You already know that social media is a great way to promote your brand to potential clients and to update current customers, but are you aware of everything Pinterest can do for you?
Pinterest is a fairly new platform compared to Facebook and Twitter. It helps users collect and organize the things they are interested in through “pinning” it on boards.
Pinterest can be a good venue for social media marketing if you know how to use it correctly. Here are 10 ways to maximize Pinterest as an advertising tool:
1. Post Creative and Artistic Photos
Make your images worthy of being posted on Pinterest. Users are keen on detail and have a refined taste on aesthetics. If they find your posts crass and not adhering to their artistic standards, they will think twice about re-pinning your post.
Your images and videos should be unique and creative. Photographs must have good resolution while graphics should be edited well to appear pulled-together. They should be a feast for the eyes and haven’t been seen before.
2. Showcase Infographics
An infographic is a visual representation of information, which makes them very appealing to Pinterest users. They prefer to read shorter text along with images rather than long blocks of text and information in paragraph form. Infographics are suitable for explaining how a concept works with the use of illustrations or demonstrating how to accomplish a task by yourself.
3. Promote Your Brand, Not Your Products
Anything that’s too promotional can be a turn-off to your customers. Use the 80/20 rule when pinning: 80% should be dedicated to interesting and relevant images while only 20% should be allotted for promotions. Alternate pinning photos and videos of your own products with posts from other brands which you think are relevant to your customers.
For example, if your business is offering sportswear, do not bombard your customers with photos of the pieces of clothing you sell. Instead, showcase different kinds of sports where action shots or quotes by famous sportsmen are displayed. Brand recall becomes easier when you do this instead of hard selling your product or service.
4. Follow Popular Pinterest Pages
Piggyback-riding on popular Pinterest pages can do wonders for your brand especially if you’re just starting out to build a community there. Follow popular pages and re-pin their posts. If they return the favor and re-pin your posts as well, it’s the start of a connection. Their followers will soon repost your pins, which will help you gain more attention.
5. Update Your Boards Regularly
Your boards should showcase a variety of content every day so followers will not get bored. However, pinning should also be done in moderation. There should be intervals between posts since a spree of pins from your brand can overwhelm your audience and they may find it annoying—which is the last thing you want them to feel about you.
Let your followers have something to look forward to every day by pinning unique and relatable posts. They also have followers who are waiting for some amazing posts from them and you have to grab that opportunity.
6. Make Your Images from Your Website Pinnable
It is best if your customers easily can pin an image from your website or blog to their own Pinterest boards. Get a “Pin It” button on your site for photos you want to appear on Pinterest. However, your images should be visually-appealing so your audience can add it to their lists of interesting pins on their own boards.
7. Only Pin Images that are Relevant to Your Brand
Remember that you’re trying to build/keep an image. Posting something that goes against your company’s usual pins may negatively affect your business. A part of marketing your brand is maintaining a healthy image your customers love.
8. Link from Facebook and Twitter
Given that you already have an established audience in social media giants Facebook and Twitter, take advantage of this by introducing those audiences to your new Pinterest page. This will let your customers have access to a feed of share-worthy photos. Learn how to cross-post to get your social media followers’ attention.
9. Put a Link to Your Website as Caption
Pinterest will open a lot of doors for you and bring customers who aren’t aware of your brand to have a look at what you have to offer. Put your business’ name somewhere in the caption, or better yet, link it directly to your website. If they find your pins interesting, they are more likely to take a look at your website and maybe buy from you in the future.
10. Create Multiple Boards
Create separate boards for different categories under your brand. This will organize your pins and make it easier for your customers to look for images they are interested in. Different boards can also break the monotony of your Pinterest page, enabling you to post under related categories instead of focusing on the usual stuff you offer.
For example, if you are a pastry business, you can create a board solely for cupcakes. You might also want to try creating a board dedicated for wedding cakes, cookies, chocolates. Be spontaneous and also include events where your business is popular such as weddings, anniversaries, or kiddie parties.
Have you created a Pinterest page for your business yet? Tell us what you think about promoting your brand through shared photos, quotations, and experiences.
Lionel Luigi Lopez
Lionel Luigi Lopez is a business writer, entrepreneur and a musician. He is also an active blogger and marketing strategist. He runs a small business in Manila and is still active in music.
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Thanks for this article! I have been wondering how to promote my business using pinterest. I love the site and app and use it quite often but promoting my biz was another story. This will def be helpful thanks!