Six Ways to Make Pinterest Work for Your Business

Let me dispel a myth for you, Pinterest is not only for wedding planning & fashion lusting, it has immense potential for business, regardless of industry. Yes it takes time, yes you need work at it, but these tips will help you embrace Pinterest and utilise its power to enhance and promote your business.

Make a Plan

Get a big piece of paper, in the centre write your business name, from that central point ask yourself;

What do I want from Pinterest? 

• Drive traffic to your website

• Build brand awareness

• Acquire new customers

• Inspiring/Educating 

• Sales of products and/or services

Once you have this list, you can start to build a plan and create goals. It is worth keeping this piece of paper, and revisit from time to time to ensure you are still working towards your goals. 

Know Your Audience 

As with all aspects of business, knowing your audience is key. By understanding what they want from you, you can ensure that the content you share across all social channels including Pinterest is on brand and provides your audience with what they need. If you aren't sure who your audience is on Pinterest, take a look at your direct competitors, how are they engaging.

Set Up as a Business Account 

This is the most common mistake I find with brands, they set up a personal account and then have a couple of boards that are related to their brand and then go wild pinning things that really belong on a personal page. If you wouldn't share personal posts on your brands Facebook or Twitter page, then don't pin personally on Pinterest. 

Once you have set up as a business account you can then go ahead and verify your website, this enables Pinterest to scour your website and provide analytics, which in turn will allow you to see how your pins are performing. 

Understand Keywords & Optimisation 

When naming your account Pinterest allows you to use your personal name and brand name in your account title. To ensure people & Google can find you then your bio should also contain your list of brand/business keywords. As there is a limit to the number of characters you can use, it's important you use them productively.  

Board titles are also critical and should include keywords and phrases that will be easy to find in a search, again either by a user or Google. You can also create board descriptions, this is another opportunity to share your brand message; keep the content short, snappy and always on point. Ambiguity gets you no where  

The titles of the images them selves are also incredibly important, just as you would rename images within blog posts, to allow for easy searching, it's important to be sure to use your brand keywords to rename them. As with the board descriptions, pin descriptions should be concise, on brand, relevant

Size Matters 

Pinterest is after all a visual representation of your brand, and as such you want to ensure that every follower and visitor has a positive experience, to make sure your boards and pins look as inviting as they can pay attention to the size of your images.

Caitlin Muir is quick to stress the greater impact long, portrait pins have, “They drive traffic because they require you to click on them so you can see the full size [to read them].”

You can find a list of the optimal sizes here 

Update Regularly & Harness The Power of Seasons

This one may not seem to be an important point, but in terms of keeping your boards and profile engaging and up to date, creating seasonal boards is a must. Every industry has seasons, whether its fashion sharing new collections, foodie brands sharing seasonal produce tips or even a building firm sharing how to guides for surviving the winter.

The aim of Pinterest is to keep people coming back for more, not simply visiting once, never to be seen again. Give them a good reason to come back, make every visit worth their while.  

So there you have it, we've covered a lot of territory and these are just a few ways you really make an impact on Pinterest. There are so many other tips and tricks that I can share with you, so I will be making a Pinterest Series, if you have any questions or would like me to expand on any particular areas by all means leave a comment or you can tweet me

Twitter Analytics For iOS Mobile App Users

At last, Twitter have launched an analytics dashboard for iOS users, allowing for on the move access to engagement and interaction statistics.

First up, you need the latest updated of the app for iPhone, once done, simply click on one of your tweets and nestled below you will see "View Tweet Activity" 

How fitting that it would be announced in the form of a tweet, although not from the business itself but from front end engineer Ian Chan Twitter would announce the unveiling of their mobile analytics via a tweet. It's been a long time coming, and I thought I should share what it means for users...

In order to view the analytics data, you simply need to update to the latest version of Twitter for iPhone, click on one of your tweets to get to its detail page and tap “View Tweet Activity.”

You’ll then be presented with a top line range of analytics information, including impressions and engagement any given tweet has received, stats include; 

• How many people clicked the link within the tweet
• How many people clicked to expand the tweet
• How many favourites the tweet received
• How many clicked through to your profile or bio

Additionally, it offers tailored analytics depending on the type of tweet, for example if the tweet includes a link, then details of click through will be shown, but also those that are not notable enough for sharing. 

As it stands there's no word on Android support yet, but like all things I'm sure it’ll arrive in due course – with more users (and marketers) operating out of their mobile devices, analytics support on mobile has been long overdue and a very welcome addition. 

