So by now I expect you have heard of Pinterest, which as a social network is essentially a pin board or online scrapbook which is making some serious waves in the connected world. It has been the fastest growing social network of recent times and thus far in 2012 has driven more traffic to online stores and brands than Twitter, Linked In and Google+. Breaking that down, the demographic that seems most prevalent with Pinterest is Women ages 25-34 but there is a healthy membership across all demographics.
The first crucial step to take is deciding whether your company and Pinterest are a match. Before investing the time in setting up your company’s presence on Pinterest, it is paramount to determine if your brand is compatible. Do you have a visual brand, with appealing visual products? Then Pinterest might be right for you, as Pinterest in a nutshell is about things that look good. If you don’t have something that is visually appealing to promote via Pinterest then your effort may be best put into other more suitable social media activities.
Next, you’ll need to get invited. As of writing this article, Pinterest is currently invite-only. However it is pretty easy to find someone across your networks who can invite you.
From here you need to identify what it is your customers and clients are looking for, and create boards with this in mind. Definitely do not just put up image after image of your own products without rhyme or reason. By creating boards that fit the lifestyles and interests of your clients and consumers, you are demonstrating that you understand them.
The final first step I recommend taking when bringing your company to a Pinterested audience is to create content that is exclusive to Pinterest. Consumers and clients are getting too savvy these days to be satisfied with seeing the same content just posted across Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, as well as Pinterest. Tailor your content to fit the audience you expect to see on each social network – where you may get more corporate and nuts and bolts on Linked In, on Pinterest you need to be more visually appealing, almost as if you are showing off the sizzle more than the steak of your product and brand.
