From its initial launch in the spring of 2010, Pinterest had roughly 5,000 monthly users and was the first social sharing platform of its kind. After many bouts of failure and countless rebuilding, the visual sharing network now attracts over 100 million active users who “pin-it” daily.
To a business just getting their feet wet with the platform, Pinterest’s pin boards may just look like a glorified, digital version of a holiday wish list. Sure, Pinterest is great for collecting ideas on that new kitchen backsplash or hairstyle, but not enough companies know how to take advantage of the corporate benefits offered by this visual marketing tool.
Whether you are selling a product, service or neither, there is always a way for your brand to gain more exposure on social media in this golden era. So, how exactly can brands use Pinterest to gain new business and take charge of their social marketing?
1. Be relevant with your pin boards
Your Pinterest boards need to be specific to what your brand encompasses and who you want to target with your content. For example, if you’re a luxury car brand, you should not have boards titled “Vacation Spots” or “Cupcake Recipes” with irrelevant pins. Your boards should have titles such as “Vintage Hot Rods,” which show your interest in the industry, or “On the Racetrack,” which may visually highlight an upcoming model release. It’s important to focus on relevance and relatability with this type of social media where most consumers are not directly looking to make a purchase decision. Wine and dine them first; close the deal later on.
2. Follow influencers
We know you probably could do it alone, but there are plenty of resources available to help your business understand the how-tos of overperforming on this platform. Pinterest has a huge following of influencers from board collaborators to industry leaders, and you should be following them. With just the click of the “follow” button, your feed is on its way to being flooded with content to help you get inspired by an expansive network of experienced influencers.
3. Explore ‘Pinterest for Business’
If you are trying to directly market your business or product, Pinterest offers Pinterest for Business, a paid social advertising program offering traffic, engagement, and awareness campaigns to drive impressions, and ultimately, sales. Whether you’re a brand selling a visual product or a marketer trying to get click traffic to your site by means of an infographic, anyone can utilize these paid tools.
4. Use good creative
Make consumers want to click on your image. There are many resources available that tell you what size your image should be on Pinterest in order to get more clicks. Along with size, image quality and incorporating/pinning images from your own website are of utmost importance when it comes to using good creative. When pinning an article, make your pin stand out by overlaying text on the image so users know exactly what’s in store when they click.
5. Analyze your efforts
Pinterest also offers a free analytics service to help you track which pins are outperforming and underperforming. Want to know who your content is targeting? Pinterest Analytics also offers basic demographic profiling, so you can see who is clicking, liking, repinning, and saving your content. By analyzing, testing and testing again, your business can take the strategic means necessary to keep your pins performing well.
If you’re ready to experiment with social media advertising or see if Pinterest Marketing is right for your business, contact Harmon Group today and watch the impressions roll in.
If you want to know more about what we can do for your brand or business, contact us.