If you are trying to acquire new business, wouldn’t you want
to know about a new and exciting option out there? Let me tell you about Pinterest and how you
can use it to drive business to your website.
Pinterest is a virtual “bulletin board” which allows
users to post (or pin) images into groups (or boards) within their accounts. Users
can search for imagery and information using keywords and follow other users.
Pinterest
is a social media site whose users are mostly females. Many use Pinterest to
find new ideas, DIY projects, recipes, even imagery. You say you don’t produce
DIY or recipes; imagery isn’t part of your game and your product isn’t gender-specific?
Fear not! Pinterest is much more than that and companies
are finding innovative ways to use Pinterest to their advantage. People are using Pinterest as a bookmarking
tool, pinning/posting resource information, data graphs, how-to and educational
materials onto Pinterest boards[1].
Entertainment and informational videos can be pinned
directly from your desktop or your YouTube account.[2]
Informational blogs are pinned to Pinterest boards, providing a new path to
those blogs.
Companies are pinning employee accomplishments and bios and
company culture imagery to entice new employees; claiming it takes less time to
attract good employees that fit right in![3]
In these ways, Pinterest can and IS being used by more
and more companies to drive new business to their websites. This creative tool
can be tied to other parts of your social media campaign: Twitter, Facebook and
your own website or blog. You can also bring attention to your Pinterest Boards
on LinkedIn and Google+. The following are some basics of getting started using
Pinterest to your advantage.
- Create your account by using the same email address as your Twitter account ; then tie your Pinterest account to your Twitter business account. Tie the same Pinterest account to Facebook so that your pins can be shared on Facebook
- Install a “Pin It” button on all pages of your website enabling your users to easily pin items from your website onto their own Pinterest accounts. Once pinned, others will be able to click on the pin to visit your website, as well as to “repin” to multiple boards, virtually creating free marketing!
- Set up a YouTube account, create videos and pin them to a board on Pinterest dedicated to your videos.
- The objective is to pair interesting imagery with the materials you hope to share over this visual tool, Pinterest. Ensure there is imagery on your blog that can be pinned when that blog is shared over Pinterest.
- Any image or video you pin, whether from your blog or from your desktop must have an associated URL that takes the user to the intended website or blog.
- Use your own SEO keywords to name and describe your Pinterest Boards, pins, blogs, and YouTube videos[4].
- Make sure that your blogs, Pinterest Account, YouTube Account, and Twitter Account all contain your website URL!
Cadmium Interiors uses Pinterest to communicate visually
with our clients, learn their design styles and share furniture and finish
choices, resulting in a shortened design cycle and a design the client truly
loves. Learn about YOUR target audience by interacting with Pinterest Users.
Are they responding to your pins? Use Google Analytics to measure how well your
Pinterest campaign is working to drive people to your website. Start by pinning
content and search for similar content, using your SEO keywords. What are you
finding? Start a dialog with your followers and others who are pinning that
content. Be sincere about wanting to learn about your target audience: engage
them, build relationships. When you get that first repin, “Like” or comment, you
will have that first ah-ha moment toward understanding your next possible client!
Every repin and interaction on Pinterest creates a potential click to your
website, and sharing your information on one of the fastest social media sites out
there.
Kristin Taghon is co-Principal Interior Designer at Cadmium
Interiors, LLC. Kristin designs Residential and Small Commercial spaces that the
client loves to spend time in. She
creates designs that are fully functional, efficient and reflects the client's
aesthetic. Kristin ties the whole space together using color, texture and
efficient space planning. She adds even more value by saving you time and money
and working closely with contractors to get the job done correctly.
kristin@cadmiuminteriors.com
[1] Megan Marrs, (2013, February
4), 6 Accounts to Follow on Pinterest (And What You Can Learn From Them),
Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/pinterest/6-accounts-to-follow-on-pinterest-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them-0390034
[2]Krizia
de Verdier, (2013, January 30), How to Drive More YouTube View with Pinterest,
Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-use-youtube-to-leverage-pinterest/
[3]
Jason
Ginsburg, 2013, February 12), Meet the Rock-star Brands of Social Recruiting,
Retrieved from http://smartblogs.com/social-media/2013/02/12/meet-the-rock-star-brands-of-social-recruiting/
[4]
How
to Use Pinterest for Business: Drive Traffic and Leads to Your Website with
Pinterest, A Publication of HubSpot, Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/docs/ebooks/howtousepinterestforbusiness_april.pdf
Thanks for this article, Kristin! Very helpful.
ReplyDelete