{"id":19651,"date":"2014-08-05T13:53:26","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T17:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=19651"},"modified":"2014-08-05T17:48:03","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T21:48:03","slug":"pinterest-for-business-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/pinterest-for-business-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Brand New Ways Your Business Can Use Pinterest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pinterest drives more traffic than Twitter, StumbleUpon and Reddit combined. That’s why we created Shareable Images<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Did you know that, on average, the half-life of a single Pinterest pin is three and a half months \u2013 more than 1,600 times longer than a Facebook post<\/a>? Or were you aware that 84% of female Pinterest users who signed up for the service four years ago are still using the site \u2013 and are apparently growing more active over time<\/a>?<\/p>\n

As Shareaholic\u2019s most recent Social Media Referral Report showed<\/a>, Pinterest is still the reigning queen of social traffic, second only to Facebook. But in my opinion, second place is a small price to pay for content that lasts forever and\u00a0users that grow more dedicated as the years pass.<\/p>\n

If there is any lesson your business can learn from these statistics, it is this: If you are not already using Pinterest to your advantage, you should start now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"pinterest-tablet\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a stigma that Pinterest is only for wedding planning or cupcake recipes, but it is not. Pinterest is\u00a0for anyone who wants to create a collection<\/a>.<\/strong> And that collection can serve several purposes \u2013 it can be for future purchases, inspiration or\u00a0recommendations for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t want<\/em> another social media account!\u201d you may say. \u201cI have enough as is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprise! You\u2019re Already on Pinterest<\/h2>\n

Even if you do not already have an active presence on Pinterest, chances are high that your content has been pinned there anyway. You can check this out for yourself by accessing the following URL: http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/source\/YOUR-URL<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, this is what I see when I search the WebpageFX site on Pinterest<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"webpagefx-pins\"<\/p>\n

If I wasn\u2019t monitoring our Pinterest presence, I would have known about only a few of those pins \u2013 three of which I pinned\u00a0myself, either under my personal account or our brand account\u00a0\u2013 but none of the others. What if someone had asked a question or pointed out a typo on an infographic and I wasn\u2019t paying attention?<\/p>\n

Since your content is already on Pinterest, my suggestion is this: Invest the amount of time into the platform that best suits your needs. You don\u2019t<\/em> have to use it as a social media platform, setting up boards and pinning your own content. <\/strong>Instead, you can use it to reach your customers, strengthen your content marketing, or even do a little research.<\/p>\n

Here are three unique ways any business can effectively\u00a0harness\u00a0the power of Pinterest.<\/p>\n

The First New Way to Use Pinterest: Brand Strengthening<\/h3>\n

Establishing a profile and boards on Pinterest is one way you can strengthen your brand<\/a>. However, you do not necessarily need to establish an active profile, pinning your content day and night, to improve your Pinterest presence.<\/p>\n

Honestly, if you are really busy, you can let users do the pinning for you. But pay attention <\/strong>\u2013 and step in to say thanks, address problems, or just be an all-around awesome person.<\/p>\n

This is what I recommend for every business:<\/p>\n

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  1. Set up an account for your brand and populate as much or as little content as you like.<\/li>\n
  2. Bookmark the URL search I mentioned earlier, searches for your brand name, searches for your product names, and so on.<\/li>\n
  3. Check these bookmarks regularly.<\/li>\n
  4. Comment on pins where your brand is mentioned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I don\u2019t see a lot of brands doing #4 even occasionally<\/em>, and I have to admit\u2026 it drives me kind of crazy. Why would you not thank someone for going out of their way to pin something from your site, along with a nice, thoughtful comment?<\/p>\n

    I poked around the feeds and site searches of a bunch of brands I follow until I finally found a local company, Havahart (they make humane animal traps, a must-have for someone whose backyard is full of raccoons that like to scare their dog and knock over trash cans at 4am), that regularly does this on user pins:<\/p>\n

    \"havahart\"<\/p>\n

    This kind \u201cthanks!\u201d message probably went a long way. Yet I don\u2019t see enough\u00a0brands thanking even 1% of their customers for spending hundreds of dollars on clothing or shoes.<\/p>\n

    This is an under-utilized strategy that can really pay off in the long run. Customers appreciate being acknowledged and appreciated. You do not have to populate your profile<\/a> to use Pinterest \u2013 just be there and pay attention.<\/p>\n

    The Second New Way to Use Pinterest: Content Curation<\/h3>\n

    \u201cContent curation\u201d is one way brands choose to supplement their existing social media or blogging activity. Basically, share content created by others<\/a> so your audience does not get bored or annoyed reading your <\/em>content all the time.<\/p>\n

    Pinterest can be an absolutely amazing source of content. Whether you\u2019re looking for a cheerful image to share on your Facebook page or something to help fill in an empty spot in a blog post, the site\u2019s search tool is bound to dig up an excellent image which is linked right back to the source.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s say you write\u00a0about DIY phone accessories, but you are fresh out of ideas. If you hop on Pinterest, you may\u00a0see this:<\/p>\n

    \"pin-charger\"<\/p>\n

    Perfect, right?<\/p>\n

    If you click through from this pin, you\u2019ll end up at the source<\/a>, and you can include the blog post this pin is from as part of your curation on Twitter, Facebook, and so on. (Remember: Always credit the creator, not the pinner!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

    The Third New Way to Use Pinterest: Market Research<\/h3>\n

    This was honestly my favorite way to use Pinterest for the first year or two of its existence, just around the time it began exploding\u00a0as a mainstream\u00a0social network. Everyone pinned\u00a0everything<\/em>. The site was full of products, recipes, ideas\u2026 and people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Pinterest is, even for the most boring, dull and super-niche B2B manufacturers<\/a> out there, a prime opportunity to conduct\u00a0market research.<\/p>\n

    You can accomplish in minutes what some formal research projects might take days, weeks or months to do. Armed with a hint of knowledge, a short block of time, and an interest in what your customers or leads want and need, you can discover spectacular things that will help grow your business.<\/p>\n

    Think of it this way: You run an e-commerce store and are\u00a0deciding\u00a0where to place remarketing ads, but you have no idea where your target audience shops, other than with you. To find out, you simply need to:<\/p>\n