Tuesday, July 3, 2012

5 Reasons To Use Pinterest for Business

Here's a great article from my friend and excellent social media strategist Allison Semancik from Idea Sprouts Marketing. Pinterest is the 3rd most used social media platform so it may be a good idea to pay attention and start your own account, if you haven't already. Here's to your success! ~Alex


 

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Pinterest for Business 

If you have been on the fence about using Pinterest for your business, it's understandable. I know what you're thinking, "Oh man! Not another site I have to keep up with!"

But if you were getting results out of using the network, wouldn't you want to give it a try? Here are my reasons why you should be using Pinterest for your business. 

1. More Website Traffic

Websites and blogs are reporting an increase in traffic to their sites once they started using Pinterest. As soon as I began using Pinterest for Idea Sprouts I began to get new traffic AND leads from the site.

Since increased website traffic can also increase leads and sales, Pinterest is worth considering as another social media network for your business.  

2. Links to Your Website  

If you have "pin-worthy" images and videos on your website, people will start pinning them to their Pinterest boards. That means you get a link back to your website with every pin.

If you want to see if you have any pins back to your website, use this website address: http://pinterest.com/source/YOURWEBSITE/

So for my website, I'd use: http://pinterest.com/source/ideasproutsmarketing.com/

You will then see a list of pins that anyone has pinned from your website. Pretty neat! 

3. Get Found by New People  

Every time someone pins or repins one of your images, you have the potential to get found by even more people. That's because your images will show up on their boards and their followers will see it.

In addition, when you pin or repin an image, you have the option to share it on Facebook and/or Twitter, which means even more eyes will see your content.

4. Showcase Products  

While I don't advocate using Pinterest to blast people with images of all of your products or ebooks (in fact, being overly promotional is against Pinterest rules), you can certainly use it to highlight items.

For instance, I have a board with Facebook Marketing Ideas and in it, I include an image and link to my free ebook, 50 Facebook Marketing Ideas. But I also include other videos, articles and tips on Facebook marketing on the board - and it's not all from me or my website.

If you have physical products with gorgeous photos, you have a real opportunity to shine on Pinterest. Especially if your products are popular with women (right now, the majority of Pinterest users). 

5.  Get Personal  

One of the great things about Pinterest is its simplicity. You can share so many different types of photos and images very easily, and get more personal. Add photos of your employees, your events, or testimonials from happy customers. People may begin following you because of one pin they liked, but they will take a few minutes to learn more about you by looking at your boards.

I'm going to be sharing more Pinterest ideas with you in the upcoming weeks, but for now, why not set up an account? Once you do, I'd love to connect with you. You can follow Idea Sprouts and my personal account Allison Semancik.
I'm looking forward to seeing your pins!

If you are using Pinterest for your business, what are your reasons for using it?

Sign up for our newest webinar on Pinterest for Business, on July 19. We'll discuss tips and tricks for boosting traffic, building your list, and other marketing strategies to use for your business. There is limited space so sign up now!

[To view the original article, click here.]

Allison Semancik is the Founder of Idea Sprouts Marketing, a social media & online marketing agency that creates successful marketing plans for small & medium businesses. Idea Sprouts helps clients successfully navigate the social media world to increase sales while making the most effective use of marketing budget.


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