How to use Pinterest for business

I am a serial "pinner" myself. I have a personal Pinterest donning tonnes of pins of living spaces, healthy recipes, workouts to get those abs I will more than likely never see because let's face it, donuts are life. What I never considered was Pinterest for business.

Unless you have an Etsy store (Etsy, another great love affair of mine), I didn't give Pinterest the recognition it deserved as a viable platform for growing your business or exposure. It wasn't until I traveled to Europe that I discovered it's value in increasing visibility for your brand. When planning my itinerary for each destination across Europe, I would frequently use Pinterest for inspiration. I found that stunning imagery was often connected to a fabulous blog post that planned the perfect ways to soak up Spain, the top things to do in Prague and the must eat hot spots in Paris.

It occurred to me that not only is Pinterest the greatest inspirational mood board of our time but that it is a business fundamental that drives traffic to your website. With the rat race that is Google ranking, it is increasingly difficult to have your content discover-able. If you are a start-up you will understand the joys of organically moving up the ranks of Google making it impossible for potential audience to find your content.

Here are some reasons why we think that Pinterest is a MUST for growing your business online;

1. LINKING DIRECT TO YOUR WEBSITE

Pinterest allows you to link a specific URL to any pin you upload to Pinterest. Unless you copy a link to every piece of content you publish on Facebook or continuously ask your followers to refer to the link in your Instagram bio, content often goes without the all important website link. Everything you upload to Pinterest can be connected to a link of your choosing making it exceptionally easy for your Pinterest audience to learn more about your brand or product through your website

2. PINNERS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC

While Facebook and Instagram are used to market businesses, a great percentage of users are simply there to share memes, creep their ex's new partner and keep up to date with their social group. Pinterest is the platform for Seek-And-You-Shall-Find. Almost always, Pinners are using this app daily to source inspirational quotes and design, find a new wardrobe or hairstyle, learn how to DIY, plan the perfect getaway or in our case BUSINESS. If you have a product or service, a blog or informative content, chances are someone will be searching for it. No hashtag strategy or promotional campaigns required.

3. PINS STICK AROUND FOR LONGER

A status you read on Facebook will no doubt we swept away by the sea of constant FB updates and with people posting to Instagram by the second, your trending hashtag might just not cut it. Pinterest content on the other hand will appear as soon the Key Words are typed into the search window. If you have uploaded a pin 1 year ago with a business blog for how to increase growth with Pinterest and someone searches it BOOM, dust off the cobwebs, your old content is coming out to play.

4. PIN IT = PROMOTION

Let other people promote your brand. Sounds like bliss! Website templates are now offering a Pin-It Button. This will mean that if anyone pins something direct from your website it will be saved to their own board for their online audience to see. How good is that! When people re-pin your Pinterest content, this instantly promotes you too.

Now that we've convinced you, here is how to start Pinterest for Business;

1. CREATE A BUSINESS PINTEREST ACCOUNT

The obvious first step. Upload your logo as your display picture and give the audience a run down of what your business does and where your business is located. Pinterest for Business offers fantastic Analytics to track the activity of your pins. You can track how many times your pin has appeared in a search and how many times the audience has followed the attached link. Once you begin to see results, you'll be hooked.

2. MAKE YOUR CONTENT PIN-WORTHY

Crucial! It is equally as important creating beautiful pins as it is nailing your Instagram content. Attract your audience by uploading pins that are bright, eye catching and beautiful.

- Use Canva to develop your imagery. Canva have a Pinterest template to ensure that your pins are vertical. Vertical imagery receive more re-pins than horizantal. Fact. Using canva for your Pinterest needs, will assist with creating cohesive boards in the correct format.

- Use Canva to add text to your graphic. Adding text which overlaps your graphic will tell the audience what the pin is about.

- Add your website and logo to the content you upload. If someone re-pins, this is promotion for your business.

3. INSTALL A PIN BUTTON ON YOUR WEBSITE

When your audience is trawling through your website, we want them to be able to pin things to their boards. If they can pin directly from your site, your content will then be live on Pinterest and people will be promoting your business. It could even go viral! Don't sell yourself short by not have a Pin Button!

4. KEEP YOUR BRAND IN MIND WHEN PINNING

Like Instagram, we want your Pinterest to be cohesive and reflect your brand. We all like pictures of puppies and booty gains but unless you're in the animal or fitness industry, it probably isn't relevant to your brand. Irrelevant boards may confuse your audience when they come across your profile. We urge you to create private boards so that they are only visible to you.

That's all from me folks!