Recently I've been using Pinterest as a social media tool. If you're like me, you're rolling your eyes and thinking, "Pinterest? What would I use that for? It's just a bunch of photos." That's exactly what I thought until I talked to a very savvy colleague of mine who shared a bit of insight with me.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a social media tool that primarily revolves around "boards" which are designed to provide inspiration and collection of ideas through photos, or as they are referred to in Pinterest-land, "pins". You can create a Pinterest account and then include multiple boards in that account spotlighting your theme or interests. Let's use a wedding as an example.
How Do I Use Pinterest?
When a bride-to-be begins planning her wedding, she may decide to use Pinterest to get inspiration and creates her own board. She'll scroll through boards created by other users and search for ideas for wedding dresses, venues, decorations, cakes, suits, vendors, etc.
She may choose to create a wedding board for each of those ideas. Let's say she creates a board called "Wedding Dresses". She would then search Pinterest for pins/photos and save those to her board. The bride types in "racerback wedding dress", and thousands of pins appear. She clicks the "SAVE" button, and voila!! The pin is saved to her board; she doesn't need to save dozens of photos to her phone.
If she's interested enough in the pin when she clicks it she'll be directed to the website of the vendor selling the dress and be able to obtain additional information such as the vendor's location, pricing, other dresses sold, etc. If the bride is in the mood for sharing her ideas she can upload photos from her device showing the wedding she attended, marriage quotes and inspirational thoughts.
Pinterest can be utilized for almost any concept. Below are some common ways:
Collating ideas and inspiration for a new web design/app
Collecting interior design concepts
Browsing products and ‘window shopping’
Gathering motivating workout images (e.g. gym routines, physiques)
Staying updated on your favorite apparel brands
Getting fashion and outfit ideas
Researching tattoo ideas
Posing inspiration for a photoshoot
Accumulating information on how to write and self-publish your book
Finding gift ideas
Personal Account Vs. Business Account?
If you're a savvy business person, you're still thinking, so what? How do I make money using Pinterest? How do I use it to build my consumer base and promote my website and company?
There are a host of instructional guides on how to create a Pinterest account and how to create pins. There are also several ways (i.e., buyable pins, group boards) to increase traffic and generate dough. In this blog, I focus on the model for making money using Pinterest for your business account. But if you're interested in my "Quick Pinterest Business Account Setup" type "Send My Free Guide" at https://www.brixinvestmentsgroup.com/contact
Pinterest is a powerful tool that goes beyond expanding your audience reach. As stated, a number of people use Pinterest primarily for researching ideas and getting inspired visually. If they enjoy interior design, graphic design, fashion or fitness, they’ll likely have lots of boards relating to that topic. What’s more, they’ll probably be following some other boards created by big brands in those areas. As a company, your objective is to be ‘one of those brands’ that people follow and to use Pinterest as your primary method to display your products, services, and website so that you attract more visitors, and, of course, increase your business. If you've already identified your targeted niche and are in the business for a product or service that is popular on Pinterest, then this will be easy.
Continuing with the wedding idea as an example, if you design and produce wedding decorations, then all you need to do is create a board dedicated to decorations and allow people to pin (in other words, save your photos to their boards) or just browse your site for ideas.
The more people you can get to follow you, the more people will see your products, which means that more will be exposed to your brand and the potential of a customer purchasing your products and services increases. Ultimately you are driving more traffic and engagement to your website, for your targeted niche, because of your Pinterest board. The formula is simple:
More traffic = More ad clicks = More sales
Pinterest also provides a large amount of analytics data. However, to obtain access to this you’ll need to convert your personal account to a ‘business account’ and you’ll need to verify your account. From there, you’ll be able to view pins that are getting pinned from your website or blog. This allows you to identify which content is performing well and the types of pins that are engaging your audience. That’s right! If you want to take full advantage of the analytics features on Pinterest, then you need to add or switch to a business account.
Can I Promote My Blog or Business With a Personal Account?
To some extent you can. But there are some reasons to consider making the switch. For starters, Pinterest actually requires you to make your Pinterest account a business one if you intend on using it to profit. While it’s unlikely they’ll clamp down on you for posting links to your website, you should switch if you want to tow the official line.
According to the Pinterest Terms of Service:
“If you want to use Pinterest for commercial purposes you must create a business account and agree to our Business Terms of Service. More simply put, if you are using Pinterest for work, you need to set up a business account."
Within the business account, you can display your company or brand name as the title of your Pinterest profile instead of your first and last name, you’ll have access to insider tips and strategies from Pinterest (they provide free educational materials) and you’ll be able to verify your website. It’s this latter step that enables you to see view photos and images that are being shared on Pinterest, being "re-pinned" and generating comments. Below is a screenshot of my business account. I rarely used my personal account. But in less than a month after creating my business account and remaining focused on creating and posting pins, I shot up to 78.9k Monthly Viewers.
I'm still working on increasing the number of "Followers" and "Clicks". However, when compared to where I was a month ago (see screenshot below) I've made significant progress, and you can too!
Oh, and here's another benefit: Verifying your website as a business adds your hyperlink to the top of your profile. The result? Anyone who discovers your Pinterest account will be able to quickly discover your website and that triggers our desired formula:
More traffic = More ad clicks = More sales
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
If you'd like my "Quick Pinterest Business Account Setup" a simple checklist, type "Send My Free Guide" at https://www.brixinvestmentsgroup.com/contact.
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