I first became aware of Pinterest several weeks back when a few Facebook friends were raving about this easily addictive website. Being the skeptic, I was thinking there is no way this site could be that appealing. But I was definitely interested, so I jumped on the bandwagon and started to check it out. Wow. Addictive does not even begin to convey the feeling that swelled over me. It’s so silly that one could get a thrill from just “pinning” random pictures on a variety of topics. And as I began to think about it more, I couldn’t help but think of the benefits that exists for businesses. From search engine marketing to content creation, this site can help it all!
Link Building
Do-follow links appear on several parts of a “pin”. First, every “pin” or image on the site generally links from the page or website that hosts the original image. This can ensured by adding the Pinterest Bookmarklet to a web browser, navigating to the image you would like to “pin”, and clicking “Pin it!” from the bookmarklet. The “pin” will appear in your desired board and on your Pinterest homepage so all your followers can view. Second, on the “pin”, there are a few areas that show other links: the top right corner, which is the link to the “pin’s” origin and within the “pin” description. Be sure to include a description with a URL, whether it is your service-oriented site, retail/ecommerce site, or personal blog!
Spreading the Message
One section of “pins” concentrates on print and posters. Very popular among my followers and Facebook friends. I see these word images (and their links!) popping up all over the place. Have a memorable quote from a press release, blog post, or recent article? Try pinning it.
Visualize Your Content
From the popularity of this site, it is clear to see that visual content is not only impressive but eye-catching and easy to share. That’s the key. Pinning is easy! So why not start? Are you a photographer? Start pinning your latest session. Service-oriented company? Start pinning creative, colorful infographics (who doesn’t love an infographic?).
Don’t forget the section dedicated to videos. Pinning your “How To”, “DIY”, documentary, or event videos, even if it’s just a snippet, can give you great link juice. Just remember to perform initial optimization on your videos and then pin it.
This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to see how it progresses. As Pinterest’s page rank continues to maintain strong standing and popularity continues to increase, it will be interesting to learn how marketers utilize this very unique channel.
Are you using Pinterest in your current strategy? What techniques are you testing out?
