Pinfluence

How to effectively use Pinterest to market your business, product, or service

Pinterest, the rapidly growing social networking site that allows users to post and share images and videos on "pinboards" (a collection of “pins,” usually with a common theme), is providing businesses and savvy entrepreneurs with a new platform to market their products and services. And, as with any new platform, learning what works best and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing can be a challenge. Pinfluence is a complete guide to Pinterest marketing that will teach you how to effectively raise awareness for your brand, product, or service, drive traffic from Pinterest to your website, and connect with current and potential customers.

You will learn:

• How to create a powerful Pinterest profile, your Pinterest brand strategy, set up boards, pin and repin images, and get into conversations in the Pinterest user interface.
• Pinterest marketing techniques, including great content creation, how to optimize websites and blogs for pinning, and how to start growing your followers.
• How to integrate Pinterest with other social media tools (including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs) and how to track trends and monitor conversation on Pinterest.
• Advanced Pinterest marketing techniques, including how to grow your audience, how to use the Pinterest iPhone app, advice for special types of businesses (B2B companies and nonprofits), and how to make your pins and boards “sticky” so they capture public attention and influence people to change their behavior.
• Pinterest copyright issues

Pinfluence is for anyone who wants to join the likes of companies like Whole Foods, Gilt, West Elm and others, and harness the marketing power of Pinterest to grow their business.

Introduction xi

Part One Getting Started

Chapter 1: Why Pinterest? 3

Chapter 2: Where Do You Start? Creating a Powerful Profile 11

Chapter 3: Before You Pin: Who Do You Want to Attract? 23

Chapter 4: The Basics of Pinning: Beautiful Boards and Compelling Pins 35

Chapter 5: Connecting with Pinterest Users: Commenting, Tagging, Liking, and Hashtags 47

Part Two Pinning for Profits

Chapter 6: The Power of Pictures: How to Create Compelling Visual Business Content 57

Chapter 7: Getting Shared: How to Optimize Your Website for Pinners 71

Chapter 8: The Care and Feeding of Pinterest Followers 81

Chapter 9: Twitter, Facebook, and Your Blog: How Pinterest Plays Well with Others 93

Chapter 10: Learning by Watching: Tracking Trends and Monitoring Conversations 105

Part Three Developing Pinfluence

Chapter 11: Expanding Your Reach: How to Use Contests, Discussion Boards, Customer Testimonials, User-Generated Content, and Video Galleries to Get More Followers 119

Chapter 12: Mobile Pinning 135

Chapter 13: Pinterest for Nonprofits, Business-to-Business Companies, and Blog-Based Businesses 147

Chapter 14: The Ethics of Pinterest 161

Conclusion 175

About the Author 177

Acknowledgments 179

Index 181

"Pinfluence covers everything from the basics of setting up an account to dealing with tricky copyright issues." (B2B Marketing, October 2012)

BETH HAYDEN is a nationally known speaker and social media expert, and founder of Blogging With Beth. She regularly contributes to the web's top social media blogs, and her featured post on Pinterest marketing for Copyblogger.com is one of the site's most shared posts. Beth frequently speaks about blogging, content marketing, and Pinterest at conferences and events across the country.

Connect with customers on Pinterest

Engaging with your followers and fans, listening to what they have to say, and producing consistently great content are the true markers of successful social media marketing. Pinterest gives businesses the opportunity to do all three in visually stunning ways.

Pinfluence shows marketers, entrepreneurs, retailers, bloggers, and others how to use Pinterest to drive traffic, connect with potential and current clients, and convert followers into buyers. It offers step-by-step, actionable guidance for beginners, and more advanced advice and ideas for seasoned Pinterest users, including:

• How to set up your professional Pinterest profile for maximum business exposure so that when your pins go viral, they send a flood of targeted traffic to your website or blog
• How to develop a targeted Pinterest strategy that increases your online exposure, brings in more income, and avoids timewasters that don't win you more leads or fans
• What you need to do to convert followers into buyers
• Pinterest marketing help for B2B companies and nonprofits
• And much more!