Pinterest Power!
Just when you think you are up to speed with social media; prioritizing Facebook, YouTube and Twitter as the big three, along comes Pinterest. And Pinterest is on pace to pass them all.
But what is Pinterest and how do you use it? Pinterest is a social network that allows users to visually share and discover new interests by posting (AKA ‘pinning’) images or videos to their own or others pinboards and browsing what other users have pinned. Think of it this way; in the past if you wanted to renovate a room in your home you’d look through a magazine and tear out pages of things you liked and keep them in a folder. Pinterest is a digital version of that folder with all your inspirations in one neat and tidy place you can keep coming back to.
Here at Ampersand, we’ve set our sights on ramping up our social media presence in 2014 and as a Marketing Consultant we can’t pass up this emerging platform (and you shouldn’t either!)
Here are 5 Quick Pinterest Tips for Businesses:
- Make your Website Pin-Friendly – Check out the Pinterest’s Goodies (http://about.pinterest.com/goodies) page to add a Pin It button to your website. Ideally, you should have one next to any “pinnable” content so visitors can easily click to add it to their Pinterest boards.
- Source Check – Pins are the most useful when they have a link back to the original source. If you notice a pin that is not sourced correctly; if it has been “resourced” with a URL that takes you to another site, don’t pin it – report it.
- Pin Smart – Add a watermark to your original content. The image will always stay connected to your site and promote your brand. Also add descriptions to your pins in the form of a weblink. This will help your pin be traced correctly. The more information you provide the better, adding hashtags (#ampersandmke) will help highlight keywords.
- Time & Space your Pins – It’s easy to get caught up in pinning all at once. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, the feed on Pinterest is unlimited. Pinning for a few minutes a couple times a day is a good start. Also take note of when people are pinning. Typically evenings and weekends are popular times according to Pinterest.
- Get Visual – Create content that people will want to pin. Choose images and videos that are engaging and interesting. You can also pin a variety of images, photos, infographics, text and did I mention videos?
Now that you’ve got some quick tips on Pinterest, it’s time to set up an account and see for yourself. Get Pinning! And while you’re at it, check out Ampersand’s Pinterest page and follow our boards!
