What NOT to do on Pinterest for Business

Everyone knows the basics of Pinterest, but not many talk about what you should not do.

Below are some tips and tricks to avoid while using Pinterest for business:

Profile Picture

No Profile Picture

ALWAYS have a relevant profile picture. There are 2 camps when it comes to this topic for Pinterest. You can have a profile picture that is your logo or have one that is the "face" or principal of your company to humanize the account. This topic of discussion goes along with all other social media platforms, but for Pinterest in particular, I feel it is best to have your logo. In the other platforms you can create background images to help brand your page, but with Pinterest, you just get the profile picture, so you want to make sure that people recognize your brand. If you have multiple social media accounts, I suggest having your profile picture be the same one you use on the other accounts. This way when people visit your page, they know they are interacting with a familiar brand.

Descriptions

Bad Pin Ex

Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest allows you to have an exceptionally long character length for your posts aka "pins." Each pin or repin can have up to 500 characters, but that does not always mean you must use all 500. According to Dan Zarrella of Hubspot, the pins that get repinned the most have a description length between 200 and 300 characters.In my opinion, I feel that you need to make your descriptions count, but you do not need to have a mini book in your descriptions either. You want people to repin and then visit your site, if you give them all the information they need within the pin description, they have no purpose to go to your site.

Good Pin Ex

Each description you all to your pin is searchable, almost like a mini google so optimize your pins so people can easily find your content. Pinterest did at one time support hashtags aka the pound symbol (#), which is heavily used on Twitter in their descriptions for people to search, but it has recently gotten rid of supporting hashtag searches with their new update. Because of this update it is not necessary to have tons of hashtags, nor was it before in my opinion, so for future reference do not go hashtag crazy.

Accidentally Follow Spammers

Now spammers on Pinterest are tricky little devils so you need to be careful. Most people see someone is following them and then automatically follow them back. A lot of the times there are spammers on Pinterest following you, so be sure to not follow them back. Here are some things to look for:

• Large numbers of followers and people they are following but:
  • They only have a handful of boards--most of which do not correlate together.
  • They have no description of themselves or website connected to their description.
  • Low number of actual pins.
  • Most of the spammers that have followed me fill this description, here is an example below. This particular spammer has 4,751 followers and is following 14,689.

Don't follow Spammers

Avoid these pitfalls and you will be well on your way to a well run business Pinterest page and a strong following, granted you take the advice from the previous Pinterest articles ;)

---

I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. Even if you are not in Tulsa, I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kick-start your next project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.

Beginning Tips on How to Use Pinterest for Business

So you have created your business Pinterest page, now what?

Below are some great tips from ClickLabs to get you started.

Pinterest Infographic infographic

Additional Pinterest Tips to Kick-start your Page

Import your contacts

• Currently Pinterest no longer allows you to invite people to your page via e-mail, but you can find friends instantly by connecting your Twitter account.

• In the meantime, you can send out an e-mail to your customers and contacts letting them know that you now have a Pinterest page. This will help stimulate some following. If you do this, it is IMPORTANT that you have spent some time building your page so when they come to see your new page, you have content for them to see. Otherwise, they will likely not follow you.

Do Your Research

• Here is a guerrilla marketing tactic for you to seek out what your competition is doing. Take a look and see if they have a Pinterest page and if they do, take a look at who is following their page. It is likely that if those people are following that company, that they will follow your page as well, as long as you are producing relevant content.

• Look at companies that have complimentary products/services to yours and begin following some of their followers.

• A good example would be, you are a local gym and a complementary product would be workout clothes. Therefore if I were the gym, I would begin following local workout clothing stores, for those that wear workout clothes from a local store, likely workout within the area.

Using these tactics your business Pinterest page will be up and running in no time. If you would like some advice on growing your page more, send me an e-mail at Kersten at Speakeasy Market Strategies dot com.

---

I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. Even if you are not in Tulsa, I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kick-start your next project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.

Starting a New Business Pinterest Account? Here's How!

Starting a New Business Pinterest Account? Here's How...

After your deliberation, between personal or a business Pinterest account, you may have decided that a business account was the best option for you. Personally I feel every brand that wants to be on Pinterest should have a separate business account and never use a personal one, but that is just my two cents. Read the article below for those that want to know how to start a business account.

Getting Started with a Business Pinterest Account

Below are the steps you need to take to create your account:

Screen Shot 2013-03-27 at 11.17.14 PM

1. Click the link here to Join Pinterest as a Business.
2. Fill out all of the information in the fields shown.
   1. Be sure to pick a username for your page that is relevant to your company, such as your company name. If that is not available, try shortened versions. Your username will aid people in finding you.
   2. ALWAYS upload a profile picture. This can be your logo or the face of your brand like the CEO or owner. I would recommend your logo, but regardless NEVER create an account with an irrelevant profile image. When you are pinning and people find you, your profile is the first thing they will see, so it must be relevant to your brand.
   
   3. If you already have a personal Pinterest account and wish to convert this account you may do so by clicking the "Convert" link at the top of this page. Pinterest will lead you through the instructions on the conversion.
   
