Since its creation in 2009 Pinterest has swiftly accumulated over 70 million members at the time of writing. Between 2012 and 2014 the percentage of online adults using Pinterest grew from 15% to 28%. It’s not quite in Facebook’s league yet, but if predictions are correct, growth looks set to continue.

In this article, I will take a look at how small businesses can get on board with Pinterest and make the most of their presence.

Pinterest works as a sort of social media scrap book. Users connect with each other by creating, sharing and following boards and pins that they find interesting; Pinterest for business follows the same principle. It is about customers and prospects getting to know you as a business. This social platform can help your brand awareness, raise visibility and if you are pinning great content, it will generate traffic too.

Growing rise in all things visual

An impressive 3472 images are pinned every minute, so by its very design the site lends itself perfectly to our increasing fascination with all things visual.

Here are the steps I recommend for getting the most out of Pinterest:

1. Getting started

If your business isn’t yet up on Pinterest then in practical terms the best place to start is Pinterest for Business. It will give you a step-by-step guide on how to get up and running.

2. Set goals

Whether you are about to embark with Pinterest, or already eagerly pinning away it is a good idea to take a step back and think about your goals. What is it you want to achieve? Who are your target audience and what sort of content will capture their attention?

Find inspiration through exploring how other businesses, both inside and outside your industry, are using Pinterest. This helps you focus on getting your presence right rather than just going through the motions and pinning lackluster content.

3. Make a visual impact

Images and photos are the most important tactic in optimising social media posts. What can you do to make your pins stand out?

Avoid bland stock photos. Commission your own professional photography if possible and include ‘lifestyle’ shots of your products in use.

Or there are plenty of online sites that you can source interesting visuals. Try Dreamstime, Shutterstock, iStock, FreeDigitalImages or Pixabay.

There's also a number of excellent image creation tools that let you turn run of the mill content into something more interesting. Check out the likes of Canva, PicMonkey and Pinsmatic to get your creative juices flowing.

Or try pinning infographics. They are an excellent way to express numerical information and text-based content in a visually appealing format. There are plenty of online tools available to create your own infographics. Check out Easelly or Piktochart .

4. Use video

Video content on social media sites is on the up with over 8300 videos shared every minute. Pinning video links is a great way to increase engagment and social sharing

5. Mix it up

To get the most from your Pinterest presence try to pin a mix of interesting, usable content on a variety of subject boards. You are looking to connect with your audience through interests and lifestyle, so give your audience a chance to see the ideas and personality that make your business what it is.

For example, if you owned a floristry business you may have boards on seasonal flowers, trending colours, mood boards, how-to guides to flower arranging, inspirational flower displays, behind the scenes at your business, unusual flower containers, flower shows and events.

Focus around content that your target audience finds interesting, not just the promotion of your products and services.

6. Use keywords

Pinterest comes second only to Facebook in terms of referral traffic, so when you are naming your boards and adding descriptions to your pins be sure to include appropriate keywords, and where appropriate, a link back to your website.

7. Be proactive

As with all social media your success will also depend on how active a member you are. It is important to engage with your audience and build your presence so:

· Be friendly and personable
· Pin regularly
· Follow, like and comment on other boards
· Repin pins you think your audience will find interesting.

8. Measure results

Regularly check the Pinterest analytics tool. It provides you with useful data on the performance of your pins, who is interacting with you and which boards are the most appealing. This information will help your direct your efforts more effectively.

These are just a few of the ways you can boost your presence on Pinterest!

 

By Simon Horton, ShopIntegrator. 

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