Are you addicted to Pinterest yet? More than just a fun online destination for procrastination and dreaming, Pinterest can drive real traffic to your website and build community with your audience. IF you use it effectively (and don’t spend too much time lost in the pins…)
For VintageAmanda (my natural beauty business), Pinterest is my biggest source of social media traffic – and one of my biggest traffic sources, period.
And unlike media hits which create a traffic surge for a day or two, my Pinterest traffic is consistent.
Here are my 3 tips for getting Pinterest to start generating traffic for your business.
1. It’s about a lifestyle, not just a product.
If you’re a yoga teacher, you might want to pin yoga poses. But what about yoga gear, and yoga retreats? And what about the rest of your customers’ lives? Their entire life isn’t about yoga… so what else do they like? Healthy food, travel, clothing, natural beauty products, handmade jewelry?
If you’re a health coach, an obvious place to start is by pinning healthy, whole foods. Definitely do this! But rather than generic ‘healthy food’, consider creating topic specific boards. How about a “juices and smoothies” board, or “whole grains” or “kid-friendly meals”? Then, think about the rest of your client’s lifestyle. What about exercise? Vacations? Organic beauty products? Nature? Sustainable fashion? What about inspirational images to motivate your ideal client?
Think about YOUR ideal client, and all aspects of her lifestyle. What are her goals, dreams and aspirations? What does she enjoy looking at or shopping for? Consider creating pinboards to reflect all aspects of your clients ideal lifestyle.
2. Don’t just pin your own stuff.
There is a real tendency to pin every single one of your blog posts and recipes, and to forget about pinning anything else.
Yes, your own pins will drive traffic to your website – but they won’t build you a strong community of followers.
The value of Pinterest is in curating the thousands – millions – of images, ideas and projects available and highlighting those which are most relevant for your readers.
So make sure to include pins from many different sources … AND your own stuff. Then you’ll be a part of the Pinterest community, rather than someone who is just self-promoting.
3. Be useful.
Just like on your own blog and the rest of social media – you want to show that you understand your ideal customer, her challenges and her dreams. So pin and repin information with that in mind.
One of my favorite pinboards to create is resources to achieve a specific goal. For example, you might create a pinboard about “Juicing resources” and include pins of your favorite books on Amazon, your favorite blogs, and the juicer that you prefer. Or you might create a pinboard just of those blogs or books you know and love.
Giving people a list of resources to solve their specific problems saves them time AND establishes you as a knowledgeable source on that topic.
How do you use Pinterest for your business? Have you found it useful? And if you are totally new to Pinterest and need a tutorial, let me know!