4 Tips for Purposeful Pinning

Written by Guest Blogger Katie Woods

As promised, here is the much awaited follow up to my previous post, The Power of Pinterest for Small Business, lovingly crafted by this pinoholic. In that post, I summarized what most of us have realized already: Pinterest is here to stay.

What was news to many of us was the speed with which Pinterest is advancing in the social race. With more than 70 million users, it nearly eclipsed Facebook and Twitter, becoming the third most used social sharing tool in 2013.

With that in mind, here are four helpful hints for Pinterest newbies and sage (see what I did there?) pinners alike.

Start at the Beginning 1

Conduct your own research on how to best reach your business’s potential pinners. In the content section of Google Analytics, check the drop down menu options to see what keywords visitors are using to find your site. Once you’ve compiled a list of keywords and phrases, search those keyword combinations in the Pinterest Dashboard to see what your target audience is pinning. With this in mind, set up your Pinterest account.

Be sure to create a business account. If you have already been pinning to a personal account, go ahead and convert it to a business page. Business accounts have better tools for pinning products and offer page metrics.

Take some time to set up your account. Be thoughtful about including keywords in your company and board descriptions. With your target audience in mind, combine creativity and keywords to create boards that will interest them while communicating your company’s products, services, and personality.

Be a Team Player 2

Our advice for Pinterest is the same as it is for any other social media platform, engage with your audience. Follow and repin others, create original pins, comment and answer the questions of your followers, and space out your pins. Pinning a few times each day will be more than enough to launch your account. Pins remain visible based on their exposure, so popular pins can be cycled for weeks at a time.

The good news is you don’t have to create all new pins. Repinning relevant ideas and sharing inspiration from others will help position your brand. No, it’s not pinjacking ̶ 80% of Pinterest pins are repins. This is actually a good thing, because it means the chances of your pins getting repinned are high.

Remember that social media is meant to be social, not selfish. Strike a strategic balance between your own pins and those of others. Your business’s Pinterest account should be a reflection of the company as a whole. Don’t just showcase products, also show the behind-the-scenes fun, personality and inspiration that makes your company unique. Some boards should be specific to your brand, and others should just reach and entertain your target audience.

Make It Easy 3

Leverage your pinfluence by making your website and blog pinnable with Pinterest’s downloadable widgets. Just like similar buttons for Facebook or Twitter, this “Pin It” widget enables consumers to engage and share your company’s products.  

Each original pin needs to be thought of as a first impression. Make sure the shareable graphics on your site are visually pleasing, precisely described, and worthy of repinning. Don’t forget that boards and pins are more searchable when their descriptions are keyword packed. Apply this concept when saving pinnable files by avoiding underscores and opting for hyphens instead. This tactic will help to better optimize your pins in search results.

If you’re pinning your products, be shopper friendly by (at minimum) including a keyword description, price, and link to your website. For even further branding, add a watermark of your website or logo to the pin so that it can always be traced back to your company.

Measure the Results 4

Monitor how your Pinterest account is growing. You need to know when website visitors are pinning your content, if website traffic is increasing, and how many people are following your boards and repinning your content. Pinterest offers analytics services that can supplement your Google Analytics data.

When you know which pins are most popular and who is repinning them, tailor future pins and boards to best reach that target audience.

BONUS

Check out a new Pinterest feature – “Rich Pins”. These allow qualifying pin categories to have more information than ever before. Rich product pins allow meta tags on your site to have current pricing and availability, allowing clients access to more information and purchasing power for the products that interest them.

If these tips were helpful, show the love! Share, pin, comment and sign up for more from SageAdvice.