Earlier this year, we wrote about the rise of Pinterest and its potential for benefitting businesses. We discussed its ability to help businesses drive traffic to their sites, provide a platform for deeper customer engagement, and showcase new products and services in unique ways. Since then, as we predicted, Pinterest has grown like wildfire. In fact, Google Ad Planner notes that Pinterest has reached 16 million users worldwide, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history.
However, although Pinterest has seen rapid growth, many businesses are still in the early stages of exploring this new social network and determining how to take full advantage of the platform. Given this, we thought it’d be helpful to share some guidelines and etiquette as highlighted on Ragan’s, to help maximize your Pinterest presence and effectively promote your brand.
- Give credit when credit is due: Sourcing the original link is the unspoken cardinal rule of Pinterest. Whenever you find and post an image to Pinterest, make sure to include a link back to the original source. For example, if you find a great photo on Google Image, rather than linking back to Google, provide a link directly to the photographer’s site.
- Don’t trick users into following incorrect links. Unfortunately, some people embed incorrect links with their images so that when a follower clicks on a pin, they’re redirected to an unrelated site leading to extra page views and, as a result, extra income. This is an unethical marketing ploy and good way to lose both followers and credibility. Make sure you link to relevant content and don’t mislead your followers.
- Write a full caption. Tell your followers why they should click on a link by including a descriptive caption for each image you pin. Avoid marketing and advertising jargon and remember that Pinterest is about direct, authentic communication.
- Don’t overwhelm your followers. While it’s fun and slightly addicting to pin images, be careful not to post every image you find compelling, especially if it’s not directly related to your brand. High quality is key in the digital world—and it’s what Pinterest followers love most. Don’t go pin-crazy if you want to keep your followers.
- Interact and engage with your community. Similar to most social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, Pinterest is more effective when you communicate with both your followers and broader target audience. The more you comment, like, or repin someone else’s content, the more interaction you’ll receive on your own content.
While Pinterest is a great place to promote your business, do so with caution. Rather than spamming people with nothing but your own products and services, use Pinterest to elevate your brand by building and contributing to the community.
Are you a Pinterest pro? Share what’s worked for you!