Pinterest Guide For Small Business And Website Owner.

Pinterest is a social networking platform that enables users to share stories through pictures and videos posted to the site. The concept is very simple; you are invited to join the website by either someone you know or requesting an invite from the site. Once you join, you are able to share interesting images and videos by pinning them on boards. These boards usually follow specific themes in order to maximize on the visibility to the interested parties.

Why does my business need this?

Pinterest is probably the simplest way available to market your products through images. The customized boards follow a theme which enables the users of the site to discover new talent in their area of interests. The result is a targeted marketing approach to consumers likely to visit your website. It makes a lot of economic sense as it has been shown to drive more traffic to retailers’ websites than any of its peers. Additionally, it is one of the fastest growing social platforms online. The small businesses that are likely to benefit best from using Pinterest are those that can market their products or services using images effectively. All you need is creativity and adequate photography skills.

How do I get started?

Once you have activated an account from “invite setup the account”, the first thing you need to do is link it to your business’s Twitter account. Facebook business pages aren’t supported as yet. Make sure that the account is visible to search engines. Algorithmic changes to search engines make social platform links quite valuable to your ranking.

Use your company name as the name of the profile and remember to add the following:-

1. Business description

2. Link to your business website

3. Business logo – on the issue of the logo use a design that is easily visible to the viewer. If your company logo won’t fit very well or be seen very clearly, create something for the profile.

How do I succeed at this?

Having created your account, the next step is to use Pinterest to generate leads which lead to increased conversions for your small business. In order to succeed at this, there are a couple of rules that you must always adhere to. I have tested this strategy on Paramold, ecommerce website, creating their Pinterest business account  and making a viral campaign to promote their products. Let’s see what are the most important aspects of a successful Pinterest viral sharing campaign:

1. Content marketing

Pinterest is a platform for content marketing. The best way to generate leads is to provide viewers with real value. Forget sales pitches and promotional material and focus on creating content that is both informative and engaging to the viewer. Pinterest works through sharing of content. For content to be shared it must provide value in terms of entertainment and interest to the person it is targeted at. If you are not good at creating creative and engaging content, outsource.

2. Integration

Social media platforms all function based on integration. Link all of your profiles on different platforms to each other, remembering to make your business website the focal point of the network. Use your existing social media platforms to advertise your Pinterest presence.

3. Engage and monitor

Social media is all about changing trends and innovations. Engage your audience in order to learn what appeals to them; for example, currently, info-graphics are popular. Monitor your audience activity especially in terms of leads generated versus sales conversions in order to improve.

Stay on top of the trend and you are likely to succeed.