Pinterest is great. I love PINTEREST! But most companies don’t even understand the benefits of using it, I bet a lot don’t even know what it is! For those of you who don’t know, Pinterest is a tool where you can pin images to different boards that you have created for different topics. You can pin images directly from the site, pin images from the web or even pin your own images. PIN PIN PIN. It’s one of the fastest growing social media channel, surpassing 100 million users, yet most companies overlook it.

 

With their recent updates I wanted to let you know how Pinterest can benefit your business. Did you know 93% of pinners use the platform to plan for purchases? That’s millions of people looking to buy a product, YOUR PRODUCT! So here’s some tips to get you started.

 

Content Marketing

 

Just like on any other social media platform, you need to post and share quality. Think about your target audience and their likes and interests. What will they find useful? Make sure to keep your pins relevant and up-to-date with the industry you’re in.

 

Pinterest is a great chance to showcase not only your product, but yourselves. Pretty images of your product is great, but eventually they’ll just bore everyone. Take pictures of what you and your company get up to behind the scenes. Do you go on outings together? Posting pictures like this are more personal and show the human side of the brand, this makes you more approachable with your audience. No one wants to see endless pictures of how cheap your product is. Instead, show it in use. Do you sell cooking utensils? Then show off your products making great recipes.

 

Images on Pinterest don’t have to always be ones that you’ve taken. Make sure you repin things that you find on the site, making sure to keep them relevant to your product or service. If you sell motorcycle cleaning products, repin pictures of motorcycles that you like. You can also repin inspirational quotes that you find.

 

Showcase your expertise and put a across a positive brand image. This can be done by posting tips. If you’re a travel agents repin pictures of destinations you wish to visit. Give tips on hacks for packing a suitcase or some essential items that travel goers can’t forget.

 

Updates that can benefit you

 

One of Pinterest’s biggest features is Rich Pins. They add extra details to your pins, making them more useful for you audience. Currently there are 6 types of Rich Pins; app, movie, recipe, article, product and place. Adding little extra bits of information with your pins means better hooks for your potential customers, so make sure to use them whenever you can.

 

Last year Pinterest added a new feature called Visual Search. This now allows pinners to zoom in on a certain area of a pin for them to be able to discover similar objects and colours. For example, if you sell home living products you might pin an image of a living room setting. Your audience would then be able to zoom in on a particular product and discover similar items. Or if you’re a jewellers you might post a picture of someone wearing one of your watches. The pinner would be able to zoom in on a certain aspect and find a similar watch or piece of jewellery.

 

Pinterest also offers Buyable Pins. This means that pinners are able to buy a product directly from the site without having to leave the platform. The social networking site has more than doubled the amount of buyable pins on the site, with over 60 million now being available. However, Pinterest has recently updated this and pinners are now able to buy multiple products from the site, even if they’re from different companies, creating a ‘shopping bag’ tool.
Pinterest is a fast-growing opportunity and is a great tool for driving traffic to your website. Don’t forget, 93% of pinners use the platform to plan for purchases. So remember, Pinterest is all about sharing, so don’t be afraid to repin and post interesting, useful content. NOT JUST YOUR PRODUCT! Have fun, and get pinning!