Social media is one of the newest and most used forms of communication.
And, marketing is all about communication.
Most marketers use social media approximately 6 hours each week and about 83% feel it is important to their small businesses.
Social media is one of the most efficient and effective ways to get the word out about your business, promotions, press releases, products, etc.
Don’t underestimate it.
Hopefully you’ve taken a look at how to market your business through Facebook and Twitter.
If not, you can find Shoestring Marketing University posts on that subject HERE for Facebook and HERE for Twitter.
Now, it’s time to move on to Pinterest, the third most popular social media site in the world with 10.4 million users in 2012.
Why Use Pinterest?
Pinterest users are 10% more likely to make a purchase than any users on any other social media site.
It’s a little bit different. Many, many small businesses have set up Facebook and Twitter accounts.
But, not everyone has a Pinterest account.
How to Use Pinterest
Luckily, Pinterest is very user friendly. And it’s FREE!
Sign up for an account using an email address, Facebook, or Twitter.
Upload pins, which are almost entirely pictures and some videos, from a website or your computer using the “Red Plus” button at the top of the page.
Or, you can search Pinterest for images to “Repin”.
There are over 25 billion.
Create “Boards” which are categories for all your different pins.
You can find boards to follow, and then keep up to date on when that Pinterest user adds Pins to her board.
You can comment on pins, and share pins and boards on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also add “Place Pins.” When you create a new board, simply add a map.
If you select a picture from your website to use, the pin should provide a link back to your website.
So, pinning can help direct traffic to your website!
For any other queries about how to pin, see the Pinterest help page HERE.
Know Your Audience
Pinterest users are:
- 80% female.
- 30% women between the ages of 25 and 34.
- mostly living in the Midwest.
So, keep these demographics in mind when deciding what aspects of your business to publish on Pinterest.
If you need an example, you can find the SMU Pinterest blog and picture quote account HERE.
Pin Your Best Content
According to a Pinerly Study, there are specific times and content that are best for pinning:
- During the day between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM EST
- During the night between 8:00 PM and 1 AM EST
Try to pin about trending topics, because they will have a 94% higher click-through rate.
You can research what is trending using Google AdWords or Raven Tools.
If you possibly can, try to pin tutorials and guide pins, as they also have a high click-through rate.
Although there are Pinterest users from all over the world, your products are likely only for the local population.
So, consider pinning a lot of different items:
- Product pictures
- Pictures representing your services
- Picture quotes
- Pictures from your blog
- Funny pictures relating to your business
- Youtube videos
- Vimeo videos
- Ted Videos
They suggest that locally based businesses follow the Boards of other small businesses in the area.
Comment and repin their pins.
Ideally, they’ll do the same for you and give you local coverage on Pinterest.
You can use Place Pins so that Pinterest users will know where your business is located.
Also, please make sure that you have two separate Pinterest accounts for your personal life and your business.
So, now go and tackle the third largest social media site and make it work for your small business.
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