Here’s Why:
Pinterest is a visual bulletin board platform that’s “all the rage”. With over 1.5 million daily visits, predominantly from females looking for ideas on anything from home decor to fashion to recipes to insipiration, this beautiful site serves as a reminder of what’s cool and stylish.
And since you’re so cool and stylish…….you should get in on this party. Or this opportunity, as we like to say in the world of branding.
The Basic “How’s”
Whether you’re looking to log ideas for yourself – or have people log the idea of doing business with you, Pinterest is the easiest, most visual platform to date. And its’ power is wide reaching. In January of 2012, Pinterest drove more traffic to websites that Linked In, Google+, Reddit and You Tube combined.
I know. Hard to believe. You read it twice didn’t you?
So – Let’s Get To It!
1. You need an invite to join. You can do a couple of things to get an invite. One, ask a friend who’s already on Pinterest to send you an invitation. Two, use your Facebook profile or Twitter page and post a request. Surely someone loves you enough to invite you in!
2. If you’re a business, use your business name as your user name. Currently there’s no distinction for business or brand accounts, but you can set yours up with this focus.
3. Complete the “About” section. It will appear underneath your profile and give people a better idea of what you’re about. Don’t forget to put your URL in the profile for better searchability.
4. Install the “pin it” button. It’s super easy. You can’t blow up the site and it makes using it a million times better.
5. Create some Boards…..as in Pinboards. And be both relevant and clever when naming your boards so people don’t get “bored”. You want to spark interest and “re-pinning” (which is way better than getting pinned by a frat boy!).
6. Follow the leader. Look for people who are bigger names in the games you play or the areas you’re interested in. No worries about time or effort – connect with everyone.
And look for my next message with more insights and steps to take to help you leverage Pinterest. I want you to get started with a few simple steps. We’ll add more as we go!
And as you “go” – connect with me on Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/denisebutchko/
Denise,
I’m a big fan of Pinterest. A cool tool for Pinterest is “Pin a Quote” which allows you to highlight text in a webpage and Pin a Quote… easy but cool way of sharing great thoughts.
Thanks!
Ryan H.
Well I love that idea Ryan – I’m going to give it a try – thanks for teaching me something new!
Awesome tips Denise.
And really cool idea Ryan. Love “Pin a Quote”.
Started an “Entrepreneur Wall of Fame” board: http://bit.ly/xau8hA
But love the idea of a “Entrepreneur Quote Wall”. Good stuff here from both of you. Thank you…
Eric
Thanks for sharing your Pinterest tips Denise!
Right now, I personally feel Pinterest will have a bigger impact then Google + for some business owners. Especially if your audience is more of the mainstream crowd. Google + has the early adopters and Pinterest seems to be getting gobbled up by mainstream folks.
I agree with you Chris. When I go to Google+ I feel like I’m not smart enough – those early adapters are a bit “brainiac-ish”. I think search will be impacted by Google+, but retailers seem to be gaining ground with Pinterest – plus it’s fun and PRETTY. I always love the pretty.
I’ve yet to hop on the Pinterest wagon yet, but when I do these tips will surely help. I’ve been hearing a lot about how great it is, but would be interested in hearing some downsides.. any thoughts? Could be a HUGE post topic.
Okay, okay… I’ll take a look
I’ve managed to avoid Pinterest this far, but if it really drives that much traffic I guess I have to check it out. Thanks for the post, it made it seem simple enough
And oh, would you mind inviting me?
A great run-down of Pinterest for anyone looking to get their feet wet, and it looks like it got some people interested in the comments too, Denise.
Here’s a question: WHY do you like Pinterest, WHY should I get involved?
)
(note: I’m already on it
I like it because it’s quick, easy beauty. I realize that might sound a bit crazy -but it delights me to be able to go there and get inspired by seeing cool stuff and easily being able to share cool stuff. So that’s the connection/sharing point. I think that as a business, if your target market is females between the ages of 25-50 who love lifestyle areas like design and fashion and food – it’s where the audience is. If not, then I would not say it’s essential that you add it to your already full plate.
Denise, that’s a very clear and simple post for getting started on Pinterest. I like 5 and 6 because being creative with pinboards and learning/re-pinning from “the leaders” are two great ways to get some traction. Thanks for writing it!
Interesting phenomenon is Pinterest. I signed up a while ago and for various reasons haven’t yet pinned anything on it. That hasn’t stopped my getting about 50 followers! Even people I don’t know.
I think it’s a great and new way of sharing content as long as it doesn’t go the Facebook way and get too crowded. The clean interface is one of its major strengths.
I’d also hang in their with Google+, don’t forget Google owns search!
Great post Denise,
Off to find you on Pinterest – can’t wait to share boards with you!
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