   4. Once you have clicked the "Create Account" button, you will be asked to follow your first 5 boards. You can select boards to follow using the interests section on the left-hand side. Pick brands and people to follow that bolster your brand. Such as companies that provide information that your customers will value.
   5. Then click "Next" once you have followed at least 5 boards. You can of course follow more than 5, but this just gets you started.
   6. Once your first 5 boards are created, you are taken to your business page. Here there are 4 next steps for you to take.
      1. The first is to verify your website. This is one of the most essential steps, as only websites that are verified will be access to Pinterest Analytics (like Facebook Insights). Once you click on the button to verify, simply follow the instructions. You will need access to the back-end of your website to complete this process.
      2. The next button encouraged you to create boards.
         1. Now the first row of boards on your page are the most important, as they are the ones that your page visitors will focus their attention on.
         2. For me I would focus on your company, such as your products or your company culture in the first and/or second board. The rest of your boards can elevate your company brand and value to your customer. Pinterest frowns on pages who only self promote, so you must make sure that you pin and repin things other than from your site, such as boards of inspiration for your company and/or customer.
         3. The 3rd starting point is to begin pinning and download the "pin" button into your web browser. This will make it easier to upload pins from various sites you visit within your browser directly to your board without having to have the Pinterest page open.
         4. The last step is to add a "Pin it" button to your website. You can choose to use their system or you can insert a Pinterest "Pin it" button using a plugin on your website (most websites have the ability to configure multiple social media applications, including Pinterest).

Screen Shot 2013-03-27 at 11.46.40 PM

After finishing the steps, you are ready to begin promoting your account to your customers! Having a business page is great, but if no one knows about it, you are just wasting your time. Tomorrow I will focus on more advanced tactics that will help truly grow your page. But in the meantime ...Happy Pinning!

---

I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. Even if you are not in Tulsa, I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kick-start your next project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.

The First Steps to Creating a Business Pinterest Account

I Want to Create a Business Pinterest Account, But Where Do I Start?

So you have taken the time to analyze if you should create a business Pinterest account, now it is time to get started. First you must decide if you would like to connect your business to your personal account or if you would like to create an account for your business exclusively. Here are the pros and cons of both.

Personal vs. Business

Personal Account

Pros

• You can connect your account to your personal Facebook page. By doing this you will be able to gain a following from your current friends on Facebook.
• If your brand and company revolves around you and you are the heart of the company, then letting people see a little of your personal life is not a bad thing.

Cons

• You will be forever connected to your brand, making the following you gather on your personal page, not be able to be transferred if you ever decided to sell your company.

Business Account

Pros

• Your account will be customized for just your brand and for your customers, there will be no irrelevant boards as would be the case with a personal account.
• The account will be part of your brand and if you ever sell it will be able to enhance your brand and potentially increase the value of your company.
• Only business accounts will be able to have access Pinterest Analytics, similar to Facebook Insights, but for Pinterest (you must verify your account to have these, but it is very simple to do--that will be covered later this week).

Cons

• You will not be able to incorporate your Facebook friends to stimulate your following (Facebook can only be connected to one account, so if you already have a personal account you will not be able to connect the business page).  You will be able to connect your company twitter account.
• A little more work will need to be done to start people following you since you cannot connect your personal or business Facebook accounts.

Once you have decided which type of account is best for you, it is then time to start an account. In my opinion, any business should create a Business Account, even though it is a little more work to start, but to me the benefits outweigh the costs. But if you should choose to only have a personal account, you can create one here.

Tomorrow I will cover the ins and outs of creating a business account, so stay tuned.

---

I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. Even if you are not in Tulsa, I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kick-start your next project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.

Should You Add Pinterest to Your Social Media Strategy?

Should You Add Pinterest to Your Social Media Strategy?

One of the big questions I get asked as a social media strategist is, "Should I have a business Pinterest account?" Most clients question the ROI of Pinterest and whether it is worth their time. Below are a few keys to help you decide if being on Pinterest is right for you and your company.

Do you already have traffic coming from Pinterest?

The key benefit to companies being on Pinterest is increasing the traffic to their website. If you have appealing content that people like they will "pin" it on Pinterest. From there if the content is good and a product or service they want, people will "repin" the pin. Once your content is circulating on Pinterest, some customers may decide they would like the product or service that they pinned. When people click on the pin, they are redirected back to your website and potentially buy from your site.

It see if you should be on Pinterest, you need to look at your current website traffic. This can be done either through Google Analytics or the back-end of your website. These tools tell you where your traffic is coming from and you may already have traffic coming from Pinterest. If you see a decent amount of traffic is coming from Pinterest, then you would likely benefit from having a business account.

Do you have continuous high quality visual content?

Screen Shot 2013-03-25 at 11.27.27 PM

The successful content on Pinterest are the pins that are visually appealing. Whether you are in a B2C industry or B2B, those that have content that is appealing and relevant will see a ROI from Pinterest. Your visual content cannot just be promotional, but the content must be items that your customers would want to share and expresses them. This content can be photography, graphic design, or even videos.  If you do have content that is visually appealing and you can continue to produce high quality content, then Pinterest may be for you.

Do you have time for Pinterest?

For the most part, all social media is labor-intensive. If you are running your own social media, you can either have a presence in all of the networks and burn yourself out or pick a few and do them well. All social media is not created equally and not all companies will see success in it; which is why it is important to understand who is using each network and pick the ones that best fits your company and customers. I always say if you cannot make the time for social media, it is best to stay out. Nothing looks worse to a customer than having a social media platform that has not been updated in months, let alone years. It is my opinion that if you do not have the time, then do not mess with it. But ifyou do not have the time, but know it is right for your customers and you answered "yes" to the 2 previous questions, then perhaps it is time to think about hiring someone to manage it for you (insert self promotion here ;).

Time to make a decision...

Pinterest is a great tool for driving traffic and creating and displaying your brand, company culture, and products. If you already have social media traffic, have strong and continuous visual content, and have time or cash to devote to this platform, then Pinterest is a good choice for your company. If you need help getting started or are looking for someone to help teach or manage your social media, take a look at my social media services. If you don't find what you are looking for, shoot me an e-mail at Kersten at Speakeasy Market Strategies.com.

---

I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kickstart your next, project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.