Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Pinterest for Business – Part 2


Last week, we went over the basics of creating boards and pinning your own content.  It’s a great start, but to REALLY boost your engagement and followers, follow these tips as well.

Mix pinning your own unique finds with doing lots of “repinning,” which is repeating someone else’s pin to your followers (just like a Retweet on Twitter). The person whose image you repin gets credit on your pin, which increases their following.  Re-pinning pins that relate to your industry and values is the fastest way to grow your own pin boards while also getting a good idea of what is popular in your industry. Re-pins are actually a good part of regular maintenance, and are fairly quick to do.

Comment on other people’s pins; use it regularly to really engage with other users. Obviously, use the same good manners and common sense you would when commenting on a blog or other social media site.  Also “Like” other people’s pins to give a thumbs-up when you want to recognize great content.
Use Pinterest’s embed option to publish pins as content in your blog posts and website pages. Note: As Pinterest is catching on, you may need to tell your users that they need to click on a Pinterest image to get to the original source.

Optimize your website content for Pinterest sharing.  Use images in every single post you write, so your post can be shared on Pinterest. When you find yourself getting lazy about this, remember –- not using an image in your post means no one will pin it. And remember — the prettier the picture is, the more it will get pinned. The images that appeal to Pinterest members are powerful and emotive, so keep that in mind when choosing your pictures. That combination tends to work well for your blog readers, too.

Also consider watermarking your images, or adding text to them. If you’re using your own images on Pinterest, one of the best ways to help your image stand out is by adding a clear description to the image itself, or adding a watermark with your business name. Make sure it’s clear, but that it doesn’t block out the main subject of the photo.

Last, but not least, add a prominent Follow Me on Pinterest button to your website to advertise that you’re a pinner!   
   
Sourced in part: Beth Hayden

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