Aug 1, 2013
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Get Noticed on the (P)internet
Pinterest is a photo-based sharing site in which users create collections (called boards) of photos (called pins) that interest them, much like a virtual corkboard. The beauty of the concept is that it allows people to virtually window-shop the Internet. Now, just like an actual store puts a lot of effort into creating an eye-catching storefront that will draw customers into the store, Pinterest can become your digital storefront that will lead customers to your website if you are willing to do what it takes. In fact, it can even become your number one source of Internet traffic as it has for companies like Etsy.com.
On Pinterest, users find images they like on websites or that others have already pinned on their own boards. These pictures also serve as a link to the website from which they were originally taken. In other words, if you can successfully get someone to pin an image from your site, you are essentially getting free advertising on that person’s board, as well as anyone else who sees it and repins it on their own board.
Here are three tips that are sure to get your images pinned!
Make it shine!
If your images are eye-catching, they are much more likely to get pinned. It’s not enough to just have a mediocre photo of your product to show customers what you offer. The images must be creative, artistic, and attractive if you want to get on people’s boards. One great example of this is Moop, a company that sells handmade canvas bags. On their Moopshop Pinterest account they post beautiful images of not only their bags, but also of attractive products from other companies that appeal to a similar audience.
(Hint: Pinning others’ products that would also appeal to your audience brings more people to your Pinterest boards where they will also see products and are just one click away from your website!)
Tell a story!
Tell a story with your images! Every product has a story to tell. Finding that story is the key to going “viral” (getting people talking about your product). For example, if you sell homes, don’t just post great images of your homes. What makes you different? Post images of people doing interesting things at the homes like having a water-balloon fight outside or mowing the lawn with just a pair of scissors. Quirky images like that are great! They get people talking. They make it fun!
(Hint: Using hashtags like #WaterFight and #MowingTheLawn, in this case, is a good way to get your pictures noticed by people who might otherwise never see them. It’s kind of like getting your finger in multiple pies, rather than just the “Home Buyers” pie.)
The blog Something’s Hiding In Here does this really well, which is why they have well over 5,000 followers!
Make your site’s content is (P)interesting!
Like I mentioned before, the images that get pinned are actually just cleverly disguised links back to the site from which they came, so if you can provide good content on the site itself and attach a great photo to it, your pin-potential will skyrocket. In other words, people will post some images just because they like the image, but they’re way more likely to post it if they’re also interested in what it links to. For example, if an image of some vegetables has a caption beneath it that says “Eating these 5 vegetables once a week has been proven to decrease the likelihood of getting cancer by up to 80%!”, it’s a lot more likely to get repinned than just a picture of vegetables. Obviously there has to be validity to whatever is being claimed in the caption and can be backed up by the content on your site. DaisyJanie, a fabric designer, does this better than most by posting how-to guides on her sites that her photos link to. So offer something that people will be (p)interested in and watch the web traffic shoot through the roof!
A great way to have lots of success with Pinterest is to make your stuff so pin-able that others will actually promote it for you! If it’s interesting enough, they’ll be all over it. You can also include a small “Pin-It” button on any web page that might have pictures/content worth pinning to make it even easier for others to share your images. Check out Pinterest for Businesses for more guidelines and tips. And happy pinning!