips, encouraging quotes and information-filled YouTube videos.
Tool To Help: Sign-up for PinAlerts to assure you get an email straight to your inbox every time someone pins from your website.
5. Pinterest + YOU
Selective Potential is a top fashion and lifestyle blog where women from around the world go for outfit inspiration.
Owner, Tieka, has built an amazing brand with thousands of followers and a fabulous community for style setters to come and mingle from around the web.
Her Pinterest profile includes delightful style inspiration, posts from her blog, trending hairstyles and an ever-appropriate wish list that allows her readers a peak into her day-to-day musings. (We all love snooping a bit behind the scenes). So be sure to include some personal tidbits that entice.
Tool To Use: Tailwind allows you to discover your most influential Pinterest followers and track engagement across your page—a must when you're keen to play with the social media big-wigs.
With over 53 million unique monthly visitors, Pinterest is a force to be reckoned with in the social media world and a platform every small business should be using.
In a world where many sales offers are in-your-face, Pinterest is a place to get your business in front of thousands of the right people while connecting to them through the principle of delight.
It's the dream platform for giving potential clients or customers images to savor, a world to get lost in after a long day, a break from the haste that comes with the day-to-day…while creating an image/love relationship for the long-term.
So…imagine this: The media is intrigued by your visual press release (i.e. your Pinterest boards). They are so spellbound that they call you for an interview. Yikes! A dream come true—and scary at the same time. But only if you haven't planned your talking points and don't understand the rules. To relax and enjoy your time in the spotlight, pick up your free copy of Print Interview Secrets: 6 Ways to Control Your Content in a Print Interview right here.
Related: Who Writes Your Company's Blog Content?
Written by Susan Harrow, media coach, PR strategist, and CEO of Harrow Communications.
