The TOP 6 Pinterest Tips for Business Countdown

Before we can talk about the best way to use Pinterest, let’s talk about Pinterest. I’ve found that unless we buy into the marketing strategy and feel it’s worthwhile, we won’t put the time and effort into it to make it successful.

What is Pinterest and why should

you care?

A free, registration based website, Pinterest enables users to upload, save, sort and manage images, referred to as pins, and other media, such as videos, on pinboards (collections of similar material created by the user). Sorting through the pins (content) of other Pinners is also a key feature, enabling them to save those pins.

So, you create your own pinboards (each one for a different topic), pin your images or videos, view others’ pinboards, repin their pins to your board, comment, browse and like their pins, and interact with other members.

There’s more to it, but you get the idea. A visual hangout showcasing what you like through images and videos. A very interesting point about Pinterest is that retailers have trailblazed the use of Pinterest, where over 80% of the members are female. Bhobani, The Gap, Welst Elm and Nordstrom to name a few use Pinterest aggressively to generate business. And you can too!

Where did Pinterest come from?

Pinterest was launched as a prototype in 2010 to a handful of friends, family and colleagues of cofounders Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra. In 2011 it secured 10 million of funding early in 2011, then another 27 million in funding in late 2011 with an estimated value of $200 million. The vision was being realized.

By May 2012 (that’s only 7 months later) Pinterest was valued at $1.5 billion, $2.5 billion in February 2013, 3.8 billion in October 2013 and $5 billion in May 2014.

Why the hype? Is this just another dot com craze without merit?

For starters, let’s talk about users. In January 2012 Pinterest had 11.7 million unique viewers. In August 2012 Pinterest surpassed Tumblr with just over 25 million unique monthly visitors. In July 2013 Pinterest had 70 million users worldwide.

It’s estimated by Michael Pachter, an analyst at Webush Securities that Pinterest could generate $500 million in ad revenue in 2016. So, it looks like Pinterest is the real deal. Now it’s time to talk tips!

Top 6 Pinterest Tips for Business Countdown

Let’s have a look at the top 6 ways that you can generate business successfully using Pinterest!

6. Give credit where credit is due

• Be sure to read the terms and conditions to protect against copyright infringement, and what rights you’re giving up
• Check the link before repining. Make sure the pin you’re about to repin is legit!
• Add a watermark

5. Tell me what to do

• Be sure to have a call to action in your pins, otherwise they’re just pics
• Use Pinterest’s promotion and competition tools

4. Be social

• Comment and like other pins, but don’t comment too much. Pinterest might think it’s spam. Comment when you mean it!
• Thank those who repin
• Track your repins
• Tag other pinners by name

3. SEO

• Make your profile memorable, and with the key words that will promote your business
• Pin content from your site
• Get your pins to pull visitors to your site

2. Be da Vinci

• Choose or make great images
• Use a variety of types, including videos!
• Be simple and straightforward
• Make your own infographics (easy and fun)

And the number one Pinterest Tip for business….

1. Integrate

• Make Pinterest a priority and integrate Pinterest share buttons on your website and other social platforms
• Add share buttons to your email signature (not just Pinterest but all of them)
• Promote your pins across platforms, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
• Include your social icons on your business card
• Add “be sure to follow me on…” to your voicemail

I hope you’ve found this helpful. Check out our other articles for more great tips on marketing your business and growing your client base.

Joe White

Mortgage brokering in Ontario is regulated by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and requires a license.  To obtain a license you must first pass an accredited course.  The Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada Inc. (REMIC) is accredited by FSCO to provide the course.  For more information please visit us at www.remic.ca/getlicensed or call us at 877-447-3642