Pinterest Basics Part 2

Hosted by Shelby Klick and Justin Druga

We covered in our Pinterest Basics episode what Pinterest is and how to get started on this platform.

Today we will be talking more about tips on how to be successful on this platform.

The first thing that I want to mention about Pinterest is that is a completely unique social platform and can be time consuming if done correctly. Pinterest, like all social media platforms, should not be thought of as another place to push your business agenda.  In fact, Pinterest is not about your business at all.  Pinterest is at it’s core a place for users to explore and find content that benefits and inspires them.  The reason that businesses use Pinterest is for Brand Recognition, to position themselves as an expert in their industry, and drive referral traffic to their website.

 

1. The businesses that perform the best on Pinterest are those that are highly visual and link to beneficial resources like an ecommerce website or a blog. Some industries that perform the best are fashion, food, photography, beauty, home decor, wedding, jewelry, and craft.
2. Pinterest boards are not meant to be filled with products and left untouched.  

Your Content

1. Fill your boards with content that you think people will benefit from like blogs and have visually appealing graphics.  These can be products or graphics that you make yourself overlaying text on images.
2. 1. PicMonkey or Canva are two great sites that will give you templates to create eye catching graphics.
   1. This will give you an idea of what others are talking about in your industry, what kinds of content is doing well.
3. Follow Boards related to your industry
   1. About Us - show your company culture,
   2. Store Events and Newsletters
   3. Employee - Post pictures and bio, info on employee favorites and more.
   4. Highlight customers using products or testimonials
4. Expand your website and brand awareness
   1. Hashtags can only be used in Pin descriptions. They cannot be used in board titles and board description.
   2. Stick to 2-3 per pin and only use keywords, do not try to create hashtag phrases.
5. Hashtags
   1. Be wise about where you are linking.  When posting products, link directly to the page the product lives and where a customer can get more details. If the product does not have a place on your website with at minimum a description, this content shouldn’t be on pinterest.
   2. If customers want to browse your website, they will.  If you link them only to your homepage, they will exit your website immediately because they did not see what they were looking for.
6. Links
   1. Take time to revisit your boards and pins.  See what content can be reused or repurposed to fit a different interest or a different board.
   2. Refresh your old pins be either changing titles and descriptions to include updated keywords, more specific descriptions or updated hashtags.
   3. Usually, you can find that people will look for current or seasonal content “Fall fashion 2017”, “Gifts for Mom for Christmas”, etc.  Create new boards each season or holiday and reuse, repurpose and create new content to fill it.
7. Revisit, Reuse, Refresh

 

Community

1. Don’t set it and forget it.
2. Comment and respond to people who reply to your pins. Comment on other people’s pins.
3. Follow those who follow you. You don’t have to follow everyone, but if you know them or if they post content that is similar to your industry or what your customers are interested in, it could be wise to keep up with what they are pinning.
4. Talk to your customers and ask what they use pinterest for and ask them to follow you.

Consider Ads

1. With a Pinterest Business account you have access to a lot of analytics and even an ads manager just like Facebook.
2. 1. If you are an ecommerce website, think about creating ads to promote your content to people in a certain geographic region or who have certain interest.
   2. They ads a little easier than Facebook, but very similar.  However, it will promote your pins when people are actively searching for keywords and interests, not just to those who have expressed an interest in the past.  
   3. If you are not an ecommerce website, you can use ads to promote resource content like blog posts, infographics, ebook downloads and more to get new leads into your sales funnel.

Takeaways

1. Like all social media platforms, they do take time and work. Go about this platform as a place for content instead of a place for advertisement.
2. Don’t set it and forget it - plan time to revisit, reuse, and refresh your pins and boards
3. Be personal - comment, reply, and follow those who engage with you. Use boards to show your company’s culture, employee faces, and customer’s great experiences.
4. Don’t be afraid to do ads. With the right content, investing in it can take you a long way.