Guide

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WHAT IS IT?Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site that lets users organize and share things they find on the web.

What is it?

Users can “pin” images and videos around any topic, browse other users’ collections and interact with this content either by liking, commenting or repinning it to their own profile.

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?Pinterest is a community based around interests rather

than users’ social networks.

Your Facebook friends may all be on Pinterest, but you’re probably following only a few of their boards based on what you’re genuinely interested in.

Thus, Pinterest creates a natural environment for social commerce because the content users see is directly relevant to them.

What’s All the Fuss About?

• Over 10 million registered users .• Over 100+ brands are on Pinterest

Pinterest hit the 10 million unique monthly visits mark faster than any other social network

Pinterest is generating more referral traffic than Youtube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined

What’s All the Fuss About?

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?

WHO’S USING IT?

Infographic from Mashable.com

Most of the early-adopters were retailers and media brands, specifically in the following industries:– Fashion– Food– Health/Fitness– Home decorating/DIY

As the site rapidly expands, so does its brands. Now you can find plenty of nonprofits, museums, agencies, and even colleges using Pinterest to engage their supporters and fans.

Who’s Using it?

WHO’S USING IT?

Just a sampling of some of the hundreds of brands on Pinterest:

WHO’S USING IT?

Brands on Pinterest

GETTING STARTED

There are 3 different ways to create boards

Creating Boards

GETTING STARTED

1. At Sign-up

When you create you account, Pinterest suggests some default boards to create. Opt out of these to create more unique, personalized boards.

Creating Boards

GETTING STARTED

2. Add a board

Use the “Add +” button in the upper right navigation to add a new board. All you need is a fitting (and ideally, clever) board name and category.

Creating Boards

GETTING STARTED3. When pinning

If you find a pin youlike, but don’t have anappropriate board forit, you can create anew board before youpin. Use the pull downlist to scroll through all

your existing boards,and enter a new boardname at the bottomwhere it says “CreateNew Board.”

Creating Boards

Creating Boards

You can create as many boards as you like, around any topic you like. While variety is the spice of life, we recommend creating more in-depth boards around a niche topic for maximum engagement, rather than a broadly categorized board.

For example, think “Ferocious Fall Flats” and “Leather Accessories” instead of “Style” or “Fashion”.

GETTING STARTED

There are 3 different ways to pin content to your boards

How To Pin

GETTING STARTED

1. Upload directly through the site.

Click “Add +” in the top right navigation. From here you can enter an image url, upload a picture or video from your documents, or create a new board.

How To Pin

GETTING STARTED

2. Use the “Pin It” bookmarklet.

Just drag and drop the “Pin It” button into your bookmarks bar to pin things straight from the web-- clicking it will pull any images and videos on the page to select.

Once you select an image, all you need to do is assign it to a board and type in a short description. Use the # sign to add tags.

How To Pin

GETTING STARTED

3. Repin other users’ pins.

You can follow a user (and thus all of their pinboards), or you can follow a single board. You can also browse the Pinterest universe by category. When you see something you like, just hit “repin”

How To Pin

GETTING STARTED

WAYS TO USE

Showcase ProductsPinterest is a perfect outlet to promote your products beyond your own website.

Tip: Using a $ symbol in the description will show the price on your pin and also enter it into Pinterest’s “Gifts” category. (You may only want to do this if price is a selling point of your product.)

Showcase Products

Bergdorf Goodman integrates their products with like-minded images and related content for a look that is seamless and visually appealing.

Showcase Products

WAYS TO USE

Forever21 emphasizes their purse-friendly prices by including them in the description.

Showcase Products

WAYS TO USE

Share Content

Similar to promoting products, Pinterest is also great for promoting content. You should pin blog posts, articles, videos, even news announcements -- just be sure that the image you pin along with it is a strong visual, and try to keep descriptions succinct.

Share Content

WAYS TO USE

Real Simple Magazine does a great job of describing their articles in just a few words, and their images are clear and easy to see.

Share Content

WAYS TO USE

Solidify Brand IdentityEven if your company lacks visually impactful products, you shouldn’t be afraid to curate images that help convey your brand personality. Select images that capture the essence behind your brand philosophy or represent the lifestyle of your consumers.

For example, a camping equipment store might want to create a board for beautiful camping grounds or easy meals on-the-go.

Solidify Brand Identity

WAYS TO USE

GE uses Pinterest to show that they are into “Badass Machines” and quotes of genius that inspire their work.

Solidify Brand Identity

WAYS TO USE

Engage ConsumersBoost engagement with your brand’s audience by hosting a contest that utilizes Pinterest’s unique functionality. Try asking fans to create a custom board based around your brand, challenging users to posts images of your products to see who can get the most repins, or creating a scavenger hunt with multiple criteria.

