Social Media Basics: Pinterest

Most people think of Pinterest as a platform for individuals: hobbyists looking for project ideas; brides-to-be collecting wedding ideas; recipes and grilling ideas; and home decorating suggestions. Notice I said “individuals,” not “women.” There are plenty of men on Pinterest. Even famous men.

Pinterest is for businesses, too. In November 2012, Pinterest launched business accounts so that companies could create pages that promote their business online.

Keep reading … there is a ton of information to help you make sense of this social marketing tool for your business. Let me know what you think by adding your thoughts to the comments section below!

Definitions

verbs: Pin, re-pin
Users: “pinners”
Launched: March 2010

– A personal social media platform where users organize digital content (photos, illustrations, drawings, infographics, etc.) by theme or topic relevant to their own interests.

– A content sharing network where users can see what other Pinners are doing and add that to their own collections.

– A free bookmarking tool for displaying and sharing visual content.

Benefits of Pinterest

Pinning is easy. Pinners love being able to click “Pin it” and add an item to one of their boards. When they do, you now reach people who follow them, but who may not have known about you … until now. Win-win!

Click on the screenshot below to see an section of this image enlarged to show some of the different ways people have incorporated “Independent Book Publishing Association” into their personal boards.

From a business perspective, Pinterest makes it easy to attract customers. Think of your boards (aka “pinboards”) as a cross between a catalog and a store display. Here are just a few of the things you can do to encourage people to visit, follow, and browse your offerings.

Set up boards by product line (e.g., genre) and fill the board with book cover images.
Host boards that your authors / illustrators fill with some of their favorite things.
Invite key players to collaborate on a group board.
Curate boards that share information relevant to the topics important to you (e.g., literacy, green living, et al).
Create a News & Media board that shares your awards and recognition, Videos, and other newsworthy visuals.
Embed topical boards on your blog or website to offer even more information to visitors.

Creating a space that features your book cover(s) is a logical first step. The next step is to create boards that are an extension of the subjects that are (a) covered by the books you publish; or (b) important to you. This helps people learn more about you because you are giving them something they value. Did you publish a book about hiking in the Appalachian mountains? Then maybe you want a board that features photos and lists about what to take on a hike or what to be aware of.

It is very easy to welcome people into your community because every time you pin something, it shows up on the main Pinterest home page that everyone can see. When people repin something, it stays at the top of their queue.

Limitations of Pinterest

You have to understand copyright and licensing. With Pinterest, this is imperative. For content you own, there is no problem … but when you start pinning other people’s stuff, you need to know the rules. That goes for running contests, too. Pinterest is a great platform for contests, just know the rules of the road.

If you have ever visited Pinterest, you already know: it is addictive. It is very easy to fall into the proverbial rabbit hole and forget why you are using Pinterest. It is so much fun to start browsing pins that have nothing to do with work. With so much cool content, it is also easy to over-pin.

Pinning is a blast but you can have too many boards. Variety is important, but don’t create a board for every little thing. That leads to redundancy, which leads to more work. Who wants that? There is no way to “merge” boards, so select each board’s topic / theme carefully.

TIP: It may help to use your computer screen as the “master board.” What are the topics (boards) you want people to click on most? Keep them at the top so that pinners don’t have to scroll down.

Pinterest wants you to pick a category, and the categories are very rigid. There is no “publishing” category. If you publish only one genre of books (let’s say humor), then it is easy for you. If your books cross multiple genres or audiences, it is very tough.

Unlike Twitter and Facebook, analytics for Pinterest are not quite there yet. There are tools that are helpful, but not nearly as extensive as what is available for other platforms.

Pinterest Goals

What makes Pinterest particularly valuable for business is the ease with which you can promote your work without directly selling. Ultimately, you can engage potential customers and build communities around your brand for the long term (not just by purchasing a single product).

A Pinterest presence creates an accessible (read: wordless) medium through which people can see the many facets of who you are as a brand. When people explore your “Great Hikes” board, they have an instant panorama of recommendations, ideas, and suggestions.

Pinterest can tell your story – past, present, and future – in ways that are engaging, visually appealing, and (most importantly) sharable.

Are you using Pinterest for your business? Share your link in the comments below so we can follow your boards and see your story!

Fun Facts

A May 2012 case study by Bottica.com found that users visiting its site from Pinterest spent $180 compared with $85 spent from users coming from FaceBook. The study of the 50,000 visitors also found that these users spent less time on the company’s website, choosing instead to browse from the company’s pinboard.
According to a March 2013 analysis on the Huffington Post, each time they visit the site, Pinterest users spend 15.8 minutes “pinning.” In contrast, Facebook users will only spend 12.1 minutes flipping through your latest vacation album.
“THE” optimum time for pinning during the business day is between 2:00pm and 4:00pm (EST) In the evening, the best time is 8:00pm to 1:00am (EST). [Source: Ragan.com]