Pinterest

Pinterest is a “virtual pinboard.” Participants use Pinterest to organize and share the beautiful and interesting images they find online.

Creating a Username / Profile

  • Visit www.business.pinterest.com to get started and create your profile.
  • All you need is a user name (can be the name of your company), a profile picture, a short, thoughtful description and a website to verify your business.

Pinterest Basics

  • Home Feed – The home feed is what you see when you login to Pinterest. It is a collection of pins from pinners and boards that you follow and is updated every time someone you follow adds a pin.
  • Pins – A pin is an image added to Pinterest. Your various Pinterest boards are made up of pins. Every pin links your participants back to the source of the photo (i.e. your blog, industry website, etc.).
  • Re-Pin – You can re-pin a photo that’s already on Pinterest, moving it to a board of your choice. By re-pinning something, you’re basically “collecting” that photo for display on your board, so your followers can see it. In turn, your followers can re-pin the photos that you share for their own boards.
  • Boards –You categorize your various pins onto different Pinterest Boards. You can create a board on any topic, like: “Recipes to Try,” or “Places I Want To Go.” When you want to pin or re-pin an image on Pinterest, you will have to place it on one of your boards, or create a new board for the image.
  • Pin It Button – Many websites offer the option to share images on Pinterest via a “Pin It” Button widget that makes it easy for people to pin things from their sites. To add the Pin It Button to your website, visit: http://about.pinterest.com/goodies/

Growing Your Network

Pinterest allows you to find friends that you have on Facebook or in your email contacts that are already on Pinterest.

Another way to gain more followers on Pinterest is to advertise that you’re on Pinterest on your company website, or via in-store via signage.

Top Tips

  • Use high-quality, dynamic photographs or graphics that users would want to feature on their boards.
  • Organize your pins onto different boards.
  • Highlight what your business cares about – philanthropy, volunteering, gardening, etc.
  • Make it personal – show what inspires you and your business, not just what you sell.

Additional Resource

Visit www.business.pinterest.com and www.about.pinterest.com to learn more about Pinterest and how to get started. Their how-to guides are oh-so helpful!