A Very ‘Pinteresting’ Way to Boost Your Business
The latest social networking craze to hit the scene may not be as popular as Facebook or Twitter, but it’s getting there—and it shouldn’t be ignored. In June 2012, the Experian Hitwise report ranked Pinterest #4 in social media trends. Considering it fell at #5 only six months prior, it is definitely a rising trend worth keeping an eye on.
For those not yet familiar, Pinterest is a site that allows users to ‘pin’ images or videos of interest, to virtual self-created, theme-based pinboards. In addition, users can browse others’ boards to gain inspiration and gather ideas. Not only is it a clutter-free way to store ideas, it’s a wonderful way to connect with other like-minded individuals, who share your interests and tastes.
But how can it help your business?
It doesn’t really matter what type of business you have, or even how seasoned of a business you are—you can benefit. If you have a product that needs advertising and would like maximum exposure, then Pinterest is the way to do it and here are two main reasons why.
Pinterest for Branding
Certain brands just don’t fit into every social media outlet, but if you have products that can be marketed with visually appealing images, then keep reading. With that said, your true success for branding will come from your focus on lifestyle, rather than the product itself. Allow me to explain.
Yes, you can only post pictures of your products and be successful, but your business will flourish even more if you create boards of lifestyle images that support your brand. For example, if your business is food, provide images where your food is being cooked—think beautiful kitchens or relaxing backyard barbeques. In other words, set a stage for your product—one in which people can relate to.
Traffic from Pinterest
If you desire high-volume website traffic, then consider joining Pinterest. Each image you contribute, that is ‘pinned’, ‘re-pinned’ or ‘liked’, can be linked to your business’ website, as well as other social networking platforms you use. In essence, it’s visual SMO.
A big key to success is following other ‘pinners’ in your niche. By doing so, you can take a peek into their world, seeing where their interests lie. These people can be very influential, as they will most likely be sharing your products with others—you link to them and their followers will eventually make their way to you. See how that works? Furthermore, as your followers grow, you have more people to intact with. Engaging with customers is very important. If you don’t take the time to do so, then they could lose interest.
If you haven’t considered using Pinterest to market your business, it’s worth taking a look at. To use it, you must first get an invite from a friend or request an invite from the site, but once active, you can explore, engage and watch your business grow.