Let’s Put A Pin In That!
What Pinterest Is & Why You Should Be On It
Pinterest is the latest darling on the social media scene; what began as a small start-up in the Midwestern United States has bloomed into an international haven for all things inspiring, relatable, and visually appealing. Pinterest is far more than just a place to find some pretty pictures or score some impromptu fashion advice / cooking tips / etc. Many businesses are discovering the untapped potential of Pinterest for market and trend research. Want to find out what’s hot? See what’s being pinned by people in your target demographic…
Making Pinterest Work for Your Business
Pinterest is great for businesses because:
- It can be used to connect with consumers and develop relationships with existing customers
- All kinds of content can be shared as long as there is a relevant image to go with it
- It can be used to increase visibility of your business and build brand awareness
- It can bring traffic to your site from all over the world
- There is no limit to the inspiration at your fingertips
- It is easy to promote your own products or those of your affiliates / partners
- It can be used as a market research platform if you have the resources to monitor it
It’s All about Resources
But I don’t have the time / money / etc to focus on another social media site…
If this sounds like you or your business, don’t despair! The beauty of Pinterest (especially as a place to go for ideas, inspiration, and market research) is that unlike Facebook and Twitter (to name a couple) it doesn’t require daily upkeep / activity to maintain a profile there. As long as you log on once a week or so and pin or repin a few interesting things you can get by the rest of the time using it for whatever reason you signed up.
There are plenty of other more complex and involved systems that can track trends for you if you need that level of focus or if you need to track the progress or evolution of a trend or other pattern over time; but if you just want to keep your finger on the pulse of your target audience and see what is hot RIGHT NOW, then the occasional peek at what’s being pinned, repinned, etc on Pinterest is a great way to stay in the know.
And because everyone likes to learn more about new, interesting things, here are some extra tips for you from top bloggers:
- How Pinterest Can Benefit Your Small Business – by Shira Levine
- Five Ways Pinterest Can Benefit Your Business – by Kelly Kautz
What Else Does Pinterest Do?
Pinterest helps drive traffic, pure and simple. More and more businesses are discovering the magic of Pinterest and learning that it’s not just about directly linking to their own content or something that they have a vested interest in sharing like an affiliate product; Pinterest is all about making your business seem real and relatable. Using Pinterest to share content makes your business more of a group of people working toward meeting the needs of their customers than a faceless business that only wants their money.
For example, take The Weather Channel; they have the typical weather photos and stories on their Pinboards… but wait, why do they have one for clothes? This is the magic of Pinterest at work! Because they have a board for outfits perfect for different kinds of weather they have a way to encourage other Pinterest users to interact with them and their company, and if the company posts a few too, that just shows that they’re participating just like everyone else and working toward a common goal. Way to be accessible and relatable!
To Sum it All Up:
Pinterest is a great place to meet people and get ideas. It is also an opportunity that many companies need to recognise and take advantage of.
Should your business be on Pinterest?
- Do you have graphic content that is interesting and suited for Pinterest?
- If you answered no, can you get some?
- Do you have at least 1 hour per week to devote to using the site?
Spotlight: Can Your Business Benefit From Pinterest? – by Rieva Lesonsky
If you answered yes to these questions, then your business might be well-suited to the image-focused community of Pinners from all over the world!
Is your business on Pinterest? If yes, how’s it working out for you? If no, why not?
If you found this post to be absolutely Pinteresting, please share it with someone you know!
