Angela Giles Simple Secrets BIG Results l Publicity Tipsl Social Media Strategies l Twitter Marketing Strategy l Internet Marketing Made Easy l Solopreneurs l

 

 

 

Pinterest is just plain COOL!  I never expected that the idea of a collage would be the main theme in the fastest growing social media network of today, Pinterest. Users simply create their own online image collages called pinboards and share them with other users when they are done. 

Sharing is fast, easy and fun! It is even catching on now like wildfire.  It is beautiful; that is why many users love it. Due to the fact that it is imaged based, it is also turning into a powerful marketing tool for just any product or services you may want to advertise and promote. 

I am sure this will fascinate you. By just using your pinboards, you can market your business on Pinterest in so many wonderful but effective ways. Even beginners will find it easy to do. Users who are a little bit advanced in using Pinterest will also have more pinning techniques to acquire.   Far advanced users of Pinterest, well this is just plain SICK!!

For the novice at Pinterest, I suggest you do the following in attempt to incorporate Pinterest into your content marketing strategies. 

As greenhorn pinners, you can use the following marketing strategies:

• Maximize exposure of your business name on your profile. Declare your business name as your username. In the event you had open Pinterest with a different profile name, replace it with your business name. 

• Write a short bio under your photo to include your interests in the ‘About’ section of your Pinterest profile. Make sure and use keywords that describe your business.  This will let the users find out more about you thereby exposure you and your product/business.

• Gain followers by connecting your Pinterest account with your Facebook and Twitter accounts. As an effect, you will add social media icons under your profile picture that link directly to your FB & Twitter profiles.

• Add your website URL in your profile.

• Pin content steadily .

• Pin content progressively; pin lots of stuff gradually to maximize your exposure and engagement. 

• Be creative with your board names. They must be short and interesting. You are actually share whenever you pin something. Make sure they are very attractive and inviting.   

• Use ‘@username’ in your description to tag other Pinterest users in your pins. In so doing, you are building your following and stand out; you are actually networking with other vendors and professionals in your niche. 

• Engage with other users by commenting on other peoples’ pins. However, write sensible comments and observe etiquette.  Don’t ever be a jerk, if you don’t like a pin – leave it alone.  MOVE ON!

• Hit the ‘Like’ buttons on other users’ pins to recognize wonderful contents.

• To ensure variety on Pinterest, pin from many different sources. Don’t limit yourself to just a couple of sites. 

• Pin and repin inimitable finds. You are actually repeating someone else’s pin to your followers. You are also facilitating an increase of their following aside from getting a credit on your pin. Note that the person whose image you repin receives a notification through email.

• Pin your own blog posts without over-promoting. Observe usual etiquette rules of other social media site. Refrain from being ill-mannered; avoid self-centeredness.  

• Pin videos like from YouTube to distinguish you from others.  Very Very Very cool idea….particularly with a video that you have already had some decent viral exposure.

• Always add smart descriptions under the images you pin as they stay with the images as they get repinned all over Pinterest.  You can use you business name in the description if an image is from your own site.

• Use the handy Pinterest browser bookmarket to pin a new image. Use the built-in social media prompts of this tool to re-share your pin on Twitter and Facebook. 

• Make use of Pinterest’s embed option to publish pins as content in your blog posts and website pages. It is important to make the users aware that they have to click on the Pinterest image to get to the original source.  

• Repin from your camera, while moving and add a location to your pins using the Pinterest iPhone app to enable others to find your images.

• Use appealing images in every post you make. Choosing powerful and emotive images increases the chance of getting pinned.  Make sure they work well for your blog readers.  This will partly optimize your website content for Pinterest sharing. 

• Add a clear watermark with your business name; add text to your image or a clear description to the image. This completes optimizing your website content for sharing. Just make sure it doesn’t forget the main subject of the photo.

• Create seasonal or holiday boards that relate to your brand. Example: New Year’s Resolutions, Fourth of July, etc. Users will certainly love your boards.

• Don’t forget to add a highly visible ‘Follow Me on Pinterest’ button to your website to promote that you are a pinner. 

Those pinners who are a little bit advanced than the neophytes can resort to the following Pinterest marketing ways:

• Using the Pinterest’s search function, search for new images to pin. You will find the search bar in the top left of every Pinterest page.

