When it comes to social media we all tend to think of Facebook and Twitter. But what about us creative folk? Those of us that like a picture, and have something very visual to show off or interact with?

Well for us there are of course two options; Instagram and Pinterest. Today, we explain a little about how Pinterest can be used to help businesses attract new customers, and even give you a little SEO boost along the way!

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest describes itself as ‘the world’s catalog of ideas’ [sic] and with up to 100 million active uses a day, many people already embrace it as a core part of their social media activity. In case you’ve not tried it before, the way it works is that you find images you like from Pinterest, or from the internet, and ‘pin’ them onto boards along with similar content. People can then follow your boards, or view them, in order to gain inspiration.

As an example, this is great for people getting married, or perhaps even looking to make a few changes to the décor in their home; from table settings to new sofas, ideas will never be a problem when it comes to Pinterest. Think of how it could be used in your industry and whether your customers and clients might be on there looking for your products, which leads us nicely onto our next point….

Pinterest for businesses

Whether or not Pinterest is right for you will depend on your business; if you run or work for a company that has lots of visual elements, such as a food establishment, clothing store or beauty brand, Pinterest is the perfect place for you to showcase your work to a worldwide audience.

Things get trickier if you provide a service as there’s clearly nothing tangible for you to share in the way of photos. Even in this case it is worth having an account as it’s a decent link for your search engine efforts. If you’re going to use it for this purpose do still set up a few boards and pin a few items from your own website so that it’s not just visually baron!

Business accounts

If it’s for business, then keep it for business. If you’re using it for your personal life then keep it that way. If can be easy to sometimes blur the line between personal and business when it comes to social media so make sure you know what it is you’re using it for. You can keep your personal and business pins separate by setting up a business account, which is quick and easy to do.

Not only can you keep your personal and business pins separate, having a business account gives you access to options that are not available through a personal profile, such as analytics tools and the ability to create adverts.

New developments are also making it even more business friendly. In June, Pinterest announced it was rolling out ‘shopping bags’; allowing users to shop for multiple items wherever they are. This is a potentially big advancement and one that should excite businesses as it would provide the opportunity to directly monetorise their activity on Pinterest.

Should your business be part of Pinterest?

Setting up a Pinterest account is simple, free and requires minimal effort to maintain. It’s a great place to share your work and make some sales too, so if your customers are on there then set aside some time and get pinning!

For more information about our social media services give us a call on 01566 232323 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk