Welcome to a new month and to a new feature. I’m going back to basics with some of my blog posts on the site now, starting off with some background information for those of you still not sure if you should be investing your time in mastering Pinterest for your business or your blog. Today’s post is focusing on the basics of Pinterest, how it works and why you need it. Let’s start at the beginning.
How Pinterest Works:
Pinterest is an image focused platform, allowing you to curate ‘boards’ or collections of those images according to your own interests. The end result is your own visual collection of noticeboards, containing images along a certain a theme that are relevant to you. Each image links back to a webpage, so the pinner can click the image and be taken to an article or shop telling them more about that image. Many people use Pinterest to help them plan parties, recipes, holidays, house renovations, kids crafts and so much more. In fact, nowadays, Pinterest is all about the ‘so much more’.
As a blogger of business owner you will have content and imagery on your site that pinners in general might like to put on their boards. In fact, if they put your image or pin on their boards, it might mean they have clicked through to the article or webpage, become interested in what they saw and so saved your pin to their board.
The more people the save your pins to their boards, the more people see your pin, and potentially click through to become a visitor to your blog or website. There’s the magic. As a blogger or business owner, that’s exactly what you want to be aiming for. The more saves, the more clicks, the more viewers all leads to more potential customers.
But why should you bother? Is this really going to make a big difference to you? And as Pinterest is more complicated to use than other platforms, is it really worth the investment of time and energy? Let me convince you.
Statistics:
- There are 150 million monthly users on Pinterest, with half of them being outside the US. That’s a HUGE untapped audience!
- Over 40% of people that join Pinterest are now men. It’s not just about pretty pictures for women.
- Millenials use Pinterest as much as Instagram. (There’s one to think about).
- 87% of Pinners have purchased a product because of Pinterest
- 72% of pinners use Pinterest to decide what to buy offline
- Pinterest says 80% of its users access the site via a mobile device.
- Two thirds of pins represent products and brands
- 93% of pinners use the platform to plan for their purchases
- Over 5% of ALL website traffic is a referred from Pinterest
Don’t you agree, those statistics are pretty interesting, particularly if you’re a business and you have something to sell. So if you’re not on Pinterest yet, or just dabbling with it for personal reasons, you need to get started.
How to Get Started:
If you’ve been using Pinterest for personal use, chances are you don’t have a business account yet. That’s your first job, convert to one, it’s free, easy and painless. You’ll get access to Pinterest stats then to help you monitor your progress.
Next make sure you have a profile picture. A good description and a selection of boards that represent your brand. Hide all those boards where you’ve been collecting knitting patterns, makeup tutorials and articles on how to fix the leaking roof…. particularly if they have NOTHING to do with your blog or your business.
Give your profile and your pins some branding. Create a theme that coordinates with your business look and get started pinning.
You’ll have some great content on your site that pinners will love, it’s just a matter of packaging it up in the right way, making the right pins with appropriate descriptions that will help them understand why they want to save your pin, and click through to find out more.
Remember you don’t need lots of followers on Pinterest to be successful. It’s NOT a social site. People are there to hang out with their friends, make new ones or connect. They are there for themselves. To help themselves figure something out, make some plans, or fix a problem. You’re job, as a content creator is to help them do that.
PIN THIS NOW TO SAVE THE ARTICLE:
So, what are you waiting for?
If you’re still a bit stuck or confused on what to do next, take a look at one of my courses, some are free. Or get in touch for some 1-1 help. There are lots of options suitable for your blog and business, from a 1 hour skype overview session, to full management of your Pinterest account, and lots in between. I’m also happy to discuss anything bespoke that isn’t covered in the packages listed here, and tailor support to meet your needs.
Find out about 1-1 support HERE.
If you want to discuss consultancy or ongoing Pinterest management for your brand, drop me a line HERE.
Jen
