Social media platforms attract millions of online users on a daily basis, making them the perfect place to cultivate your business’s online presence. One such platform that your business should not ignore is Pinterest.
Though Pinterest for Business is relatively new on the social media marketing scene, there are many reasons your business should take advantage of this platform. According to data released by Shareaholic regarding referral traffic from social networks, Pinterest drove 3.68 percent traffic to publishers in 2013. That’s the second highest traffic referral out of the social media networks on the list. Need more reasons you should leverage Pinterest for your business? Here are 48 million more. Pinterest attracts more than 48 million potential customers users globally.
So if you’re interested in expanding your marketing strategy and looking for fresh and compelling ideas for your business’s Pinterest boards, here are 5 creative strategies you can use:
1. Inspire your followers with your brand.
First and foremost, Pinterest is your promotional tool, so showcase your business by creating a board solely for your brand. Do your research first. Figure out who your target demographic is, what your audience loves, which keywords they use to search for your brand. Then pin content that is not only visually pleasing to your audience, but will also represent your company well.
This can encompass a variety of things. You can pin photos of an event your business hosted for greater press coverage for your business. If your business is selling products, pin coupons to this board, which will then drive more traffic both to your website and your store location. Pin photos of your office and your employees to show your followers that you’re a brand with a personality. This board should not just be about what you sell but who your company is.
2. Connect, collaborate, create!
Remember that old adage, “It’s not what you know but who you know”? This is integral when it comes to social media marketing – Pinterest isn’t called a social networking platform for nothing. Building relationships with those who have a strong social following will do wonders for your Pinterest page.
What your business needs to do is evaluate your industry and see who the biggest Pinterest influencers are for your industry. Then you need to reach out to them and ask if they would like to collaborate with you on a group board about your industry. Doing this has many benefits, such as increasing your followers, the reach of your pins, and clicks to your website.
3. Create contests and giveaways.
If you’re trying to increase follower engagement on your business’s Pinterest, a strategy you should consider is launching a contest or giveaway. Of course, there are a lot of considerations when creating a contest on Pinterest, but when planned well and executed correctly, launching a contest on social media can expand your Pinterest reach and earn customer loyalty.
The nature of your contest will depend largely on your brand. If your business sells products, ask your followers to take a fun picture with your product and hashtag that pin with the hashtag you designated for that contest. If you’re trying to promote a new product, you can set a theme relating to that product and tell your followers to create a pinboard on their own Pinterest that represents that week’s theme, and then post the link to their board on your Pinterest page. The point is that there are tons of ideas out there, so get as creative as you can with your brand!
4. Don’t forget that you can share videos on Pinterest.
The main feature of Pinterest is that it is a highly visual social media platform, so don’t ignore the feature that allows you to also pin videos on your boards. Take advantage of this by pinning videos that your business either created itself or from relevant external sources. However, never forget your audience. Only pin videos that are appropriate for your brand and would interest your customers.
5. Engage meaningfully with your followers.
Remember that Pinterest is a social community. You don’t want to talk at your followers. Instead, talk with them. Comment or like your followers’ pins, share pins from other vetted Pinterest users, or ask your followers to contribute to your Pinterest by having another moderated group board. This way, you are creating a comfortable space for your followers to actively engage with your brand.