Pinterest can be an effective arm of any social media campaign if done well. Even if your company is service-oriented and doesn’t have a tangible product to promote, you can attract customers by creating an image that reflects their lifestyle.
Are you using Pinterest to promote your business? Well, why the heck not? And you have a personal account? Dude… it’s like you’re not even trying!
Pinterest is huge. Like, almost Facebook-huge. If you realize the value of social media marketing (hint: it’s huge), Pinterest should definitely be on your list. After all, your clients are on there, and the “social” part of Pinterest’s particular social media method means that once you create quality stuff, it basically gets spread around for you. Here’s what you do:
Snoop Around
Look at your target demographic, your ideal client, and look at what they’re pinning. This is obviously who you want to cater to, so you need to know what they think is worth sharing. Because it’s not enough to reach these people, you have to give them something that they’ll want to share with their friends. Don’t ignore stuff that doesn’t pertain to your industry (more on that later), just take it all in and form an overall picture. You’ll see patterns, and you’ll notice clear trends. Take notes.
Set Up Your Account
The appeal of Pinterest is the “personal” quality to it. You’re sharing with friends. To that end, make it clear that there’s a person, not a company, behind your account. Use your actual headshot instead of the company logo, and use your actual name. People get suspicious when a company tries to tell them what to like, but they respond very favorably when a trustworthy-looking person suggests new things. Fill out your profile, and use catchy, descriptive board titles.
Put links to your website and other social media pages in your profile. Once you have a decent amount of pins, people who like them will want to know more about you, so they’ll read your profile. They’ll see the links to your Facebook page and Twitter feed, and think, “Hm. I like this guy’s stuff. We share the same taste. I shall Follow and Like.” Then you spread from there, via social media magic.
Get Connected
Don’t forget to set up your website with Pinterest buttons. Sure, people have the “Pin It” button on their toolbar, but having one on the site makes it easy to A.) Credit your site on the pin, and B.) Allow people to pin when away from their usual computer. The fewer steps it takes to pin something, the more likely it is to be pinned.
Each product should have a “Pin It” button, and your homepage needs a “Follow Me on Pinterest” button. If someone like your webpage stuff, they’re likely to follow you on an impulse. After that, they’ll see everything you pin – and they’ve done half the work for you.
Start Pinning
Before you start pinning all your own products, slap your own hand and step away from the computer. No! That is wrong. Bad marketer. Nobody likes a spambot, which is what you’ll look like.
Remember when you lurked around your ideal clients’ boards? Remember what you saw? Look at your notes. This is where it comes into play. You’re not advertising products here, you’re advertising a lifestyle. Your boards should be about all the stuff your ideal client is interested in, not just your stuff. Like any social media strategy, the 80-20 rule applies – but the difference is that it’s entirely possible to have a successful and meaningful Pinterest strategy that involves posting none of your own stuff. Really. Try it.
Be Social
Everything in life is a give-and-take. So don’t just give, take. Post maybe two of your own pins everyday, but look at what other people contribute too. Repin maybe three or four things that stand out, and follow people who personify your ideal client. When people repin your stuff, thank them. Comment on people’s pins. You know, mingle a bit. And don’t do it all at one time, either. Spread your activity out over the course of a day. Don’t Pin-dump.
Pinterest marketing is less about selling your product and more about selling yourself as a person. People like to see the humanity behind the logo – it breeds trust. It does take time and effort – but it can pay off huge. Pins frequently go viral, spreading way beyond Pinterest boards – in this way, it’s even more effective than Facebook. So be patient, craft your image and curate your boards. Pin it to win it.