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How to Make Pinterest Work for Your Business

Pinterest has secured its place in social media history as the fastest growing social networking site of 2012. Millions of people browse the site daily and they spend a considerable amount of time on it. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, people spend as many as 89 minutes per visit on Pinterest.

What are people doing? Well, they aren’t window shopping. Reports have shown that people on Pinterest are buying products and services they find on site. They are also sharing the images with other social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

With Pinterest growing every day, there’s no denying this is the site to utilize in business marketing. But what if your business doesn’t fit into the theme of the site? For example, your business doesn’t have anything to do with images. If that’s the case, you’ll need to start getting creative. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Provide Tips to Your Target Audience
How do your services and products help people? It’s likely you can come up with several short tips your audience could use when they are in a situation that could use your services or products. Take these tips and find free images online to type them on to create a pin. Upload this pin to a board on your Pinterest account.

If you are still uncertain that your business can fit into Pinterest, here’s an example of a company you wouldn’t think could promote their services and products on the site.

An HVAC company wants to create an online presence on Pinterest. They come up with some ways to fix a heater or air conditioning unit, tips on how to know when to call in a professional for repair, or when to call for maintenance work. They take these short tips, add it to images of HVAC units or parts, and then upload it to a board that describes the topic of the pins. A title they might use is “How to Take Care of an HVAC Unit.”

Since Google has indexed Pinterest boards, whenever anyone searches for HVAC topics, the company’s board may come up in search results. In addition, the board may present itself when Pinterest users search for HVAC or other keywords in the pin or board’s description. During the coldest part of the winter and the hottest part of the summer, the board could come in handy for many seeking ways to fix a broken HVAC unit.

Create Tutorial Videos
People want to learn something online. As a business owner, you are an expert in your industry. Show off what you know to increase creditability and help people feel empowered by doing something themselves. Create tutorial videos to show people how to solve a common problem.

When people watch your video, try your steps and end up solving their problem, they will likely share your videos with others they know in the same situation.

Expand the Scope of Your Industry
Before you start pinning on your boards, it’s a good idea to research your target audience to understand their interests. This works well for industries that have a clear target audience such as a running shoe company because they can expand the scope beyond just sneakers. They can pin outfits that go well with the sneakers and tips on how to improve on running time and distance. But what if your target audience isn’t as well defined as this such as a HVAC company? You just need to limit how much you can go beyond the scope of your industry.

For example, an HVAC company can post content on how people have hidden their unit in their yard. Some people place bricks or a short wooden fence around it. This company might also post content about the newest models and their benefits. Infographics work well for this because it visually stimulates people and then gives them information they can use when they are in the market for buying a product.

Post Coupons on the Site
Create a flyer with a discount attached to it. When someone needs to use your services or buy your products, they will need to print the image. People will share it with their friends if they think they will need your services, which is how this pin could turn viral.

You can also create images with a menu of your services. This way, people can see what you offer quickly and share it if they believe their followers would need your services.

Creativity Is the Power Behind Pinterest
Every business has a place on Pinterest. You just have to be creative in the way that you use it for your target audience. Give them images and videos that provide entertainment and solutions to problems. If your content is attractive and practical, you will likely see increased web traffic, lead generation and revenue.