Pinterest is becoming one of the most popular social networking sites. And since it’s photo driven, it can really become a powerful marketing tool for entrepreneurs to sell products and services. Here are some ways to use Pinterest to increase awareness for your brand.
How does Pinterest work?
Pinterest members ‘pin’ images and videos, which appear on their boards. Other members can view, comment, and even ‘repin’ this information. It’s possible to create a link to the original site, which can carry more information (like a recipe for the food in the picture, or a relevant article.
Create a board that’s connected to your business
If you’re a travel agency, then your pinboards can show exotic destinations, or the most popular tourist spots in a country. Clothing companies can show their latest collections, or photographers can show their best photos in their portfolio. In fact, if you already have a catalog, Pinterest is a new way of publishing and sharing your material.
Do market segmentation
You can take it a step further and create pinboards that target different audiences. Using the same examples above, a travel agency may do different boards like ‘Budget travel,’ ‘Honeymoon destinations’ and ‘Best places for young kids.’
Get feedback
Posting photos and inviting people to comment can help you gather much-needed market feedback at minimum cost. For example, you can post different packaging (which one do you like, the red or the blue box?).
Drive traffic to your blog
If you have a tutorial on your blog, pinning a symbolic photo or a video link can help bring traffic back to your site. That’s why Pinterest, Youtube channel, Facebook and your own website can work together in powerful cross-promotion efforts. (Read our article on social networking tips for entrepreenurs.)
Add Pinterest buttons
Add a small ‘Pin it’ button to your blog or website so that people can share information they find useful. You can also add a ‘Follow me on Pinterest’ button.
Photo from sesema.com