You may have heard the word ‘Pinterest‘ lately – or maybe you’re ahead of the curve and you’re already using (eh hem, obsessing!) Pinterest. I saw a joke on Facebook the other day that said, “So, while all the girls are on Pinterest, let’s talk about them.” And, for the most part, that’s totally true. Over 10 million users and growing quickly – amazingly, Pinterest is still supposedly in beta. Pssssst – I’m on Pinterest. Find and friend me here!
From a business angle, Pinterest is funded by $38 million dollars so the owners certainly have the runway to do it right – and right they are doing it! Here’s how you can use Pinterest to benefit your business and at the very least, have a lot of fun doing it. Warning: Pinterest is addicting. It may even (lowers voice) take the place of Facebook for your social media time wasting. Oh wait, did I say that? I meant, useful business tool!
(1) Set up your Pinterest account. You can go to Pinterest.com and request a Beta invite. You’ll get one within a few days.
(2) Once you’re on, set up boards. These are like virtual pegboards that you place photos onto that are themed. You can edit the names on the boards but think strategically – what do you find interesting? I have boards about babies (naturally since Jamisen is my happy obsession), recipes (healthy and not healthy), soap, inspirational quotes and DIY projects.
(3) Start pinning! You can download an add-on to all the browsers that let you “pin” (which means posting photos and links of cool things you see on the ‘net) photos and links or you click the “Pin It” button (top right) and then copy the URL into the box and click “Find Images.” Pick the best, most luscious image, write a description and “Pin It!”
That’s it! Now, you’re pinterest’ing. You go, you trendy person!
PS – If you want extra credit, here are some tips to make this work for your business:
(a) Talk it out – Comment and “Like” peoples’ photos and boards. This is like social media 101: give a little, get a little. It’s all about the art of reciprocity with social media and Pinterest is no different.
(b) Be not a pusher – It’s great that you think your soap/teddy bears/printer cartridges are the most amazing thing that was ever created/invented/produced/purchased. You can tell people that. Subtly. Sparingly. Do not post your own products more than you post other peoples’ projects/products/recipes/cat memes. You can sprinkle your own stuff in but this is a conversation, not a one-way radio transmission.
(c) Photography is everything – Pinterest is like a cooler, more hip collage (and yes, I fully understand that I’m dating myself because no one born after 1987 knows what a magazine collage is). Beautiful photography matters. Pick the BEST photos if you’re posting anything (especially your own products/ideas/blogs/recipes/favorite photos of hobbits/etc…).
(d) Likes and Repins are like scores – The more ‘likes’ and ‘repins’ (people posting your recipes/blogs/pet lizard photos/candy ideas to their wall), the cooler you and the greater reach you have. The more followers you have and the more you interact with people, the larger the numbers you’ll get and the larger reach you’ll have.
Now, go forth and get obsessed with pinning. I’ll see you there!
I absolutely love that I can keep track of all the ideas I find on the internet. Here are my boards: http://pinterest.com/bathalchemy/
Working on building a large ‘database’ of soap inspiration and tutorials/recipes.
Pinterest is the greatest time suck of all time. And I LOVE it!!! I’m so glad you’re on Pinterest. I’m also glad that you not only have a gorgeous soap board but also a vegan board. We eat meat but have been looking for more vegan recipes to try as I cut out some of the meat we eat. Can’t wait to check out your pins!
I love Pinterest I think it’s a great way to help others as well! I am following your boards! Love packaging ideas! Here is my link 🙂
http://pinterest.com/beachgirlgoods/
Thanks for all your blogs!
Michelle
Thanks! Following a few of your boards now =)
Love it! People post some pretty neat stuff. How in the world will I ever try all those recipes?
A-M I’m following you now too.
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a while, but not commented before.. I’m a lurker.. 😉
But I just wanted to point out a couple of things regarding Pinterest. First of all, Pinterest’s Terms of Use say that you can only pin images if you have the copyright owner’s permission. I know that that is rarely the case on Pinterest (most people don’t read TOUs..).
And yes, pinning an image is making a copy of it. Pinterest actually saves a copy of the full size (or atleast 500px wide) image and the TOUs also say that Pinterest users give Pinterest permission to sell /make money from the images we pin. Making money off someone else’s work and they may never even get a say in the matter because they don’t know the image is there.
One thing that is really really important when using Pinterest is to always make sure that the image is linked to the original source. If you see an image on a blog, check that it was actually taken by that blogger. If not, find the proper source and pin it from there. And if you can’t find the source, don’t pin the image.
Sorry to be a bit of a spoil sport, but this is important stuff. 🙂
There’s a very interesting article about this here which I encourage you to read. http://greekgeek.hubpages.com/hub/Is-Pinterest-a-Haven-for-Copyright-Violations
*gets off soap box* (pun intended!)
That’s a great point! It’s always best to ask permission.
Another interesting bit of information, Pinterest has a little piece of code you can add to your site if you don’t want people to pin your images without your permission. So that’s a great thing to keep in mind if you are concerned about your images.
http://pinterest.com/about/help/
I’m on there already http://www.pinterest.com/twoblooms Great post and good tips.
Aaargh… I got sucked in, & barely made it out alive :o)
Ha ha. You just made me laugh aloud =) Nice one!
Love it! Found it in early November last year and have to ration myself to visiting only every couple of days…lol. I am following you now Anne-Marie 🙂
Thanks! What’s your user name? I want to follow you back! =)
My user name is tanyachappell 🙂
https://pinterest.com/tanyachappell/
I’m slowly getting on board with pinterest. Here are my boards: http://pinterest.com/gr8cate/
Love your beach board! I am excited to follow you. =))
Pinterest is how I came to the wonderful world of soap! My husband even loves it! I find him at the computer, with his coffee, on the weekend checking it out!
Oh fun! Welcome to soapmaking =) I’m so happy you found this blog too.
Your husband sounds hilarious. My husband hasn’t gotten the bug which is good, since he’s got enough distractions without the Pinterest obsession hitting him too. =)