ModCloth ran a great Pinterest contest using this last example, asking fans to create a wedding-themed board with different

components.

Engage Consumers

WAYS TO USE

Only 4 out of the 20 items had to be ModCloth products, which was just enough to get consumers engaged with their products online without going overboard.

Engage Consumers

WAYS TO USE

Add a Personal TouchPinterest is a great way to give consumers a glimpse “behind the scene” of your brand and convey your company culture. Individuals can have their own curated boards for the brand, like The TODAY Show board, “LG and Hoda’s Favorite Things,” or you can pin photos of company events or behind the scenes action.

Tip: Use the “Add contributors” feature on some of your boards to allow people to pin from their personal accounts if you’d like to spotlight employees.

Add a Personal Touch

WAYS TO USE

Add a Personal Touch

TODAY showcases two of their biggest personalities by giving Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda their own board.

WAYS TO USE

This “Anchor Antics” board shows a lighthearted side to the TODAY Show family that makes you wish you were part of the fun.

Add a Personal Touch

WAYS TO USE

Collect User-Generated Content If you have a loyal fan base, your brand content may already be on Pinterest. Be sure to keep an eye on what your audience is pinning from you. And don’t be bashful--you should show off user-generated content by repinning or even creating a separate board to showcase the creative ways pinners are interacting with your content.

Tip: You can search your brand and product names with hashtags or search for your web url as a source.

Collect User-Generated Content

WAYS TO USE

This “Style Your Sole” board shows the passion TOMS fans have for their shoes--notice that they are all pinned from outside sources.

Collect User-Generated Content

WAYS TO USE

Learn About Your Consumers

Pinterest offers an opportunity to recognize unexpected contexts in which people are pinning your products. If your new line of urban b-ball sneakers are being pinned amongst surfboards, boardwalks, and casual Cali apparel, perhaps you could think about marketing opportunities that reflect this consumer profile.

You can also be inspired by other items your consumers like. Check out your followers boards and see what they are pinning - this insight can be used to update your content strategy and maybe prompt some partnerships with other popular brands.

Learn About Your Consumers

WAYS TO USE

DO:• Comment and/or like other users’ pins. You want people to see your brand as an

active member in their online community, not as an outsider trying to make a sale.

• Repin other pins. Repinning is one of the most social aspects of the site and it’s an easy way to build your network of followers.

• Add a Pin button to your website. This is a good way for your fans to realize you are using the site, and encourages people to pin your content themselves.

• Use keyword tags in your descriptions. This is a big one. Just like on Tumblr, a good tag will lead people to your pins. Use as many as you want, but try not to clutter the description.

• Connect to other social media profiles. Pinterest lets you link to both Facebook and Twitter, which will show up as little widgets on your profile. You can also enter in a website url, so be sure to get these bases covered.

• Optimize your website for pinning. Pinterest is a visual network, so be sure to have great visuals! Remember that all images and videos get sized down, so your pictures should look good both big and small.

Do’s & Don’ts

DO’S & DON’TS

DON’T:• Pin things only from your site. Consumers want to see brands that show

interest in things other than themselves. Keep a balance between pinning your content, content from other sites, and repinning others’ pins.

• Pin content that doesn’t really have a place on Pinterest. The community has certain affinities – learn them, and find a side of your brand that appeals to this to ensure success.

• Pin something without a description. It might be tempting to leave this field blank, but even a simple, short description will help your content appear in searches.

• Follow anyone and everyone. You want to follow boards and people that make sense for your brand. Recognize the influencers in your industry and be sure to follow them. Quality, not quantity.

• Create broad or basic boards. Your boards should be selective in subject and cater to the unique aspects of your brand. Keep an eye out for over-used board titles and be clever with yours to get people’s interest.

Do’s & Don’ts

DO’S & DON’TS

Looking for more on social media? Check out the Antler Blog for the latest and greatest in digital marketing.

Want to learn how Antler can help your company make the most out of Pinterest and other social media channels? Give us a shout!

Thanks for listening!

www.antleragency.com

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THE END

SOURCES• http://mashable.com/2012/02/14/pinterest-daily-users-are-up-

125-percent/• http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/

what_pinterest_is_doing_that_facebook_isnt.php• http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/pinterest-brands/• http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-networks/pinterest-

demographic-data/• http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/real-simple-pinterest-drives-

traffic-facebook/231576/• http://www.fastcompany.com/1816603/why-pinterest-is-so-

addictive• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31428/How-to-

Master-Pinterest-for-B2B-Marketing.aspx

Sources