Rock Pinterest for your brand – Episode 1

Just 5 months ago I was been invited from one of my colleague’s to use Pinterest, a service that at first glance looked very similar to StumbleUpon, Reddit and Digg. Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, ‘re-pin’ images to their own collections and/or ‘like’ photos. I started to create my own profile, with 5 different boards matching my eclectic interests: SEO, infographs, contemporary art, design and urban gardening. If people can use it to collect their favourite pictures, how can businesses represent themselves on Pinterest and how can they benefit mostly from this service?

 

Identify your boards by brainstorming ideas with your colleagues

Every brand has a set of values that must be mirrored in the boards and images chosen. When you are looking for categories, consider where your products are used, ideas related to them, social costumes, what your target audience like, your industry, type of images that are shared in your community, advice that can be provided with images, related icons and VIPs. The main risk when creating boards is to be too promotional and sales focused with boring images and with nothing  your customer can relate to or be interested by.

See below how some major brands have set up their boards:

Boards:

Who wants dinner?!, Eat Your Veggies, How Does Your Garden Grow?, Super HOT Kitchens, Sweet Tooth ,We’re Used to Reusing!, Go Go Gadgets!, Edible Celebrations, Plant Based Diet Recipes, Delicious Art, Cheese is the Bee’s Knees, Strength, Whole Planet Foundation, Winter Entertainment,Thankful for Thanksgiving Dinner, The Fabulousness of Fall, Greens on the Table, Good Karma Products, Vegan, What building inspires you?, Great Garden Recipes, #DarkRye, #WhyAustin, Our Favorite Books, Keep Calm and, My dream wine, Strawberry Season, Earth Day, Food Tips and Tricks, Mom Rocks, Forkly Faves!, #LanguedocDay May 3^rd.

 

Boards:

Lindt Chocolate Recipes, Lindt Around the World, Fashionable Chocolate, #Pin4Autism, Your Creations, Tips, Ideas & More, For the Love of Chocolate, Lindt Love, View-Worthy Videos, Vintage, Swiss Pride, Celebrity Auction, Gifts, Lindt Gold Bunny Photo, Chocolate Brown All Around.

 

 

Boards:

Daily Escapes, Best Sandwich in America, Across America, Beaches, Trip Ideas, We’d Rather Be Here Than Work Right Now, Travel Bucket List, Hotels and Resorts, Street Food Around The World, Animals Around the World, Fall Foliage, Behind the Scenes: Off Limits, Europe, Family Travel, Cultures Around The World, Let’s Celebrate: Spring!, National Parks Revealed, Festivals and Events, Travel Style.

 

 

 

Brainstorming tips

Your brand is involved in a market with a specific type of customer; the following are two aspects to consider when you are thinking about creating a Pinterest profile:

– The competitors’ strategies
Try to differentiate from the others because your identity is unique. Think what you have that your competitor hasn’t that can be the difference between Red Bull being connected to sports and Fanta being connected with fun and enjoyment.

 

– The Audience
Check their boards to see which images you can upload that can be re-pinned by other uses. For example, an image, which can be included in the following boards – a personal wish list, design or funny photos etc.

 

 

Quality

Similar to other social bookmarking tools, Pinterest has loads of high quality images. Low quality stuff doesn’t get viral or benefit your brand.

 

As soon you have curated your visual profile, what it is needed is a strategy to engage with your audience, drive traffic to your website, increase brand awareness, improve customer satisfaction or research into your target behaviour. This is the most important part if you want that your social media marketing improve the quality of your brand and i will cover this in Episode 2.

 

Drop us a tweet @tugagency with your thoughs about Pintest and Ben, Tug social media director will help you with more insights and tips.