Pinterest – 10 Essential Tips to Get You Started

Over the past few months, you may have heard some talk about a brand new social network called Pinterest.

It is the fastest growing Social Media platform in history and as a new report from Experian says it is now the third most popular social network in the U.S., based on number of visits, surpassed only by Facebook and Twitter.

Oh, and Pinterest raised $37 million in funding last year and has an unconfirmed valuation of up to $200 million. So, if you haven’t paid much attention to it yet, you might want to start.

Pinterest allows users to visually share, curate, and discover new interests by posting (also known as ‘pinning’) images or videos to their own or others’ pinboards (i.e. a collection of ‘pins,’ usually with a common theme). Users can either upload images from their computer or pin things they find on the web using the Pinterest bookmarklet, Pin It button, or just a URL.

You can browse through the items other users have pinned and “like”, “repin” or “comment” on them.

As with most other social networks, members are encouraged to interact with the content by reposting and sharing.

With such a visual emphasis, Pinterest is very much focused on the concept of a person’s lifestyle, enabling users to share their interests and preferences with others and discover those of like-minded people.

Get Invited & Get Started!

User access to Pinterest still operates under an invitation-only basis. If you haven’t been invited and would like to be email us here at Social Proofing and we’ll get you going!

Be sure to register your account with the same email address you use for your business’ Twitter account so you can easily share your new pins through your Twitter.

HINTS & TIPS

1. Review your Profile Settings

Be sure you keep “Hide your Pinterest profile from search engines” checked to OFF, so your profile can be search engine indexed.

2. Use the “Pin It” button on your website pages

Every single one of your pins will include a link back to it’s source. While these are no-follow links and cannot be used to directly impact your SEO strategy, they still provide marketing value because they allow “Pinners” to encounter your content and visit your pages in just one click.

3. Link your Facebook & Twitter

Pinterest enables users to log in using their Twitter or Facebook profiles, connectivity that is critical for social media success. This enables you to automatically post new pins to your Facebook feed for others to see, meaning greater exposure through other channels to access your pictures. However, keep in mind that you still cannot connect Pinterest to your Facebook Brand page.

When members are browsing through pins, they will also have the ability to share posts through Facebook, Twitter or email. This feature is great to boost social sharing and get your biggest fans to spread the word about your brand.

4. Avoid Shameless Self-Promotion

Don’t just bombard your boards with marketing material, You should use Pinterest to showcase the lifestyle your brand exudes. Try and aim for a ratio of 1:3, that is for every one of your branded pins, pin or re-pin three images that are not your own.

5. Build Your Following

Just like any social network, building reach via a follower base is key to long-term sustainability for that network as a traffic and lead source.

You can easily grow your followers by connecting your Pinterest account with your existing Facebook friends.

Start following other Pinners you think would want to follow you back. “Like” and comment on pins that interest you. When someone sees you interacting with theircontent, they may even check out your account and choose to follow you.

Use Pinterest as a tool for understanding the interests and needs of your ideal customers. View pinboards of your customers to aid in your understanding of who your customers are and what they’re interested in.

6. Assert Yourself as an Industry Expert

Choose a field and dominate it! Create attractive, dazzling boards that reflect your brands standards and industry’s hot-topics. By adopting this approach, you increase the chances of your board drawing in followers who are passionate about a specific subject.

Create resourceful boards based on a few core keywords that you already use in your SEO strategy. Committing to create the best board on a topic means being ready to promote other users’ pins to enhance your collection.

Whenever possible, include links back to your website and landing pages in your pins to drive traffic back to your website.

7. Integrate your Blog and Other Social Media Platforms

The fastest way to jumpstart your Pinterest presence is by promoting it through other high profile platforms. Add the Pinterest follow button to your website. Promote your presence on Pinterest through your other social networks, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.

It’s a good idea to integrate a “Pin It” button even if you aren’t going to set up a profile on Pinterest. This way your brand can still be exposed to other Pinners by including a “pin it” button on your product pages or blog posts. You can also add the button to blog posts using the WordPress Pinterest plugin.

Just like Twitter and Google+, Pinterest supports the usage of hashtags. Users can use hashtags to tag their pins and make their content more search-friendly. Promoting a new campaign of some sort? Create a pinboard around it and tag it with a hashtag you’re also using on Twitter and Google+ to leverage an integrated, cross-channel campaign.

8. Include Your Audience and Let Them Shine

Pinning photos of your happy customers is a great way to create a positive sentiment around your brand. Encourage your customers to share their photos of their experiences with your brand, either through a board you have created or they have dedicated to you.

Create a board of their smiling faces – using your product or service!

Consider launching a Pinterest image contest and write a blog post to promote it. Several brands have already started launching contests using Pinterest. Before you jump in, consult Pinterest’s Terms of Use to make sure the contest you’re holding doesn’t infringe upon its guidelines.

Hold a contest that asks users to create a pinboard on their own account to demonstrate what they love about your products or services. Ask them to send you a link to their pinboard so you can evaluate entrants, and the coolest board wins a prize!

9. Encourage employees to set up their own accounts.

Build your social proof as an industry authority by letting your staff showcase how passionate they are about your brand. Authorize your staff to pin image of your company’s products, but more importantly demonstrate their knowledge, interest and engagement with your industry’s community by being active on Pinterest.

**Please Note: when allowing staff to access your professional Social Media Networks – it is important to have a clearly formulated Social Media Policy. Such a policy helps protect you as an employer when it comes to litigation. There are a growing number of cases when employers do not have a policy in place and are therefore liable for the misuse of their Social Media platforms. If you are concerned about your rights and protecting your brand online, contact Social Proofing for your obligation-free consultation.

10. Get Creative With Your Imagery

It doesn’t have to be all Ansell Adams – think outside the polaroid.

Your pins could include Infographics which are all the rage right now, and they are exceptionally popular on Pinterest. If you have any industry data that you can “visualize”, and present in an innovative way – get it out there!

You can also pin simple data charts that you can build in excel. Make sure to have a clear headline in the image so people know what they are looking at!

We love this infographic from Monetate that introduces you to Pinterest and provides ideas on how you can use Pinterest to promote products, build community, and drive website traffic and conversions.