Category: Marketing Tips

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Pinterest is currently among the top five social networking sites that has grabbed the attention of internet users in a big way. It can be described as an online pinboard where users “pin” images and videos that appeal to them on theme-based pinboards. It is similar to a social bookmarking tool but visually much more attractive. Here are some quick statistics about Pinterest:

• Gets more page views than Etsy, the popular craft site
• Has grown 2000% since June 2011
• 59% of Pinterest’s users are women in the age group of 25 to 40
• 58% of Pinterest’s unique visitors are women
• Has a highly engaged audience of 3.3 million users and 421 million page views

Pinterest is currently in its beta version and by invitation only. Here are some ways in which your business can leverage Pinterest.

Create a profile for your business on Pinterest

Under settings, complete the about, website and other details on your profile. Connect your other social media profiles and enable “visible in search” so that visitors to your boards can connect and engage with your brand.

Generate website traffic

Pin images with titles and descriptions that link back to your website. Add a “Pin it” button to your own website or blog inviting readers and visitors to engage. You can pin the photos from your blog so that when visitors click your pin, it will drive traffic to your web page or blog. This is easy to do and effectively markets your website or blog.

Generate exposure for your business

Besides driving traffic with Pinterest, you can also promote your products and services by posting their images on your pinboard. This attracts exposure for your brand with the likelihood of customer acquisition. Pin images with links to your product catalogue so that prospective clients can follow these to your website. This is also a great way to advertise your business to millions of prospects on a daily basis.  They in turn, can comment on your images and repin them to their boards, widening your reach.

Customer engagement and interaction

Today, businesses must find innovative ways to reach their target audience engage them and interact with them. Pinterest is an excellent method to promote brand loyalty by soliciting customer feedback on your business and its products.

Contests and special deals

Pinterest is a great platform to hold contests and offer discounts on your products to your Pinterest followers and develop long term customer relationships, actively engaging with them, offering them incentives to appreciate their loyalty.

Other ways to use Pinterest for your business are:

• As an online brochure or catalogue with prices
• For event announcements
• New product launch and exclusive rebate announcements
• Market research as you can track what your followers are pinning
• Creating a testimonial board to connect with customers

As a highly visual medium Pinterest is an effective, free marketing tool that you can use to promote your business and acquire customers. You can also pin images via an iPhone app, which means access to the mobile market. Make sure to tag and categorise all images so that your content can be suitably amplified.

Although Pinterest may not be ideal for all brands right now, it is a great way to build relationships with your market. What are your thoughts on Pinterest?

The decision to outsource your social media marketing can be a daunting one since no one understands your brand and business better than you do. The marketing agency you hire must be trustworthy, understand your business and brand objectives and be capable of getting your message across to your target audience effectively. Social media marketing is a highly effective way to increase your customers and achieve your marketing goals, while establishing your brand. Here are suggestions to help you successfully outsource your social media marketing:

• Strategise and plan together

Outsourcing does not end with providing a brief. Even if the agency you hire handles your social media marketing, make sure that you are fully involved in the strategy planning process. Listen to the agency’s ideas and together, determine which of these are feasible for your own business. Communicate your goals clearly to the agency so that they understand your objectives and help you achieve them. Be actively involved and have a detailed plan of action.

• Maintain a consistent voice

Let your social media marketing agency know the unique voice you would like to adopt in your communication so that they can maintain it. If you already have a social media campaign in progress, your agency can take a look at your previous posts to get an idea of what tone of voice to use. Help the agency learn more by sharing your marketing and promotional material, newsletters and other company material so that a unified voice can be developed.

• Establish norms

Create guidelines and rules for your social media marketing campaign. If there are certain taboo topics, competitors or words that you want to avoid, let the agency know. This can prevent problems later. Let the agency know which topics to focus on and ask for their ideas as well. Offer a list of your favourite websites, blogs and other web pages you are interested in connecting with or referring to.

• Keep your social media agency informed

Make sure your social media manager is aware of events in your organisation as this will influence the content you post in your social media networks. If you plan to launch a sale or promotional event, let your agency know so that you can leverage social media to get the best ROI.

• Feedback

After you have the above in place, ensure that you offer feedback, both good and bad. This should be in specific terms so that improvements can be made where necessary.

Social media is proving to be a marketing platform to be taken seriously. Leveraged in the right way, it spells major benefits for your business, whether you outsource the process or do it yourself.  Establish a comfortable business relationship with your social media agency for smooth sailing.