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03 July 2012
by Web Bureau
Pinterest is one of the latest Social Media tools which has captured the attention of social media fanatics but similar to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many other Social Media Networks, there is also scope to use Pinterest as an Online Marketing tool for your business.
If you are not familiar with Pinterest, read our previous article, Why Online Marketers Should Be Interested in Pinterest!
If you are considering using Pinterest to build brand awareness and market your products and services, here's a few tips on building your brand identity on Pinterest.
Perhaps you’ve heard rumours that Pinterest is just for consumer brands or that only women are pinning. Pinterest can benefit all types of business but before you jump into pinning, consider the following:
Is your audience on Pinterest?
Are the people in your current social networks trying out Pinterest? Providing that your brand actively participates in the Pinterest community, the site can be a great way to build social presence, gain search authority, and increase overall visibility for the brand.
Can your brand be visually represented?
If your website is image rich you’ll have no problem but for some, you may need to think outside the box. If you’re in food or fashion or crafts, these topics lend themselves perfectly to Pinterest. If you’re in a manufacturing industry or something intangible like insurance or banking, you’ll need to be a lot more creative. To start, think about the lifestyle your product or service can help create, then use images to represent that lifestyle. For example, if you sell insurance you can visually represent the objects most important to people – homes, cars, art etc. You can also use the idea of security and safety to appeal to pinners. Also think about using text on a colourful background as inspirational quotes make great pins.
If your web developer embedded your images into the background of your website you won’t be able to pin them directly from the site. In that case you’ll need to obtain and upload them, then link back. Moving forward, you should discuss your intentions to use Pinterest in your marketing strategy with your web developer so they can make images pinnable in future updates.
Original images are the best kind of content for Pinterest. They speak to your brand directly and add value to your stream. So, if you have someone that can create original content for your boards all the better. But even if you don’t you can still be successful by sharing and pinning other people’s content.
Do you have the resources to put behind a Pinterest strategy?
While social media tools for customer engagement are free and have a low barrier to entry, successful implementation and community building takes significant resources. You need the time and the staff to create content and maintain your communities, wherever they are. Many businesses have started Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or YouTube channels and then abandoned them because they don’t see an immediate return. Like any relationship these take time to develop even with an investment of resources. Pinterest, while easy to use, is no different. Plan to invest time and energy to be successful.
Pinterest Tips to be aware of:
• Blatant self promotion is frowned upon, and ultimately will not be the most effective utilisation of the site. The most successful Pinterest profiles are those that interact with the community and “pin” items from other community members as well. Brands can support the target community by following influential people in the category, and ‘pinning’ photos from people who have interests that align well with your brand.
• The Travel Channel does a fantastic job of connecting to people’s emotional ties to travel, such as the culture, food, and activities in addition to highlighting its traditional offering, suggesting destinations. The key lesson here is do not solely feature your company’s latest product and service - ensure there are additional boards that feature secondary categories associated with your brand, thereby creating more of a connection with the consumer.
• It is important to supply engaging imagery to maximise results.
• If your brand decides to use Pinterest, Pinterest sharing buttons should be added to all applicable content.
Good Luck & Enjoy Pinning!
If you would like any further information on Pinterest or any of our Online Marketing services, contact Denise on info@thewebbureau.com