Learn how to use Pinterest strategically in your branding and social media marketing. Find out how to drive traffic to your website, gain visibility, and establish your expertise. This is a great tool any business can use with a little creative thinking!

1. May 10, 2016
Susan Mayer
Specialty Services Advisor
Arlington Heights Memorial Library

2. 
 Social Media platform started in March 2010
 Visual bookmarking and link-sharing platform
 Image curation
 Platform used by 100 million worldwide (9/2015)
 Pew Research: Pinterest users are more likely to be female
(44%), between 18 – 49 years old (37%), and earn $50,000 -
$74,999 (41%)
 Additional statistics can be found here.
What is Pinterest?

3. 
 Drive referral traffic to your website or blog
 Share content to attract new customers
 Wonderful platform for visual businesses
 Educate customers regarding your business or industry
 Gain inspiration for your own business
 Keep an eye on, or learn from your competitors
Why Pinterest for Business?

4. 
 people bypass Google and
go directly to Pinterest
 to search for products
and lifestyle topics
 content is curated by
actual users
 powerful way for users to
discover things they
might not have expected
to find
Did you know?

5. 
 Board
 Pin
 Likes
 Followers
 Following
 Guided Search
 Topics
 Rich Pins
Learn the Lingo

6. 
Ask some questions:
 What is your purpose for using social media?
 Identify your audience and your goals
 Is your business ‘visual’? If not, don’t worry…
 Who will create content, respond and monitor?
If you decide Pinterest will work for you & your
business,
 Set up a business account
Where Do You Begin?

7. 
 You can convert an existing personal account to a
business account.
 Benefits of business accounts include insights and analytics
 Number of unique users, repins, likes, views, etc.
 Additional resources such as “Pin it” buttons to install on
your website
 Always include and verify your website url
 Your profile image should either be your headshot, your
logo, or an item that is representative of your products
Setting up a Business Account

8. 
 Fully fill out bio
 Make categories for all boards
 Verify your website with Pinterest
 Add contact info
 Add text to all areas that request some
 Pin content from other people & businesses, not just
your own content
 Be social!
Be sure to …

9. 
 Follow others on Pinterest
 Pin regularly = visibility
 Embed the and “Follow Me on Pinterest” button on
your website or blog
 Pin content from your blog to drive traffic
 Pin content from your e-commerce shop
 Share a link to your social media (facebook, youtube)
 Share a link to an individual Pinterest pin or board on
social media
 Pinning great content will create a visual personality for
your business
Increase Your Followers

10. 
button & other widgets
 button allows pinners to pin item
when they hover or click on your image
 Follow button:
 Profile widget
 Board widget

11. 
Content “rules”
34%
33%
33%
What to share
1/3 Business
1/3 Industry
1/3 Personal
Know seasonal trends and topics (Ahalogy has good information and downloads)

12. 
 Showcase your company
 Your work or services
 Share links to your products (etsy, e-commerce site)
 Host a competition
 Share items that are interesting to your target market
 Curate images that reflect your branding
 Create inspiration relating to your industry
 Create inspiration relating to educating your customer
 Example: Photographer might include a board of what to
wear, or ways to display images
 Create a referral board for local businesses, affiliates,
partners or organizations (networking)
Inspiration: Content
Ideas

13. 
 Collaborate with Co-workers
 Event planning
 product launch
 Collaborate with a client
 Great for branding ideas
 Collect gift ideas for customers
Note: Secret boards can be converted to a
public board, but once public cannot be
changed back.
Inspiration: Secret Boards

14. 
 Image size and image quality does matter
 Cheat sheet for images sizing
 Basically, a minimum of 735 pixels in width – height
will be adjusted based on the size of the image
 Vertical images post best
 Pixelated or too small to view = unprofessional
 Beautiful images get repinned
 Mobile friendly
Image details

15.  One on one appointments with Business Services
 Training Center classes: Look for Photoshop classes to help
with formatting photos, and Photowalk With Your Smart
Phone to help take quality photos
 Tutorials in the AHML Databases
 Gale Courses – Using Social Media in Business
 Lynda.com – Pinterest courses
 Treehouse – Social Media Strategy, How to Market Your
Business
Additional assistance @AHML

16.  Books:
 Pinfluence: The Complete Guide to Marketing Your Business with Pinterest by Beth
Hayden
 Platform by Michael Hyatt
 Best Practices for Brands Using Pinterest
 http://new.soldsie.com/blog/6-best-practices-for-brands-on-pinterest/
 Grow your blog with Pinterest
 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/grow-your-blog-with-pinterest/
 Pinterest tips for your business
 https://www.ahalogy.com/research/
 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-tips-for-your-business/
 https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/2015
 http://www.pinright.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Pinterest-DImensions-
Cheat-Sheet.png
 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-pinterest-tools-for-marketers/#more-89521
Further Resources

17.  Photographer – K +B
Photography
 Crafter – Riens Handmade
Soap
 Landscape design –
backyard bliss
 Etsy shop – Studio Jewel
 Designer Heather
Cleveland – success story
 Arlington Heights Library
Real Life Inspiration