Pinterest: The new craze you can't and shouldn't ignore

Pinterest (Pinterest.com) is an online pinboard where you "pin" images of items you like!

For Stampin' Up! demonstrators you may "pin" cards or project you've created on your blog, or pin those of other demos you follow and projects of their's you enjoy.  Better yet, use it to "pin" Stampin' Up! products you like and create a Top Ten list and link to you own DBWS Store!

For other businesses, you can do the same thing. "Pin" images of your own products creating a "Fan Favorites" list of products linked to your store; or "pin" related products you recomments. If in a Real Estate business, pin homes of houses you are selling (where applicable and allowed). Landscapers can pin pictures of homes they redesigned, etc.

For every day people (all of us), spread the word by pinning products and items you love. Brands will be checking it out, looking for feedback on what interests you!

Pinterest: It's Visual and Social

It's fun and addicting (LOL), and now a new way for businesses to market their products!

Here are two recent articles I've read on using Pinterest for business purposes.  They state that since customers like to "see" things, Pinterest is a great tool for "visual" marketing and shouldn't be ignored as it is the new craze! Also, be sure not to simply promote only your business, make it more of a "community" pinboard.

Why Pinterest is a big deal for marketers

Social bulletin-board service Pinterest is emerging as a serious tool for driving traffic and sales, marketers and brand managers say. Real Simple magazine now gets more referrals from Pinterest than from Facebook, while companies such as Land's End, Etsy and Nordstrom have launched Pinterest campaigns designed to directly boost sales. "People get excited from the visual and then have the opportunity to purchase. It's [a] very engaging tool in that respect," says Land's End PR chief Michele Casper. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)/DigitalNext blog (12/14)

How to promote your business with Pinterest

Pinterest is an online service that allows users to share images they find as they browse around the Web. After joining the site with an invite, business users should check if their products are being shared by other users, John Jantsch writes. Just like on Twitter and other social media sites, don't immediately start promoting your company. It's important to build a following by sharing interesting items first, he writes. Duct Tape Marketing(12/12)

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember, you can only join Pinterest with an invite! Go get pinning! Have fun :D

Enjoy!
Heather Wright-Porto
www.BlogsByHeather.com 

Comments

[Heather Wright-Porto]

Hi Linda!
Thank you for posting your comment on etiquette. I have published the comment so people can have that link :D

I don't want it to be a bunch of commercials either, but more of showing off one's best work - whether a newly redesigned landscape by a landscape company, or a beautiful handmade card by a SU demo.

I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a list of "my favorite SU products" but I could be wrong.

Thank you for letting us know your thoughts and sharing the link so everyone can stay within in rules of Pinterest :D

But more so…thank you for your kind words and for following me here on Blogs By Heather -- thank you!! :D

[Heather Wright-Porto]

To be invited, you can ask me or a friend to "invite" you :D

[Sandi Dailey]

So how can I get "invited"?

[Linda McClain]

Heather - Pinterest is not intended for self promotion. Please be careful advocating it as something to be used to market a business. You can pin something you make and are proud of - but not for self promotion. I love Pinterest, and I would hate to see it turn into a lot of commercials. It would be really nice if you recant this article. Here's the link to Pinterest etiquette: http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/

(I'm only posting this here because I know you moderate your comments - I would not openly criticize one of your article - I usually love everything you do.)