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I know, I know…it seems like as soon as we all get the hang of promoting our businesses on the latest social media platform another one swoops in to steal the spotlight. First it was Facebook, then LinkedIn, then Twitter; and let’s not forget Google+ among the plethora of others. While some may still be scrambling to figure out how to juggle their company’s profile on all these social media sites, one more ball has been added to the rotation, and this one definitely shouldn’t be dropped. It’s called Pinterest—a virtual pinboard for users to post, share, and “re-pin” inspirational images and DIY projects, which they categorize as ideas for, say, their future wedding or dream home. With a simple, welcoming interface and the ability to organize an infinite amount of images found online and follow other users, Pinterest seems to marry the best aspects of Facebook and Twitter, and be void of any “corporate” tones that one might get from LinkedIn. So how can this latest-and-greatest social media site help your business? Easy. First you should create a personal account to become familiar with the online community. Once you realize how user-friendly, creative, (and addicting!) it is, you can create a profile for your company. Have products to sell? Post high-quality images of each item with informative captions. Don’t have products? No problem, you can also create boards that have images of things that are related to your services or that are pertinent to your field and might be interesting to your followers. The key is to post regularly and only the best images you can find, or create, to encourage your followers and other Pinterest users to click on (or better yet, re-pin) your image for more information.
Here are two great articles for more information about Pinterest and how it can be a part of your company’s marketing strategy:
How Pinterest is Becoming the Next Big Thing in Social Media for Business
Like it, Pin it, Sell it – Why Pinterest Matters for Your Business
Also, check back on Friday when this month’s guest blogger, Blake Robinson, of Blake Robinson Photography, explains the importance of getting professional photographs.
What a great post-thanks for sharing these terrific articles. I just started using Pinterest and have much to learn, but even in the small amount of time, it has driven significant traffic to my blog. It’s fun, but I have to make sure not to spend too much time there! Makes me wonder: what will the next thing be?!
Hi Robin – That’s great you’re exploring Pinterest; and yes, as with most social media sites, Pinterest can definitely be a destination for distraction, but as long as users have a plan to regulate their posts they can use the site to successfully promote their business (like you did for your blog). Thanks for sharing!
Heads up – Do be careful about posting other people’s images. Best to ask permission first before pinning because you are legally liable if that photographer/image creator/artist decides to sue you for copyright violation, which they legally can do. These two articles just came out today, both by the same lawyer/photographer.
http://ddkportraits.com/2012/02/why-i-tearfully-deleted-my-pinterest-inspiration-boards/
http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-copyright-issues-lawyer-2012-2
Update on my previous posting from the founder of Pinterest:
http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterests-cofounder-were-still-trying-to-figure-out-copyright-laws-2012-3
Again, most will be flattered to have you pin, but best practices are to ask first until this issue is better defined.
Hi Donna – Absolutely. One of the main concerns with using information from the Internet is when does a private media file become public, or how to display something publicly and still maintain creator’s rights? It’s something a lot of people are unaware of and, as you pointed out, can lead to real legal problems. It seems like with anything that is taken from the web, one should err on the side of caution and use their own images, those from someone they know and from whom they have permission, or from a royalty-free site. As designers and writers, we can appreciate the value of intellectual property and rights protection and would not want to encourage anyone to skirt the IP rights of others. Thanks for you comment!