This update will not only assist individuals and SME's who manage social in-house, to get a faster grasp on engagement, it will also improve the on-the-go nature of the industry. 

The change is another step forward by Twitter, making data more broadly available to its users, regardless of industry or level of digital marketing skill, it comes off the back of their analytics dashboard that was launched to the public earlier this year. 

The tool was initially targeted at Twitter advertisers and publishers, those who are more likely to be tracking things like impressions, replies and clicks on a regular basis in order to analyse their own social media strategies, or that of their clients, as in my case. Previously the company had already offered advertisers data about tweets they’d paid to promote, but the same was not offered to "organic" tweets until the analytics dashboard. 

On the web, the dashboard provides understandably more detailed statistics, showing organic impressions and engagements, charts detailing performance, tweet previews and detailed engagement metrics for each post, and the ability to export your data and permalinks for further analysis. 

How Brands Can Embrace Instagram

Instagram is now the second largest and fastest growing social platform, and has been since December 2014.  They have increased users by 50% and have far surpassed Twitter's 284 million active users, to 300 million. 

The reasons for this are simple. It appeals to millennials, provides stunning visuals and allows for in-depth editing that no other platform does. It allows for sharing, engagement and creativity in a way that no other platform allows for or supports. 

There are distinct ways in which brands can successfully incorporate Instagram into marketing strategies. 

Create A Visual Tone of Voice 

Just as any other platform where your brand is presented to the world, consideration must be taken as to how the brand is seen. If your store front/website have a clean, white backdrop, with simple imagery, use that design lead for your Instagram account. 

Although there are more than 10 different filters, in addition to the more niche editing tools, you do not need to embrace every single one. Instead choose a filter that suits your visuals and stick with it. Below is Kate, a blogger who fully embraces this ideal, she has a sleek, clear visual tone of voice that is brought through from her blog and continues across all of her social presences. This is not only aesthetically appealing, it is also a way of defining a brand, creating a visual that users will recognise. 

Quality Over Quantity 

It can be extremely tempting to launch yourself, and your business onto a new platform with a bang. However, in the case of Instagram, quality out weighs quantity, every time.

As with other platforms, creating a schedule for posting will help to ensure that consistency is maintained, whilst brand tone of voice isn't lost. Instagram is a highly visual platform, and struggling to post too frequently often creates pressure and potentially leads to a drop in quality. So keep it smart, engaging, and most of all relevant to your followers. 

Forever 21 do this perfectly, they post once a day, they vary the content whilst sticking to a visual tone of voice that replicates the brand. It appeals to the audience, both current and potential. 

Embrace Hashtags 

Hashtags are important, for a number of reasons. Firstly they increase search-ability, whilst also informing fans of a way they can engage with the brand, by using them on their own channel. Secondly they expand your audience beyond your followers, as they can be searched by any user. 

However, as with the number of times you post, don't over egg it. Considered hashtags can have a staggering impact on post reach and engagement, over use of them can have a detrimental affect.

Before you add a hashtag, do your research; who is using it? Do they fit with your brand voice and objectives?  

Converse do this by simply using 1-3 hashtags on each image that link to particular lines of shoes, or events they are attending. 

Consider Audience 

Users follow other users for a variety of reasons, usually because they appreciate the products you sell and want additional content to engage with. Keeping this in mind, don't simply blanket all of your social channels with the same content at the same time. 

Consider that each follower may also follow you on Twitter and Facebook, in addition to receiving your newsletter etc. That being said, it may, on the flip side be the only platform they have encountered your brand, meaning it must represent who you are and what you do. Keep the content fresh and non repetitive, engaging and thoughtful. Even if, in your mind, its a simple photo, there is so much more that can be conveyed. 

The graphic below shows the breakdown of Instagram demographics, as well as usage levels.

via Contevo

Don't Use As Sale Tool 

Although Instagram can be used to showcase products, it should not be used as a sales tool as it's first role. Instead think of it as a digital inspiration board, a platform for promotion and engagement. 

It is a way to engage with customers, both existing and potential. 

Engage with people, if they comment on your photo, reply. It's that simple. Follow people who engage with you regularly, show them appreciation, build a rapport with them. 

There are infinite other tips for embracing Instagram, however let's walk before we can run. By all means let me know your tips for Instagram plus any accounts you simply adore!

Until next time...