Last Tuesday I shared Ten Simple Facebook Tips and so I thought it fitting to dedicate this week Top Ten to simple tips for the number one referral site, Pinterest. Last week I took my own advice and worked a bit on my social media education by watching a webinar on Pinterest. If anyone is looking for a FANTASTIC Pinterest webinar I highly recommend Melanie Duncan’s webinar on How To Use Pinterest For Your Business To Get Traffic & Customers. Most of today’s tips come from Melanie’s webinar:
1- Set Up Your Account Correctly
Keep in mind, Pinterest is set up for individuals and not businesses. As Pinterest grows this will likely change. When you start your businesses Pinterest account be sure to fill in first and last name as your business and NOT your actual name. In addition, use keywords in your about section to increase SEO and explain what your business does. Finally, don’t forget to include your website url so people can easily find you!
2- Add “PinIt” Button to Website
You can find a variety of “PinIt” buttons right on Pinterest! Simply navigate to the “About” section where you will find “Pin Button” Adding this simple button to your website or blog will allow people to pin things they like or want to purchase at a later date. When people Pin things from your website it is shared and then those people RePin and it is shared again and so on and so on….. This is why Pinterest has been such a successful referral site for so many businesses.
3- Pay Attention to What People are Pinning
To see what people are pinning from your website simply go to pinterest.com/source/”yourwebsite”.com to see how many times each item has been pinned. For example: pinterest.com/source/dunkindonuts.com
4- Pin Videos
Almost everyone loves a good video so why not include video in your Pinterest strategy!?! Video is hugely popular on Pinterest yet many businesses aren’t taking advantage of it. If you have any good video or are willing to create some do it! You can Pin videos directly off of YouTube and Vimeo.
5- Edit Link to Where Pins Go
When you Pin a cool or informative photo many people will be enticed to click it. One of the cool features of Pinterest is the ability to determine where people are brought when they click on your images. To do this simply hover over the image, click edit and change the url.
6- Take Advantage of Captions
Use keywords in your caption section for each image you Pin. This will increase SEO and provide useful information for those interested in your image. Don’t simply use a . in your caption!
7- Use Hashtags to Categorize
When writing captions for Pins be sure to also include hashtags (#). The # will create a hyperlink which then allows your image to be searched by that particular #. This makes your image more searchable and that means more exposure!
8- Use Tutorials
Whether your businesses sells products or services Pinterest can be a powerful tool to increase your bottom line. One easy way to grab your consumers attention on Pinterest is to create visual tutorials. Many people use Pinterest as a “how to” looking for easy ways to figure how to do all sorts of things from braiding hair to making a delicious recipe. No matter what type of business you are in you should be able to put together a visual tutorial to capture a ton of traffic.
9- Add Price to Pins
This is an easy trick and it can be extremely helpful! Simply type in the $ sign and the numerical number and Pinterest will do the rest. In addition to having the value of your product or service on the image Pinterest automatically categorizes your image under the gift section on the home page!
10- Keep Learning
There are so many little tricks to Pinterest, all of which increase visibility for your businesses. Continue to read articles, watch webinars and try new things.
Because I see Pinterest as a true social media player we have incorporated several Pinterest sessions and workshops at our upcoming Social Media Strategies Summits.
Miami: June 12-14
Denver: August 22nd -23rd
San Francisco: September 25th & 26th
Minneapolis: October 3rd & 4th
Boston: October 23rd -25th
London: November 6th-8th
