Marketing for Pinterest: Must Haves in Every Pin

Part 2 in a series – read Marketing for Facebook here!

Pinterest is hot! But before we even get to that point I know you’re thinking, “I’m on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Social media already overwhelms me…do I need to be on Pinterest too?” I think so, here’s why: Pinterest is referring more web traffic to websites than some of the other platforms combined!

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

Pinterest is gaining enormous traction in just the last couple months. Unique visitors to the site grew 400% from September to December 2011 and it’s quickly becoming a favorite tool, especially among the design and retail communities.

In my opinion, it’s a must for every brand…even those so called “non visual” brands!

Just like everything there are certainly best practices on Pinterest too.

Five Things Every Pin Should Have:

Hashtags: Hashtags work the same on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Basically it is a way to categories content that is helpful when people are searching. Think of what people might search for in order to get this pin to appear and use appropriate hashtags.
Links: Links are under-utilized and very powerful. Of course when people click the pin, they will be taken to the link where the image was pinned from but you can also include a link in the description that takes people right to a specific page that you want them to go to.
Keyword Rich Description: Similar to hashtags, you want your image to show up when people are looking for it. In the caption box write a full and rich description that includes keywords that people would use when they type in the search box.
Proper Boards: Many people (especially on mobile) search based on categories (i.e. Women’s Fashion, DIY & Crafts, Home Decor, Hair & Beauty, Food & Drink, etc). Pin your content to the appropriate board to make sure you’re showing up in there.
Price Wrapper: Putting a price wrapper on a pin is beautifully simple. In the description type a $ and then the numerical value. This is important because if people are searching for a gift, they can choose their spending range. If your product is within that range, it will appear as a potential gift for them to purchase.

In the spirit of community and giving you an opportunity to get more exposure, go ahead and follow my company page. Right after you do, I’ll follow you back and then I’ll invite you to a collaborative board that gets many more eyeballs than non-collaborative boards.

Talk to you soon,

Katrina

Editor’s note: Remember if you are pinning from other sites to always be sure your pin links back to the source and you’ve made sure the site/content creator allows pinning! If in doubt check out this post from the archives on ethical pinning. Questions? Post them in the comments!

Katrina Padron | Padron Social Marketing

We have a simple truth. You don’t need fans; you need sales. Any social media agency can get you fans, but we bring customers to you. Every day millions of people are online and we found ways to bring your ideal target market to you for building a brand, launching new products and increasing sales. We’ve helped start-ups and multi-million dollar companies create a solid strategy and would love to offer you a fifteen minute social solution session where we create a plan to get you un-stuck. Please click here and let us know you are interested.