The Business of Pinterest
Pinterest, the virtual pinboard, has skyrocketed to success over the past year and now stands as one of the top three social media sites with nearly 40 million users globally, according to ComScore. The social sharing site allows users to organize and share interests found on the Internet.
In November, Pinterest announced the addition of a new feature – business pages. Businesses can now create commercial accounts under a company name rather than the previously required first and last name of an individual. The accounts are designed for brands, designers, retailers, non-profit organizations, publications or local businesses of any size.
If your business has an active social media presence and you believe Pinterest may be relevant to your marketing program, here are a few tips on how to start pinning:
- Be Transparent: Pinterest provides businesses with a tool to tell their story in a new visually enhanced way. Pin items that allow pinners to see your company's mission, values and vision. Inspire followers with pins that interest your company. Brown Estate, a winery in St. Helena, California, has a set of boards that includes "We Think," "We Like," and "We Eat." Each board includes pins that give users an inside look at the winery's thoughts and values.
- Show Company Interests: Each business has a unique personality. Pin items other than the products that your business makes or sells. This shows users that your company is versatile and has interests outside its product portfolio. Apparel and home retailer, Anthropologie shows versatility in numerous boards that include items that complement what they sell.
- Collaborate: The new business feature also brought the addition of Group Boards. Group Boards allow a designated group of users to pin items to a specific board. This is a great way for colleagues to collaborate and organize ideas. Ronald McDonald House Charities uses this feature to allow Chapters and Executive Directors from around the world pin stories about the families staying in the Houses.
- Increase Traffic: It is best to use well-chosen keywords in your pins, board descriptions and in your profile description because Google indexes Pinterest profiles and boards. Additionally, pinning items from your company website provides a rich source of inbound links that send traffic to the company's site. That being said, it is also important to make sure that all pins direct to a valid link. Pinning items that lead to a broken link or spam diminish the value of the message.
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