Imagine coming home from vacation to half a million people. That’s what happened to Paula Coop.
After the birth of her third child, Paula was looking for a new hobby. A friend suggested she check out Pinterest.
“I instantly got hooked because it was portable,” Paula says. “It’s something I could do from my phone, and even if I was breastfeeding at two o’clock in the morning, I could pin.”
Soon after, her family took a week-long vacation. Upon their return, Paula discovered that her new hobby, which previously had 355 followers, was now being closely followed by 500,000 fellow pinners.
Her Pinterest board, which started out with textile and design pins, garnered attention from the Pinterest head honchos. They decided to feature her as one of the recommended followers when new users sign up.
Since then, her 38 boards filled with 36,593 inspirational pins ranging from delicious recipes to beautiful typography are followed by nearly 4.4 million users.
Pinterest is not merely a form of social media, Paula says. It is also a powerful tool in the marketing world. To make the most of your Pinterest profile, Paula Coop shared some of advice with us:
Pinterest is emotional
“You’re selling an experience,” Paula says. “It’s not all about selling your product.” Although you can certainly incorporate your product into your Pinterest page, be careful not to market it in an overt way.”
Think of it as a lifestyle. The users and consumers behind the screen want to know you, so introduce who you are and have that reflect in your boards.
To establish a connection with your followers, don’t forget to identify yourself. Put time and effort into building a strong profile. Carefully choose the image that you will use to represent your brand, and be sure to include URL’s, your location, and information about your business at the top of the page where it’s easy to see.
Image is everything
Pinterest is a platform designed around a compelling image. But simply having an image is not enough. Users don’t want to feel like they’re pinning an advertisement from a magazine.
If you want to pin a piece of jewelry, for example, skip the cliché white background display. People want to see it as a lifestyle piece, so featuring it on a woman in a trendy outfit with a breathtaking backdrop will be circulated more frequently than a catalog-like picture.
“Any time you create a pin, make sure it connects back to your board or website or whatever you’re trying to promote,” Paula says. Consider using a watermark on the original images you upload. That way, as the pin circulates, it will always find it’s way back to you.
Image quality is another detail to consider for your board. Statistically, vertical pictures get more far more repins than horizontal ones, and Paula suggests keeping the picture between 100 and 200 pixels. Like a push pin, sometimes it’s the little things that hold everything together.
Be precise
Hashtag enthusiasts, this one’s for you. “Keep your descriptions precise and snappy,” Paula says. “People don’t want to see pins with 50 hashtags.” If you just can’t resist, she suggests keeping it to five hashtags or fewer.
One of the great features of Pinterest are its boards. Don’t pile all kinds of pins into a single board. Take advantage of specificity and create boards that focus on a single topic. For example, Paula has a board dedicated to threading. That’s the thing about Pinterest, she says. “You can get incredibly specific about something you love.
Create your own aesthetic
One of the most important things you can do for your brand is develop an aesthetic and a unique style. This might not be as easy as it sounds. To find inspiration, consider following some of the top pinners, like Paula, to understand what a unique aesthetic looks like.
Use analytics
If you register for a business account, you will automatically have access to the new analytics feature that Pinterest rolled out last year.
According to Paula, the most active times reported on Pinterest are between 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time and 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Just because you have free time first thing in the morning, avoid cluster pinning. Spread your pinning out throughout the day, and consider the windows when traffic on Pinterest is highest.
The lifecycle of a pin is around seven days. When you compare that to Twitter, where a tweet has a 40-second life span, that proves that Pinterest is a powerful marketing tool. Therefore, your image and your content has the opportunity to access far more people.
Just share
“Pinterest is one of those mediums where repinning is really important,” Paula says. “It’s not just about posting pins, but it’s about sharing.” Retain a balance between posting original content and pinning what’s already up there to keep your followers interested.
In the end, Pinterest is a form of social media, so interact with your followers. Respond to their comments and questions, and cleverly and quietly show appreciation for them by following them, liking their pins, or commenting. “The more you give in, the more you get back,” Paula confirms.
Be revealing
Most importantly, be true to yourself and to your brand. “People can really sense when something feels inauthentic,” Paula says. “Make sure your pins fit your boards.” Followers might be slow to come, but they are certainly fast to go. You might risk losing followers if you detour away from what you normally pin.
Now that you have the tools, pin away.