How to Get Your Small Business On Pinterest in 5 Minutes
With Pinterest suddenly the third most popular social media site, how up-to-date is your social media marketing? Here are the basics to get started on Pinterest.
Step One: Think like a marketer from the start.
When you create your Pinterest account, make sure to include your business’ name in either the profile name or the profile description. Create a profile that describes you and your business, make sure you include your contact information.
Pinterest, as of this writing, is still by invite only; although getting an invite is as easy as emailing any website who has a Pinterest badge. I’m sure they’d be happy to send you an invite, or you can email us at info@moneyandrisk.com. You can also apply straight on the Pinterest website.
Step Two: Create boards with strategic topic names.
One metaphor to help understand Pinterest; consider it the online version of scrapbooking – a website where you post images and share what you find with others. Start off by creating any number of boards under your account. Each board is given a title, either your own or one of the standard names suggested by Pinterest.
You add content to a board through either pinning pictures from the internet, or from repinning other people’s pictures you find on Pinterest. It’s best to add content that is related to the board’s title.
Here’s how to start off strategic with the boards you create.
1. A personal hobby. You want to connect to people on a personal level. The best way is to share personal passion through your photographs. Plus let’s be honest. Customers buy from people they trust and know, as much as they buy the product or service. Sharing your interest and passion is like sharing a bit of yourself. Open up and be real, people will respond.
2. A board that reflects the interests of your typical prospects/customers. If you want to fish, use the right bait.
3. A board that features your product or service in an unusual ways. Candid photographs work well. It’s against Pinterest etiquette to blatantly ‘sell’. It’s also against their terms of service. That said, if you can start customers adding pictures to your book, it’s an instant marketing success.
4. Once you get the hang of it, start creating as many boards as you can manage. Each board generates its own followers—separate from followers of your account.
The next installment of this series will discuss how to add your own content, how to get people to add your content, and what to repin.
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Handy tips. Pinterest was something I put off for a while because I thought it was just another Social Media channel to take care of but once I started I couldn’t stop. Your analogy of it being an online scrapbook is perfect. And it’s so simple to build up the pins and boards as I’m sure you’ll cover in the next post so it’s not time consuming. But it is fun. Thanks for sharing on Bizsugar.com
Neat post. I never really did know much about Pinterest. It’s hard to know which social networks are worth your time and which ones aren’t. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been curious about Pinterest for a while. I don’t really understand how it would work if you’re marketing a service. Can you site an example of this in your next post? Thanks for sharing!