How to use Pinterest to market your products and services.

Welcome back!

Two weeks ago we shared with you some basic Pinterest tips and how you can get started.

This week we drill deeper into how  to use Pinterest in more specific areas such as how to market your products and services, and also how to generate leads and sales for your business.

Pinterest’s goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ you find interesting. Things like your favorite places, art, food, or recipes can connect you with like minded people.

With millions of new “pins” added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the globe based on shared tastes and interests. You might have heard the expression “like attracts like”? Well, that’s Pinterest…

Pinterest seems to be the most recent, and the most talked about social network right now.

So, how can you leverage the power of this new platform for your Art & Design practice, and your online shop?

To leverage Pinterest firstly you need to become a member by invitation. Once you are a member you can start learning and exploring the whole new world of Pinterest. You will have lots of fun creating pin boards from any topic or trends that you can imagine. Our recommendation is that you take it slowly, learn the ropes, and brand your business at good pace.

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• Promote your products & services – Pin all your products or services by allocating them to a pin board product category. For example, Painting, Prints,Greeting cards, etc. If you are doing this way, your customer can get a wider visual perspective of all your products. Make sure each product has a link to direct the traffic back to your shopping cart. That way, people can make a purchase. If you are a service provider make sure it directs the traffic to a landing, or a squeeze page, so people can contact you or leave their details. This generates leads. Make sure each product or service image includes pricing. Use tags so that people can easily search for your images. And also to allow others users to post their own “pins”. Lastly add a Pinterest “Pin It” button to your own product pages and shopping cart so people can pin your product to their pin boards.

     

• Know your Ideal audience – You need to develop quality content that your audience will find engaging, interesting, and inspiring. Learn about your ideal customer and what they like, what they do, and how they participate and present themselves on Pinterest.
• Content Engagement – Use videos on your pin boards. Video footage is a great way to engage with your followers. We highly recommend you pin some of your favourite videos. Pinterest lets you highlight specific images from your blog or website – don’t forget to link back to the original site.
•  VIPs – Treat your followers and customers like very important people that they are,  and give them the exclusive news. Lets say you are working on a new product, or a new artwork. You can share it first with your followers. Find ways your followers can feel rewarded for their loyalty to you and your business. If you have any exclusive sneak peak of an important task or events like art work on progress, meetings or behind the scenes at a fashion show. You followers will feel extra special to be able to see all the tasks you do behind the scenes…
• Great mix of content – Pinterest is not about “YOU”, so your focus should be on your followers and your ideal customers. Mix up your content to make sure your pin boards don’t come across as all about  you and your business. People don’t want to see or listen to you self promote your business all the time. Try 30% focused on you, and 70% focused on others. That seems a good equation to use when you’re doing the pinning. 
• Inspire your audience – Being an artist, a designer, or a crafter means that you are constantly creating amazing products. It also means that inspiring people is part of your role too. So, use quotes, words, video, or just beautiful photographs to inspire your followers. Sometimes  it is easy to get carried away with pinning images, so keep every image relevant and inline with your business. Hold true to your brand.
• Be the leader in your field –  Keep content fresh and up to date. Educate your followers by creating different educational boards to help your followers to grow by featuring colours forecasts, fashion trends, how to do..,new big things on the market, to celebrity tributes. Be creative with your lists of boards (you can create as many as you want). Behave like a leader and set your own trends. If you are up to it, you can express your own point of  view as people  will follow you because of who you are and what you do. Become the main source of information for people. This means you need to display appropriate content on your boards and pin more original content rather than repin other people ‘s content
• Allow others users to post their own “pins” – Give your followers an opportunity to upload and showcase pictures themselves with your product, in your store, at your event or just air their views of the brand. People love to be heard, so here’s a way to get off your own soapbox and give them a go. This strategy has obvious risks though…
• Share the Spotlight with your followers – Pin images of your followers at your product launches, trade shows or workshop events. You do know how it feels when you see yourself in the spotlight. Your audience will love it too. They’ll quickly share their spotlight moment with their friends and social networks. To promote your business and your brand we would suggest that you are branding all your photographs with your logo and web address so that as they get repined your brand will be shared and will be come part of the conversation.

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What is Pinterest?