Everyone uses Pinterest - the new social network with more than 17 million people that "pin" pictures/videos / visual content to their virtual boards. And by everyone, we mean both the individuals and the companies. Even Sparks has a bunch of pinboards which you can follow via Sparks and Lights. But is Pinterest useful for business? Not every social media is good for every type of business. It is good to "dip your toe in the water" to check and see if Pinterest is a good solution for your business, but at the same time, it is good to do so in a proper way.
Recently we read the popular article, The 10 Commandments of Using Pinterest for Business and we were inspired by these simple rules.
There are some rules that people and businesses especially should know when they set up or use a Pinterest account. Here's the rules we like:
- Prepare your website for Pinterest - don't just create an account, but prepare your website for Pinterest, offering people the Pin It button, Follow me on Pinterest, etc. Also, set up an account with some main boards for others to see you're "into it".
- Pin strategically - don't just "pin what you like" and don't pin all the pictures in one board. Follow other people, pin from your website, re-pin others' pins, comment, like, and... repeat! It's a social network! It's good to add price to your pictures, and even some links inside the picture.
- Produce Pinnable Content - don't just write text for your blog, but spend time to get some good images on your blog posts, on the website, etc. It's good to keep it simple, using even text pictures, videos, etc, and even create your own graphics and infographics.
- Not only create but also curate - don't pin ONLY your own images, your own website, etc., since it smells like "self-promoting". Rather, pin others' content, and if you pin yours, make sure it's fresh, new, and original content. Study other brands who pin successfully.
- SEO your Pinterest - consider having referral traffic and SEO with your Pinterest. Entice users to stay on your website, pin your pictures, add categories and keywords, and study the stats. See what brings people to the website and what keeps them there - this may also entice them to pin your pics!
