The times are changing for companies who use a social media blog, there is a new kid on the block who is pushing Facebook and Twitter to the side. Pinterest is the latest social sharing platform which any SEO company will tell you, is driving more traffic to businesses than Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+ combined. Pinterest is a must for any business using social media especially those with a visual product to show off.
Content sharing site Shareholic has backed this data up, cementing the fact businesses should take notice of Pinterest. This platform allows users to show, share and organise photos which friends, family and businesses can re-pin on their boards allowing it to go viral like Twitter and Facebook content.
Here are just a few reasons why businesses especially retailers might want to seriously think about starting a business profile on Pinterest.
● You can easily share images of your product
● Pinterest is driving a massive amount of buyers to web pages
● It’s fantastic for businesses with a visual product
● A ridiculous amount of people will see your content
● It will make sure your business is up to date with social media trends
●It’s an easy way to learn how to use social media
If the above reasons are not enough for businesses to take note, I don’t know what is. Pinterest is definitely here to stay. Probably the most useful business application is the way you can post images of your company’s products on your Pin-board and then link them back to your website, almost as if it’s a virtual catalogue. You must add content to your board and comment on others, or you will not get noticed much at all. After all, this is social media so it does need to be worked at and updated regularly.
Try not to get too promotional, and strike a balance between work and play to generate the best results. If your product is not particularly visual try to add pictures that do link back to your brand, for instance if you run a garden centre – post pictures of great landscapes and mix it up with anything you find funny or interesting. Be sure to update regularly, at least monthly if possible and be sure to make your profile interesting and unique so as to attract the most attention to your posts.
Pinterest launched over two years ago and already its membership, which is an invitation only site adding to its mystique, has been experiencing over 11 million hits a week! That’s a remarkable growth rate of 4000% and it’s not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. A Pinterest fact that many people may not know is that a high proportion of its 10.4 million users are female so it’s a great place for fashion, health and beauty businesses. Obviously there are a massive amount of male users still so we are definitely not to be discounted by any means.
To join Pinterest you will need an invitation, and the only way to get that is to already know somebody on the site and get them to invite you via email, Facebook or Twitter etc. There is an open sign-up tool, but there is a waiting list and who knows how long you will have to wait. Good luck and happy pinning!
Paul Anderson is a Digital Marketing Expert who writes the for I Say! Digital Social Media Blog.
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