B2B brands should not be ignoring Pinterest as only a consumer platform. George Bates, digital marketer at Midas Media, offers a step-by-step guide to help you get started on the social network
Studies have shown that Pinterest drives more referral traffic than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined; it is an incredibly targeted social media platform that provides businesses with the ability to zone in on their niche.
It is clear then that Pinterest is a vital channel for every business, from SME’s to big corporate companies, to explore. Here are some simple steps to get your brand started on this platform:
How to set up your company profile on Pinterest
First of all, head over to business.pinterest.com and click ‘join with business’. Once you’ve entered your business details you’ll want to select a high res photo as your company logo. Pinterest recommends that logos have dimensions of 160 x 165 pixels.
Next you will want to verify your website so visitors know that it’s genuine. On your profile you should see a pencil icon in the bottom-right corner of the header. Enter your URL then click on ‘verify website’.
Now your website has been verified, you’ll see a tick next to the URL on your Pinterest profile page and you should also now have access to Pinterest’s web analytics. Finally, add the ‘pin It’ button to your website and you’re ready to go.
Engage your audience with quality content
The most effective way of building a following and getting users to interact with you on Pinterest is through clever inbound marketing and high quality content. Good content can take many forms, but what usually succeeds on Pinterest is content that inspires the reader, is useful and educational, offers a desirable product or service, solves a problem or appeals to an activity or hobby.
Pinterest profiles are essentially a collage board of images and videos a user has pinned that are relevant to their interests. This gives you a great insight into trending topics, users likes and dislikes and lets you research your target audience.
Use this valuable information to tailor the content you create as well as the content you ‘repin’ or share with your followers. Bear in mind that you should always post quality over quantity. Be specific, appeal to your niche and share relevant content from reputable sources and you will soon be regarded as an authoritative brand in the field.
Also, don’t be afraid to reply to comments. Engaging with followers gives your business a human touch and increases customer trust in you.
Image rule
There are arguments to what is the perfect type of image to maximise share-ability, but it all comes down to preference. Some believe tall skinny photos such as infographics are ignored as they’re too long for the page or scaled wrong, some say that people tend to click them more to enlarge them and to see what they say.
The best thing to do is test and test again. What works for some won’t for others. However, make sure images are named strategically with keywords and hyphens rather than underscores to make it easier for users searching for content related to your image.
Amplification
Every marketer today knows without sufficient promotion and amplification, the content you provide and the message you wish to spread will simply not get heard; no matter how good it is.
Build your Pinterest profile by collaborating with popular pinners who have big followings to leverage some desired attention to your business. To do this you will want to join a relevant group board. In most cases this technique is win-win for both parties as not only does the sharing of your content by a famous pinner expose your company, it also provides them with accreditation from your respectable business.
Direct traffic to your website
A social media marketing campaign is not complete until you are getting those much desired conversions. Once you have started to get a good following on Pinterest it is important then interact with your personal website and convert.
Make sure your Pinterest profile page includes links back to specific landing pages on your website that offer a clear call-to-action within them. This can be a great way to gather information and collate email addresses of highly targeted leads.
It can work the other way too. Provide ‘pin it’ widgets and buttons on your website’s blog which then directs the user to your Pinterest page. Remember, a customer often takes several touch points with your business before converting and the more engagement they have with your brand the better.
Measure and implement
Pinterest offers its own, free analytics tool which provides a wealth of information. It allows you to see pins and boards from your profile, what images users save from your website, devices people use to access your profile, audience location, gender and interests as well as referral traffic data.
Use a combined measuring approach along with Google Analytics and the Pinterest Pin Count Tool but make sure you make us of the data. What gets the most traffic, pins and likes? Replicate them in your future posts and get rid of those that get nothing.
