We have always viewed Pinterest as a great platform for finding inspiration and creative ideas for projects ( which it totally is ), but over the past few months, we have viewed it as something bigger : a marketing tool. We are still learning our way in this and developing our strategy for it, but we are excited to tell you today about how we have been using Pinterest not only for inspiration, but also for growing our business. Team member Chelsea has been the vision behind our Pinterest strategy and she is here today and will take it from here to share a bit of inspiration pulled from our Pinterest boards and also talk about how we have been implementing our new strategy on this platform …

For as much as Pinterest is a sensation of pretty pictures and creative ideas when you are sitting at home on a quiet, rainy Saturday, it can be just as much of a sensation for your business. Pinterest is a powerful visual platform. We all love stumbling upon that picture of a savory summer picnic or that must-have rustic kitchen or that European city we’ve always wanted to travel to. We find ourselves inspired and moved to create, buy, cook, travel, try new things…to live.

There is more than meets the eye with this platform, however—and that is what’s not always tapped into. This is where a good strategy can make the difference because your business having a Pinterest account and your business owning Pinterest as a marketing tool. Here are four tips we believe will help lay the foundation for your marketing strategy: 

1. Share your culture. Think of Pinterest as an extension of your brand. If your brand is a house, you want your friends to love every corner of it. You want them to see your special touch in each room. Pinterest is one of those rooms. As part of your brand, Pinterest allows you to communicate who you are, what you do and what you value. It’s an avenue to share your culture and an avenue for people to fall in love with your culture. That is marketing in its purest form and we challenge you to be intentional with it. Sharing your business culture on Pinterest is done in two key ways:

• Pin strong original content. During your creative process, give thought to “pinnable” content. Take lovely pictures. Write great blog articles. Be original. Think about how to give something beautiful and meaningful back to your followers.
  • Then, each time you publish new content on your website, blog, Instagram, Tumblr, be diligent in sharing it to your Pinterest account. Even make a few boards specific to your business. Let that be the space to showcase and highlight your work. Also, don’t just pin once; make sure to re-pin! A few weeks after you first pin original content, go back and re-pin it. Continue this cycle. This helps your content gain visibility. The more it is seen, the more potential to redirect people back to your website and ultimately to the heart of your business.
• Pin others’ content that connects with your brand. Keep in mind the content and the aesthetic of the images you pin. Are you frequently pinning pictures of animals when you are a jewelry business? Be thoughtful about the content. Are you always pinning bubbly, colorful images when your brand is sharp and professional? Be thoughtful about the aesthetic. Here at CHAR co. we share a variety of pictures on our account because we know that our followers want to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle behind our brand. This comes to includes food, travel, fashion, studio life and home life. However, we do make sure that, though quite varied in content, the aesthetic of the images we share is consistent with our brand culture.

 2. Be strategic with your boards. As the framework of Pinterest, boards can also be a strong marketing framework. Make your board covers attractive. This is a simple move that goes a long way. It will make your Pinterest account a visually appealing landing page. Be creative and expressive with board themes. There are many common Pinterest boards out there such as food, fashion, travel. When you think outside the box on a theme, it will draw people in. We recently created an Urban Mood Board. It remains cohesive with our brand image, but gives inspiration to a unique area. Also, take advantage of joining group boards. Look for group boards that align with your product or service. When you contribute to these boards, you are sharing in front of a larger audience.

3. Never forget that good descriptions go a long way. When we want to find something on Pinterest, we search for it. In order for your content to be found and your business to be visible, it’s important to write strong, searchable descriptions. This includes the descriptions on your pins, the descriptions of your boards, and even your profile description. Think about the words someone would use to look for your product or service and cater to that. Be simple, be clear and take full-advantage of the word space you’re given.

4. Pin frequently. Frequency and consistency will be your best friends as you move forward. The more frequently you pin content, the more visibility your pins get and the more potential you will have to build a following. We recommend taking time to pin daily. If this is difficult for you, start where you can. There are also scheduling tools available online. These may have a cost to them but prove very beneficial. Find what works best for you, but make a commitment to pinning frequently.

Using Pinterest for your business should be approached differently than using Pinterest for your personal life. It’s important to realize that, as soon as someone lands on your Pinterest page, they are forming an immediate impression of your business. Let it be a good one and let it be the one you want! With commitment to a strategy, we believe you will see the value that a thriving Pinterest account can bring to your business. Move people to create, buy, cook, travel, try new thing, live and…connect with you. When you inspire people this way, you will build a tribe.

Below are some photos of inspiration ( from other photographers ) pulled from our own Pinterest boards. We believe the images on our boards share our culture well, and as we continue to learn more about Pinterest strategy, we look forward to seeing the results of our work.

 

We challenge you to take these 4 steps and start implementing them in your brand! Though it can be new and daunting at first, the more you exercise using Pinterest as a marketing tool, the more you will learn and the more great results you will see. So get pinning!