Pinterest is a new and interesting way to share photos, ideas and life in general. It’s taken off nearly as quickly as Facebook and Twitter did. Pinterest is not just for people sharing home décor and fashion ideas; it can also be a powerful tool for businesses.
Here are 10 ways to use Pinterest to promote your business
1. Show off your products
Depending on your product, you can use Pinterest boards to create buzz around your products. Create boards for different seasons or different product offerings. Update them and respond to comments to create even more buzz.
2. Try to tie your business to a lifestyle
Again, much depends on your business or product but you can tie your business and product offerings to a lifestyle choice. Through your Pinterest boards, you can create “lifestyle” boards and tie your product to this lifestyle-related marketing. Whole Foods does this particularly well on Pinterest.
3. Give a “private” showing
Through Pinterest, you can show customers and potential customers product offerings before they launch or give customers an in-depth look at offerings and new products. You can do all of this before it launches to the general public.
4. Create easy maneuverability
If your customers seem to reject the idea of clicking around your website to find products or educate themselves about specific offerings, you can create pin boards that highlight specific products, offer suggestions for combinations of products and that give customers an easier and more accessible way to see and understand products.
5. Create a virtual focus group
Through Pinterest you can align yourself with customers in a way you previously could not. You can watch how customers interact with your pin boards and you can see what and when they re-pin and through that movement, you can discover what interests your customers. This gives you the same kind of feedback you might get from a focus group, but you don’t have to actually create and manage the group.
6. Add a “Pin It” or “Follow” button on your website
Let customers and clients know about your Pinterest presence by adding a Pinterest button to your website. Go to the Pinterest “goodies” page and choose from several options. Then add the button to your website and encourage customers to look for you on Pinterest. When you add the “Pin it” button, customers can pin your products onto Pinterest from your website.
7. Use keywords & hashtags
When you create a description for a new pin, you can add keywords and optimize that pin. This helps people find you when they are searching for a product or service that you are promoting. You can also add hashtags to the end of your description; don’t add too many or it will look like spam.
8. Give your business a face
Social media in general makes it easier to become more personal with clients and customers. But Pinterest is the best at this. You can create a board that gives customers a look at offices inside your building, that introduces the sales team or that offers pictures of your production line.
9. Offer discounts
Your followers will enjoy getting an exclusive discount or coupon that only they can use. You can share the coupon with a QR code or a printable voucher. Do this on a regular basis, such as weekly, so that your followers will continue to come back to your boards.
10. Invite customers to events
Are you having a grand opening or an event to celebrate a new product launch? Use Pinterest to create interest in your event and invite followers to the event.
Running a business in smart fashion these days is about more than simply setting up shop and hoping customers come. There are a myriad of ways to market to customers these days, with Pinterest quickly becoming one of the best.
