Why Pinterest is The Next Best Thing for Businesses

Pinterest is the new player in the field of Social Media and I find that most of the business owners I speak to fail to see the fantastic potential is presents when included in your marketing plan.

What is Pinterest? In a nut shell it is a virtual pinboard where you can "curate and share things you love." With millions of new "pins" a week, not only do "pinners" consider posting and reposting stuff they love fun and inspirational, but also Pinterest has already proven itself as a powerful social media platform. Businesses are joining Pinterest to display product, create brand awareness, build communities and, in some cases, grow profits by leaps and bounds.

So just like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, this social bookmarking site has launched pages exclusively for businesses.

 
Setting up a business page is crucial for any type of business. Product driven businesses seem to have an advantage- but only at a glance. Pinterest can be a great tool to generate new traffic and leads for B2B and service-based businesses too.
So how can you use visuals to speak to the value of a service or product that doesn’t include a line of trendy clothing or ornate jewelry? Here are a few ideas from The Successful Soloist - a small business advisor Marla Tabaca from www.inc.com.

• Find powerful images to enhance your blog articles and post them on Pinterest, linking back to the article. And don't forget your call to action; we want to convert these new visitors! 
• If you have written a blog, e-book, white paper, or report? Your cover images are a great pin! 
• Infographics are hot! Use images from your marketing materials or website to pique the interest of your audience. 
• Lifestyle photographs really catch the eye of the beholder. Have you written an article using colorful metaphors to demonstrate your point? Locate an image of an animal, baby, beautiful vacation spot, or a scrumptious dessert to complete your metaphor and you have a winning pin! 
• Get your customers involved by asking them to submit images of themselves or something that relates to your business. A happy customer is an image that everyone will connect with. 
• Pin images of your employees at work or enjoying everyday life. Consumers love to connect to a company in this way. 
• Have pictures taken at your events. A shot of you in front of a captivated audience positions you as the expert that you are. (Be careful to not violate the privacy of audience members.) 

add custom Pinterest tab to your Facebook page

What advantages do you have as soon as you start pinning? Well, to start with your pinning activity can be visible on your Facebook Page - you can also add a separate Pinterest tab  if you wish to look into it. There is a very handy PIN IT button you can add to your browser's bookmarks toolbar in Pinsterest account settings, that allows you to easily pin images whenever you come across one online.

The second big advantage- is even if you are pinning images from other sources, you can edit the discription and pump it with all promotional information you want. Even though clicking on the pin will take the audience to its original source, you can add links in the discription to point to the destination you choose. 

What do you need to do to get your business on Pinterest? You can sign up for a Business account or f you already have a Pinterest account convert it into the Business one.

How are you using Pinterest and what are your results? Even if you're enjoying it as a hobby, Pinterest appears to be a worthwhile place to visit but it’s still new on the social media scene. So let me know if you've found other unique ways to add to this great community of pinners! Meanwhile, I'll see you there!

EZ Marketing - Marketing services for small to medium businesses