Tips tricks and inspiration regarding how to use pinterest as a business marketing tool

1. April 14 & 15, 2014
Julie Kittredge
Business Services Advisor
Arlington Heights Memorial Library

2. What is Pinterest? ?
 Social Media platform that was started in March 2010
 Serves as a visual bookmarking and link-sharing
platform
 Users “pin” photos from websites which link the viewer
back to the website where the photo was posted
 Users create boards to organize and share images
 Users can also upload images
 80% of users are females between 25-34 years old
 Additional statistics can be found here.

3. Why Pinterest for Business?
 Drive referral traffic to your website or blog
 Share content to attract new customers
 Create a platform for visibility
 Establish your expertise in your industry
 Educate customers regarding your business or industry
 Gain inspiration for your own business
 Keep an eye on or learn from your competitors
 Great for referrals
“Purchasers are 71% more likely to buy a product or service if it was
recommended by a friend on social media”-HubSpot, January 2012

4. Personal Account vs. Business?
 Personal accounts can give a glimpse into your personality
 Business accounts can be dedicated to
 your branding
 customer education
 You can convert an existing personal account to a business
account.
 Benefits of business accounts include insights and analytics
 Number of unique users, repins, likes, views, etc.
 Additional resources such as “Pin it” buttons to install on your
website
 Always include your website and/or facebook page url
 Your profile image should either be your headshot, your logo, or
an item that is representative of your products
Check out “Steve”

5. Inspiration: Content Ideas
 What does your company offer?
 Your work or services
 Share links to your products (etsy, e-commerce site)
 What is interesting to your target market?
 What images could reflect your branding?
 What images or links relate to your industry?
 What could be educational to my customer?
 Example: Photographer might include a board of what to
wear, or ways to display images
 Create a referral board for local
businesses, affiliates, partners or organizations
(networking)

6. Secret Boards
 Collaborate with Co-workers
 Great for planning a tradeshow, conference, events
 Preparing for a product launch
 Work collaboratively with a client
 Have them pin what they like
 Curate insight into what your customers like
 Great for branding ideas as you develop a new business or a
re-branding
 Secret boards can be converted to a public board, but once
public, it cannot be changed.
 Collect gift ideas for customers (or family!)

7. Content “rules”
 Strike a balance
 30% business
 30% branding or identity
 30% personal (recipes, lifestyle, decor)

8. Real Life Inspiration
 Photographer – wall displays
 Artist – Katie Daisy
 Landscape design – backyard bliss
 Retail - anthropologie
 Etsy shop owner – Studio Jewel
 Interior designer – color swatch ideas
 Arlington Heights Library

9. Increase Your Followers
 Follow others on Pinterest
 Pin regularly = visibility
 Embed the “Pin it” or “Follow Me on Pinterest” button on
your website or blog
 Pin content from your blog to drive traffic back to it
 Pin content from your shop
 Share a link to your social media (facebook, youtube)
 Share a link to an individual pinterest pin or board on
social media
 Pinning great content will create a visual personality for
your business

10. Install the button
 Go to the Pinterest “Goodies” Page
 Install the pin-it button to your bookmarks bar
 Allows you to pin from any website
 Simplifies your ability to curate content based on your
surfing habits.
 Can pin for both personal and business (like the artist
example earlier)

11. Image details
 Image size and image quality does matter
 Cheat sheet for images sizing
 Basically, a minimum of 735 pixels in width – height will
be adjusted based on the size of the image
 Beautiful images get repinned
 Pixelated or too small to view = unprofessional
 Example – AHML book pins

12. Additional assistance
 One on one appointments with Business Services
 Get set up on Pinterest
 Get ideas for how your business can make the most of it
 Tutorials in the AHML Databases
 Lynda.com
 Atomic Training
 Learn for Life (Gale Courses)

13. Further Resources
 Book: Pinfluence: The Complete Guide to Marketing
Your Business with Pinterest by Beth Hayden
 Best Practices for Brands Using Pinterest
 http://bryannagy.com/2012/05/13/best-practices-for-
brands-using-pinterest/
 Grow your blog with Pinterest
 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/grow-your-blog-
with-pinterest/
 Pinterest tips for your business
 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-tips-
for-your-business/