Pinterest is the secret weapon you’ve been missing with your business. Whether you run an online boutique or operate a brick and mortar store, you need Pinterest as part of your marketing tool. This guide is shortened version of what I offer in my upcoming online course and it can give you an idea of the various ways that Pinterest can benefit your business if you follow the steps detailed below.
Quick Overview About Me:
My name is Reahna “Rihanna” and I am blogger and businesswoman! I love to blog about anything related to fashion, décor, travel, books, and beauty. I run my lifestyle blog, online courses, and several other family businesses. One of the unique things about me is that I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology and received my MBA with honors in both programs. I’ve had many opportunities to work for other companies and also build my own from the ground up. I wanted to take my experience and education and provide something for other entrepreneurs to utilize for their business. One of the things I love to do, is perform all the research analyzing what REALLY works! I’ve done all of the footwork for you to make your life easier and to get you going faster! I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping by today and giving me the opportunity to help you and your business. Let’s dive in!
Pinterest Basics
What is Pinterest??
Pinterest is an online search engine where “pinners” can search for inspiration, ideas, projects, and solutions for problems. Pinners can search for recipes, crafts, business tips, fashion, home décor, and travel tips. Another aspect I like about Pinterest is that it is a platform that provides a lot of educational tips from experts in any industry around the world.
Who are Pinners??
Pinners are users who can search for any idea, create boards, create pins, and save other people’s pins (content). Ultimately, pinners are consumers who are located anywhere around the world. One of the beautiful things about Pinterest is that it can be used globally so pinners are using this platform 24 hours a day! Global platforms can benefit your business in many ways as you can get visitors to your website at any time. Essentially, there are “pinners” and “content creators” online. Our jobs as content creators is to create eye-catching pins that make pinners want to save your pin to one of their boards. Another job that content creators have is creating inviting content or pins that entice other users to click on the pin that ultimately leads to your website, online shop, email list, or another platform.
What is an algorithm??
Algorithms are used on all social media platforms and search engines. Algorithms can be described as a process or set of rules that should be followed in order to have your content recognized and ranked in terms of popularity and relevance. The higher your popularity or ranking, you’ll have the increased chance of your content being seen.
Set Up Your Pinterest Account
Setting up your account correctly from the beginning can save you a lot of frustration in the future. You may already have a Pinterest account and you’ll need to determine if your account is appropriate to convert into a business account. You do have the option of changing it from a personal account to a business account. You can still save any irrelevant personal boards and change them to secret boards so that you don’t lose your personal pins. You may be asking why you need a business account and there are many reasons for this listed below:
- Track your growth, engagement, and impressions
- Track popular pins
- Analyze which pins aren’t working or gaining traction
- Track the number of clicks that lead to your website
Lay the Foundation with Pinterest Boards
Create Pinterest Boards that relate to your business (products & services), niche, affiliations, or organization. Start small, don’t feel as if you should have 30 boards with thousands of pins. Creating and curating your boards takes time and little planning. Fortunately for all new and existing business owners I am creating an online course that offers a more in-depth tutorial for creating boards, sections, and board covers. My tips can give your Pinterest boards a more professional look and feel. The aesthetics of your Pinterest page does matter and makes a difference amongst competitors.
Start Pinning!
Once you have your boards set up, you can start pinning immediately. This is where you need to think like a content creator. Think about marketing and sales when you create and save pins to your boards. Ultimately, your goal is to lead pinners or potential consumers to your website to buy a product or service that you offer. Pinned images should be of high quality and appealing to your target audience. For example, if you are a travel agent for Disney World, your pinners want to see things related to Florida travel, resort hotels, best restaurants, gift shop items, money-saving tips, fast-passes, family t-shirt ideas, park guides, and more! If you are using your account for business purposes and you are a travel agent and posting images of cars, hair ideas, recipes, and shoes, how is this related your business? How will this get pinners who are precisely looking for Disney-related content to your site? If pinners are clicking on the links of the aforementioned pins, it probably won’t lead them back to your site if they are strictly searching for Disney inspiration and trustworthy information. My online course will explain in great detail about how you can create more images and pins that attract viewers and clients.
Have a Pinning (and winning) Strategy
It’s important to pin often, consistently, and meaningfully. Avoid the habit of pinning just because. Have a real strategy and purpose behind what you’re doing because if you lack purpose, it will come across in your business. Understand that your audience may vary. Pinterest users come in all shapes, sizes, economic backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. Pinners may save your pins to share with their coworkers, family members, business associates, and friends who may or may not have Pinterest. Think of Pinterest as a marketing platform which allows you to promote your business professional content to millions of users around the world. Pinterest also allows you to create paid promotions for your pins to reach a larger audience.
- Remember, you’re creating new opportunities for sales leads for new clients, consumers, and repeat visitors to your site.
- Don’t be afraid to post your content. A lot of business owners feel strange about marketing their business for many different reasons. If you are uncomfortable with this process, consider getting a marketing team to help you with relevant strategies.
- If you’re curious to know how much of your content you should pin, consider the 90/10 or 80/20 rule where you pin a majority of your own content.
- The number of pins you create each day may vary based on your business industry or niche. Focus on the quality over the quantity of pins.
Algorithms, Keywords, and Optimization
At this point you might be interested as to how people find your content whether it be your pinned images, boards, or website. Pinners can find your content through several means:
- Organic searches
- Visual searches
- Keyword Searches
- Hashtag searches
- Promoted (advertised) pins
- General web browser searches
You may be wondering how you can make it easier for content to be seen by others. The honest answer is that your results will only be as good as the effort you put into it. It’s important to pin often, use keywords, hashtags, and descriptions for pins while focusing on quality. Not pinning at all can have the adverse effect in addition to unorganized boards with unrelated images and descriptions. Another frustration for users is clicking on images and the links are broken and lead to random websites.
Pinterest Tools
There are so many tools out there that can make your life easier on Pinterest. Photo editing tools like PicMonkey, Canva, Pixlr, and Fotor, can be extremely helpful which can be accessible from your computer, tablet, and smartphone. I go more into depth creating more eye-catching images and pins on my upcoming course which is actually one way to showcase your creativity and branding.
Keep Your Audience Wanting More
It’s imperative that you entice your viewers to come back for upcoming content which is an important strategy to use for marketing on any platform. Giving your followers high-quality pins and great content is a sure way to create long-term relationships.
Thank you so much for stopping by today and checking out this informative post! Be sure to sign up for my emails so that you get first dibs on new information and my online course that I’m creating for entrepreneurs.
