Since 1999
An image speaks a thousand words. Pinterest is arguably the biggest example of the power of images. Ever since its inception in 2010, this photo-sharing site has climbed the charts of popularity with a brute force, leaving behind many older social networking or social bookmarking sites. Within a year of its launch, Pinterest was grabbed a listing among “50 Best Websites of 2011” in the Time magazine. What makes this image sharing site tremendously popular? The answer lies in its aesthetic appeal! You can pin a plethora of beautiful images that capture the attention of the audience. With millions of users worldwide it is fast becoming the most sought after marketing tool for a growing number of organizations and an immensely popular platform for employing a well planned social media marketing strategy. You can make use of this free yet incredibly popular social networking resource for promoting your business if you plan your campaign well. Some tips:
1. Make sure that your profile name is the same as your organization’s name. In the “About You” section, add a line or two of what your business is all about. Besides add the URL of your website and your location.
2. The whole point of putting images on Pinterest is to promote your business. What is the use of creating populated Pinterest profiles and boards if search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing cannot find you? While creating the profile, Pinterest asks you whether you would like to make your profile invisible to the search engines. Choose to check the “No” button. After all, the whole objective is to make the search engines crawlers sit up and take notice of your pins.
3. The more you share; the better. Connect your Pinterest account with Twitter and Facebook profiles. This will direct traffic from these sites to your Pinterest account.
4. Pinterest is not only about images. You can pin infographics and videos as well from YouTube.
5. While posting images, keep your descriptions as brief as possible. When there are thousands of beautiful images around, nobody likes to read long texts.
6. A good keyword research and its proper usage is the foundation of a successful social media marketing campaign. Hence use relevant keywords in your descriptions so that your pins can be easily found in Google search.
7. Talking and pinning only about your products and services can get annoying. Get out of the “I, me, myself” attitude. Follow other users, repin their images and comment on their posts. This will enhance your presence on this social networking platform and fetch you more followers as well.
8. Variety is the spice of life. Don’t limit your boards to your products only. Share interesting information, tips or ideas from other users or websites. Choose categories that are related to the products you are selling. For instance, if you own a website selling wedding dresses, you can create boards such as wedding cakes or wedding ideas and repin from other users.
9. If you sell products, you can add price tag on your pins. All you need to do is add the $ or £ sign along with the price in the description. You can also feature these pins in the “Gifts” section.
For instance, if you sell wedding dresses, add $250 in the description and the price tag will appear on top of the image. If you are selling books, add the price tag of the book with a link to its order page.
Pinterest is BIG and it is growing at a phenomenal pace. It can do wonders for your social media optimization campaign. It allows you to promote your products, engage with your existing and potential customers, enhance your social media reach and thereby increase traffic to your site and boost sales. Best part is it is so much fun to work on this appealing and engaging social bookmarking site.
Add a “Follow Me on Pinterest” button on your blog and website. Whenever you write a new blog, post an image along with the content and pin it. It is quiet easy to install “Pin-It” button in your browser. Now don’t keep twiddling your thumbs. Pinterest is happening, changing, improving…get on the bandwagon quickly!
