Sign Up for a Pinterest Business Account

By: Jessica Chestnut 

The term “pin it” has taken on a whole new meaning with the introduction of Pinterest to the social media market. Pinterest allows users to upload, save, sort and manage images (or “pins”) and other media (such as videos) through their collections (“pinboards” or “boards”). Boards are themed so they can be easily organized, categorized, and discovered by other users. 

Pinterest has proven itself to be one of the fastest growing social media networks ever. Since its inception just three years ago, it has racked up 48.7 million users. With the addition of their business-specific accounts in October 2012, that number is sure to grow.

Are you wondering if a Pinterest account is right for your business? Start by perusing accounts with products similar to yours to get an idea of how they use it. If you feel that it may be useful for your business, get an account and start pinning! It’s free, easy-to-use, and one more way to promote your business through social media. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Promote your products by pinning them: Pin images of your products, and use the image description as a call to action (perhaps to visit your site or purchase your products). You can also add prices, allowing you to create boards organized by price range.

• Analyze your Pinterest traffic: Pinterest Web Analytics gives you insight into what people are pinning from your site, how many people have seen those pins, how many people visited your site from Pinterest, and more.

• Get the most out of your profile: Choose a relevant photo or high-res logo. Add a brief description of your business (as it is searchable) and be sure to include links to your website, other social media accounts, or blog.

• Verify your business account: In just a few steps, you can verify your account and show that you’re a trustworthy source. Verifying also means that your URL will be prominently displayed at the top of your Pinterest page.

• Create specific boards to organize your pins: There is no limit on the number of boards you can create, so make as many as you want and keep the board topics specific. Consider individual boards for new arrivals, top sellers, or specials. Consider seasonal boards for holidays, back-to-school, and other events.

• Write meaningful descriptions: Descriptions are searchable through Pinterest, so make sure you write one for every board and pin to maximize your exposure. Use relevant keywords so you come up often in searches - and be sure to link key word text back to specific pages on your website!

• Add a "Pin It" button throughout your website: Make it easy for your website visitors to promote your products. Add a "Pin It" button and they can share content from your site on their Pinterest account with the click of a button.

• Use Pinterest socially: Interact with others just like you do on other social media sites. “Like” and comment on pins, and other members will often return the favor. Use @tags to engage with other users (place the “@” before their user name when commenting), and use hashtags (#) before keywords in descriptions or comments to show up in more searches.

Although online consumers are more likely to have a Facebook account compared to a Pinterest account, Pinterest is proving to be the better tool for businesses out of the two. While both sites help connect people that share similar styles and interests, Pinterest is used more often for product discovery and shopping inspiration. In fact, 40% of online consumers have found an item that they’ve purchased (or wanted to purchase) through Facebook, compared to 69% of online consumers who visited Pinterest.

Think you may have a further interest in Pinterest? Create an account and discover the value and exposure that it can give businesses – for free! Visit Pinterest from your computer, or download the app on any number of mobile devices so you can pin on-the-go.