It’s no secret (thanks to multiple studies) that pins on Pinterest drive online sales and followers. Businesses who sell anything visual have a huge opportunity to grow their fanbase using pins.
Here’s the sad part — most Pinterest accounts run by companies are 100% self-promotional and 100% boring. How many times have you seen a Pinterest page with only two or three boards, showing only a meager few pins of the company’s own products? … I bet you didn’t follow it. When businesses pin only their own products or content, they completely miss the opportunity to make real connections.
Are you ready to use Pinterest in a way that builds followers and then turns followers into customers? Here are 11 fresh ideas.
What should my business pin on Pinterest?
- Your own products — Ok, ok, go ahead and pin your own products (in moderation). Boutiques should absolutely pin their own clothing, photographers should pin their own images, and realtors should pin their own listing photos. Just avoid looking self-centered and make sure this isn’t all you do.
- Your own blog posts — If you blog, include an image (like I did!) and pin it on a board that states transparently that it’s from your own blog (“Our Online Marketing Tips”). Do this for each blog post, but, again, don’t make your own content the only thing you post.
- Ideas that inspire your work — Here’s where it starts to get fun and your visitors start to click “Follow”. Pin things you like and that inspire what you do. An interior designer might post photos of inspirational rooms to give his or her clients fresh ideas. An artist might post photos of landscapes or nature scenes that inspire his creativity.
- Others’ tips or advice related to your industry — Do you follow someone with great insight on your business? Re-pin their photos or posts. A wedding planner might pin advice on choosing wedding colors, an Indian restaurant might pin a great recipe for tikka masala.
- Hometown inspiration — Where are you located? Pin your favorite activities, restaurants, and destinations. Local clients will appreciate your hometown pride.
Deschutes Brewing’s awesome “Our Backyard” board is a collection of Oregon products, destinations, and beautiful photos. - Employee boards of “Favorite Things” — Use Pinterest to introduce your team and their personalities. Start a board and add an employee as a “Collaborator” so he or she can pin favorite things of any topic. Your followers will better connect with your company if they can see that your staff shares their interests.
- Silly items that relate to your name — 11Web, for example, could pin photos that feature the number “11”. Hubspot, a marketing software company, pins to a just-for-fun board called “Things With Spots”
Hubspot’s fun board called “Things With Spots” - Inspiration for your work space — I have a board called “11Web HQ” where I pin my dreams of what our office could be someday. Are you a restaurant owner? You could find inspirational restaurant interiors and call the board “I’d Eat Here” If you have a boutique, you might pin photos of beautiful boutiques and include a caption about why they inspire you.
- Actual client idea boards – What’s more fun than seeing someone’s work in progress? A fashion stylist might make a public board of clothing and styling ideas for a particular client. It’s very engaging for potential clients to imagine what you might suggest for them. Emily Henderson, interior designer, has a board showing inspiration and final project photos of her design for Oh Joy Studio.
Emily Henderson, interior designer, shared a board showing inspiration and final project photos of her design for Oh Joy Studio. - Something that speaks to your company culture – Pinterest could be a great way to illustrate your company values. Does your company offer “Beer Fridays”? Pin your favorite beers. Are you an active company with team members who love running? Pin locations they’d love to run. Make sure to explain the board’s significance in the Edit Board > Description section.
- Your clients’ content – If you have clients or potential clients who also pin, don’t be afraid to share! Everyone loves seeing re-pins.
Do you have any more ideas? Have you seen a company using Pinterest in an interesting or fun way? Please share with me in the comments.
