in: Pinterest
by: Sabina Hitchen
I am a self-professed Pinterest addict (this past year was a slipperly slope into total obsession) but don't you think that my love of the social networking site is purely personal! Sure I stockpile recipes, create virtual shopping lists of products I want to buy for myself and others and even dedicate a board to my love of New York City, but my passion for Pinterest runneth deeper! I think Pinterest is a power tool in your Small Business Tool Belt that you need to master - well that is if you want customers, visibility and traffic to your website. If not, go back to your regularly scheduled reading. But if you DO want to find out how use Pinterest to attract customers, lower your overhead and grow your brand read on!
We often hear talk of how product-based brands can increase sales and build their name recognition via Pinterest but what about service-based brands and experts? Too many think this social network is limited to people who sell pretty, pin-able products (say that three times quickly). The truth is, experts and service providers can max out on its brand building benefits as well. Here are some tactics every one of them should be employing!
PINTEREST POWER FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS & EXPERTS
Make Yourself & Pin-able: This means that there should be pin-worthy images on your blog or website that can link back to your content, offerings, services and even your "about us" section of your website.
Curate Information from the "World" You Work In: This should also be known as "it isn't always all about you". You want to have boards that show you curate information relevant to your current or potential customers. If you're a running coach you have boards dedicated to running stars, running tips, running outfits etc. Whatever excites your community. If you only post about you or your services people will not be as compelled to keep following and check in with yourboards. A great example of a service provider doing this is Dr. Frank Lipman, whose Pinterest boards you can see here. He (or his social media team) is an excellent Pinterest curator for his community! An expert who does this really well is Tin Shingle member, fashion industry expert and founder of The Emerging Designer Melissa Hall. Check out her Emerging Designer Pinterest page here! They both clearly know what their followers are interested in and don't devote all their boards to themselves!
Take Advantage of Seasons or Hot Topics via Your Boards: This could mean a restaurant Pins recipes or their yummiest looking seasonal dishes for holidays. If you are an accountant and it's tax season you may event want to create a Pinterest board filled with stress relieving tools and products!
Be Sure You Clearly Label what You Pin to Your Boards: These could say "stress relieving products" or "Gluten-Free Recipes" or a stylist could have a board of "Summer Wedding Outfit Ideas". The key is to be sure they're all clearly labeled in order to ensure you come up in searches on Pinterest, thus leading new potential followers to you.
Can't Keep Updating a Reel? Create one on Pinterest! If you're a service provider or expert and want to get on television you'll need to show them a reel. That said not every service person has resources to do that! Work around it by pinning all your TV moments (even if they are via YouTube videos or self made) to a "reel" on Pinterest. This gives producers easy access to multiple clips of you on air!
Let Customers or Potential Customers Get to Know You in Photos: People love to know more about the experts and service providers who they work wiht on a personal level. That said you don't want to share your family's holiday cards or your home address. Instead, pin things that inspire you, create a board of professional inspirations, perhaps pin your favorite XYZ (recipes outfits, inspirational posters, etc - have it slighlty tie into your service niche). The key here is to help them feel more personally connected to you or your brand via images and other pins you share!
