WHAT IS ALL THIS “PINNING” ABOUT?

Have you heard of the newest social media outlet that is taking the Internet by storm? If you haven’t then I suggest you start getting acquainted with the following terminology; a pin, pinboard, pinning, repin, pin it button, pinner and of course, Pinterest.

Pinterest is quickly rising to the top for social media outlets and is helping businesses, both big and small with sales. Think of Pinterest as one visual place on the Internet to house your favorite things that you have found at different sites. A “pin” is that object, a “pinboard” is the category that you pinned your item, a “repin” is posting someone else’s pin onto your pinboard, you are the “pinner” and so on. Users can pin objects by uploading them or using the “pin button” to add an object from an existing website. Users can then view other pins by their friends or discover new pins on the overall site. Pinterest is a gathering place for your visual ideas, interests, and likes.

This is all great but what does it have in store for my business?

Well number one is that Pinterest is driving high-volumes of traffic to sites that have pins, therefore it is helping to increase sales. This is done by pinning something of interest from your site and is followed by several like-minded people repinning your pin. This is great because it is allowing people that normally would not have found your site to find your website in a unique way and further helps your brand to connect with a potential customer, this is also done in one click! The hope is that one of those pinners will turn into a lead and eventually a sale.

Pinterest also is connected to Twitter and Facebook which allows your business to connect and share pins through these two social media giants and helps to increase social sharing.

This sounds great, how do I get started?

First off, you need to create an account, which currently Pinterest is available by invitation only. If you have friends that are already signed up, they can send you an invitation to speed up the process. After you are accepted, choose your username (company name), complete the rest of the profile information, upload an image, add your website, and start pinning!

One thing to note, avoid self-promotion… Pinterest frowns on using the site for self-promotion only. However, self-promotion can still be down in creative and unique ways! For example, we are a creative agency so our pinboards include; everything crux green, typography, color schemes, past projects and so on.

This sounds like a lot… how do I really do this?

First of all use other social media networks like Facebook and Twitter to let your followers know that you are now on Pinterest. As with those two social media networks, you have to post on pins and start a communication with the pinner who pinned. This makes that person interested in you and chances are that they will then check out your pinboards and follow you!

Oh ya, have fun! Communicate your personality through your pins, and of course, enjoy!