6 tips on how to leverage Pinterest for your business

Did you know that Pinterest drives more traffic for businesses than LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube combined? Pinterest allows you to promote your products and offer useful and educational information in a fun, visual way.

Each social media channel has its own philosophy and audience, and needs its own strategy for success. For business, think – rather than pushing the same message across all your social media platforms – allow Pinterest to develop greater awareness of and trust in your brand. You’re building your own online community of fans.

Plus Pinterest promises a high conversion rate – the Pinterest audience is ready to buy. It is the network most likely to drive spontaneous purchasing (according to visioncritical.com’s White Paper Social to Sale).

Pinterest increases traffic to your website. Ecommerce giant Amazon has a whopping 1.74 million pins. At two clicks to websites for each pin posted, that’s 3.48 website clicks, and that’s not counting “repins” (sharing someone’s pin on your board).

Pinterest offers yet another way to market your business to new audiences if you understand the platform. In this post we look at how you do this.

#1 Display your products in an inspirational catalogue

You can promote product images of your collections as well as creating an emotionally evocative context for your brand. So instead of pinning a pic of your designer dress on a hanger, show it in real-life scenarios in line with the kind of lifestyle that it matches.

In this way you appeal to people’s aspirational desires. As we said, Pinterest hits straight to the heart.

#2 Behind-the-scene glimpse of your brand

This is a way for you to humanise your brand. Your customers see beyond the logo to the people behind it. Pin pics of your team in action: anything from a brainstorming session to someone’s birthday in the office, or a teamdate at Yogurberry. This helps build personal connections and trust. It promotes your employer brand and company culture – how cool your company is to work in (!).

#3 Leveraging your fan-engagement through contests and comps

Look for ways to gameify your brand by involving your customers in visual competitions (reward the best images of your product in use). Offer a giveaway, feature the winners on your board and connect with them through Pinterest to encourage their ongoing participation.

#4 Offer educational insights to your brand and industry

One of the most shareable and most-loved formats on Pinterest is the infographic. It’s colourful, easy, fun and allows you to impart a lot of information in one image.

This is a great way to show your expertise and engagement within your field. It allows you to cultivate your board as the go-to place for relevant, educational information.

#5 Add a pin-it button to your product pages

Make it easy for your fans to adore you publically. If you add in a brand logo to your image or a weblink to your description, this way each time your pin is shared your brand is promoted.

And make sure the link of your landing page is always kept up to date because the whole point is to drive traffic to your website!

#6 Explore blogger outreach and collaborative boards

Investigate popular pinners who have a large following on Pinterest and create a group board where people you choose can participate and pin into that specific board. This gives them credibility and empowers them and recognises them as a brand ambassador. This increases your reach.

So that’s the wrap, folks. If you want help promoting your business through Pinterest, you know where to find us.