Recipes, DIYs, motivational quotes, and the best five-minute workout routines to get those summer abs. If you’re a Pinterest-holic like me, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Pinterest is a goldmine for great ideas and inspiration – the perfect way to kill an hour or two in what feels like a few minutes. So within reason the title of this post may have sounded strange – Marketing a business on Pinterest?
But just think! Pinterest is not only a goldmine of delicious chocolate chip cookie recipes, but it’s also a goldmine of people behind the millions of pins. Spending hours a day scrolling through their home feeds, Pinterest’s large demographic of users are just waiting to stumble across your business. Even if you’re not aboard the Pinterest-bandwagon, you have to admit, there are a lot of people in the world who are – people who could very well be customers for your business.
So increase your knowledge and understanding on how Pinterest works and take advantage of the large audience Pinterest has to offer. Here are three ways to improve your Pitnerest marketing strategies and further your business’ success:
1. Add the “Pin It” Button to Your Company’s Website
If you haven’t done so already, integrate Pinterest into your publicizing strategy as your first step towards effective Pinterest marketing. Connecting your website with your current or future Pinterest account ensures that there is a visible traffic route for not only people who find your business through Pinterest, but also for people on your website that are curious about your account. As a business owner you want your audience to experience as convenient and seamless of an experience as possible when navigating your website. Don’t make them go searching – Pinterest is a great way to promote your brand and show people what your company is all about!
The “Pin it” button, one feature Pinterest offers, provides a convenient way for your viewers to pin company website photos onto their boards. The “Pin it” button is free, customizable, and easy to install onto your website. Pinterest’s step-by-step overview also guides people with limited coding experience through the installation process.
With the “Pin it” button your website photos can be pinned by anyone, increasing the likelihood of more traffic on your website. Though note: the “Pin it” button is supported by most, but not all, websites and will not work on mobile devices. Check out Pinterest’s help services to see if your website supports the “Pin it” button and to discover what type of button is right for your brand.
2. Add the “Follow” Button to your Company’s Website
Similar to the “Pin It” button, the “Follow” button is a basic way website viewers can access your account and follow along with your Pinterest’s activity. On your Pinterest account you can pin your own photos and blog posts, while also repinning relevant content onto your boards. The more followers you have, the more likely others see your pins. Whether or not your audience decides to click the link, the option by itself shows that your company is well developed, up to date, and personable.
Pinterest provides great resources to get your “Follow” button up and running.
3. Educate Yourself on Pinterest’s Smart Feed
You don’t have to fully understand the algorithm behind Pinterest’s smart feed to be successful on Pinterest. But don’t just pin, repin, and cross your fingers hoping that someone out there randomly stumbles upon your account – be proactive and educate yourself on what makes a successful pin according to Pinterest’s smart feed!
Chris Pinchak, a software engineer at Pinterest, provides an amazing blog post that describes the workings behind a Pinterest home feed.
Basically, Pinterest assigns each pin a score that indicates its projected value to each account member. (Note that this is different from Pinterest’s previous, time-ordered system). From there, Pinterest’s content generator will assemble all pins into different pools according to type of pin. Picking the highest scoring pins from each pool, the content generator figures out what pins are featured on a member’s home feed.
So what characterizes a high scoring pin? Some qualities that make a pin thrive in the algorithm can be attributed to having a high quality photo, a link to a reputable source, relevant pin description, and preexisting repins.
To sum it up, always pin your best content. Think of each pin like a full package. And also remember, your pins should not only cater to Pinterest’s smart feed, but also the people on Pinterest as well.
What may seem like rocket science now isn’t all that intimidating once a little research is done. Without having to dive into completely unfamiliar territory, you can discover ways to better enhance the chances that your content is being seen. Understanding that there are more ways you can improve your business’s pins is an important step towards Pinterest marketing success.
So get started on your Pinterest marketing today and let us know other ways your business thrives on Pinterest!
For more on how Pinterest marketing can help your small business, take a look at these past blogs:
Try This: Pinterest
3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Shouldn’t Ignore Pinterest
7 Useful Pins That Can Help Your Business Get In Shape
Are you not sure how to incorporate social media marketing into your already busy schedule? Download our FREE social media checklist to get started!