If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, I hesitate to send you there because it’s visually addictive eye candy for the soul. Pinterest is a “virtual pinboard” that allows users to organize and share images, and Pinterest’s mission is to connect people all over the world based on their shared tastes and interests.
The reason I describe Pinterest as “for the soul” is because being able to easily share visual experiences we find online is a form of self-expression, and that means its users are keenly engaged (and often obsessed).
TIP 1: Do you belong on Pinterest?
Does Pinterest make sense as a social channel to promote your products? Here are a few questions to help you decide:
- Is your product (or service) visually appealing?
- If not, could you create some infographics related to your industry?
- Are there groups of people who are enthusiastic about your category or product?
TIP 2: What to include on your Pinterest brand page
Pinterest is not just about promoting your product. In fact, “Pin Etiquette” specifically asks that you not use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion. So, what should you include?
- Images that link to your website or blog
- Whether they’re images of your product or not, people who click on them will increase traffic to your property and improve your search engine ranking
- Be sure to use your SEO keywords in your product description, including location keywords when relevant
- Also add the product price in the description, so users can sort gifts by price
- Include images of what can be done with your products. If you sell food, add recipes made with your products. If you sell shoes, show them in action!
- If you offer coupons, add them to your Pinterest page
- Add the “Pin It” button to product pages on your website
- Other visually thrilling (yet relevant) images
- Do you think your audience would be interested in an image? Pin it!
- Liking and commenting on other images in your category builds your thought leadership and shows that you’re not only interested in self-promotion
- Follow Pinterest social influencers in your category; as on Twitter, they just may follow you back!
- I would define social influencers as people whose images are being pinned and receiving comments. They’re also active in pinning and commenting on other images.
TIP 3: Trend-watching
It’s no longer enough to know what’s hot; we need to know what the next hot trends will be.
- Which images in your category are being pinned or liked? Are there comments that might spark new ideas in your mind?
- Click the “Popular” button and learn which top images people are pinning
- Pinterest can also be used for crowdsourcing. On your other social channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, invite your fans to pin their favorite product (or better, ask them to help name a new product in the comments).
Pinterest is about enjoying creativity. But it also holds opportunity for creative businesses, from SEO to trend-watching. Give Pinterest a spin, but don’t blame me if you get no work done today!
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