• To facilitate search, use keywords in the descriptions of pins. Pinners will also find your images and boards when they do their own searches.

• Add a ‘Pin It’ button to the footer of each of your blog posts to assist the readers quickly and easily share your contents on Pinterest.

• Click on the RSS symbol under your profile photo to find your Pinterest feed which you should advertise to your readers. 

• Feature your recent pins in a widget in your WordPress Blog sidebar by using a Pinterest widget.

• Add contributors to your boards. Example: Let your employees contribute to your company boards. Remember, contributors enrich your boards.

• Look at your site’s page by going to http://pinterest.com/source/yoursitehere often to discover which posts and images are resonating with Pinterest users. Use that information to shape your content strategy.

• In creating your own Pinterest shop, add prices to your pins. Type the $ or £ symbol followed by the price of the item in the pin’s description. There is a possibility that pins with prices are featured in Pinterest’s ‘Gifts’ section.  This is a kick butt tool if you have different products that you want to sell!

• Create a board containing the story of your company and defines your core values. This board must be available to all users as part of your sales strategy.

• Create a ‘Thank You’ board to reciprocate special appreciative messages of your clients. This board could also announce a launch of a client’s big venture with your company. 

• Include Pin tutorials on your board to assists a client on how to use your product of service. ‘How-To’ videos can serve as promotional materials.

• Integrate trends into your content strategy. Click on the ‘Popular’ link on your Pinterest home page to research what’s catching on with pinners.

• Introduce your company’s team members in a specially created board. Each photo could be described by a short bio of the person.

• Include photos of your company. Many online users will get attracted on some behind the scenes photos revealing how you actually do things.

• Attract followers by serving as an information curator for the specific niche you serve. Your board must contain the latest and the best resources. Eventually, you become a trusted source of information on Pinterest and will have great number of followers. 

• Save time by integrating your Pinterest account with Facebook’s timeline feature. This will facilitate posting just once in both locations.

• Add photos to old text-only posts on your blog.  Share it on pinterest. Attractive pictures will surely get you more pins.

Far advanced Pinterest users can do all of the above. However, on top of the aforementioned, they can do a lot more to maximize traffic and audience engagement.

• Do a careful study on when you are getting the most repins, likes, comments and referral traffic by doing a careful analysis of your Pinterest profile and site traffic status. Do this at least three times a day on random days within a week.

• Introduce your client-Pinterest users to each other. Give them recognition by sending out weekly commendation that go with spotlighted boards and pins from their profiles by email.  

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• Flaunt some of your ideal clients in separate boards. These will be very helpful during your sells cycle. These boards can also be embedded into your website pages for other people to view the profile of your prospective and current clients.

• Pinsboards can be created for instructional purposes, such as webinars. These are also useful during any class presentation and could supplement classroom learning in a number of other ways. 

• Create boards for referral sources, affiliates and strategic partners, and let them add to the boards. Engage with the partners so they know they are included and appreciated.

• Invite your customers or student to join certain board to pin their ideas and suggestions for the improvement of your product.

• Create a testimonial board for dedicated and loyal customers.

• Use Pinterest board to share some success stories. A powerful visual story will surely be a way to keep users coming back to your board.

• Check out your VIP clients’ boards to get ideas for special thank you or holiday gifts.

• Create quick-start guides or owner’s manual boards for your products. Providing ideas like these will maximize your service relationship with your current and prospective clients.

• Share updates you gain from conferences on separate boards. Invite your batch mates to contribute to that board.  

• Add your beautifully created coupons to your boards.   Then spread the love by sharing them!  

• Create special boards where you could invite your clients to share their ideas tailored to their specific needs and situations.

• Create pins that give special and exclusive promotions for those following you on Pinterest.    Do one for your top pinner!!

• You can create a board where you could run a Pinterest contest; one that encourages readers to pin links and images from your site that inspire, motivate or entertain them. Judge and award winners based on creativity. 

Can I just say Social Media Rocks in 2012.  Use Pinterest as part of your marketing strategy!

Your pinboards will reach great distances you cannot even figure out how big and how wide. 

Go for it, pin it my friends…rock the planet…drive traffic….makes sales!!

 

Oh and follow me on Pinterest!  I'll follow you back!

http://pinterest.com/angelakgiles/

With love,

Angela Giles

 

 

 

 

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