pinning & winning: how to make pinterest work for you

TechPhx 2012 @nikiblaker

&How to make Pinterest work for you

Hello! I’m

Photo: James Archer

By day I’m a design strategist at Forty, an experience design firm in Chandler where I get to work with other amazing designers and content strategists.

Photo: Kathy Morgan

I also volunteer on the board of the Arizona chapter of AIGA, the association for design, where I serve as their communications director.

.I’m usually on Pinterest looking for things that inspire me like cool typography, dream office spaces, and pretty much anything else design-related.

I started using Pinterest because I’m a sign-up-a-holic and will sign up for absolutely any new online service.

Mom would be so proud!

It turns out that several design blogs had picked on my pins and liked what they saw and kept recommending my page and boards as good examples of Pinterest users. Pinterest is now one the main referral sources to my website.

What is Pinterest?

Who’s using it and how?

How can it work for me?

Photo: Art Streiber

We wanted to create a place where you can collect things on the web and simply organize it the way you want to. Evan Sharp, Co-Founder/Designer

I’ve always thought that the things you collect says a lot about who you are. Ben Silbermann, Co-Founder

When Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp launched Pinterest in March 2010, the both had pretty strong visions in what they were trying to accomplish.

Photo: Flickr madeinmississippi

What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share things you find on the web.

You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

Saving an individual photo is what’s known as pinning. You can organize them by placing them in different photo albums by category. Essentially, the “pin boards” are just like online photo albums.

Like Twitter, you can follow anyone, even if they aren’t following you back. You have the option to follow all of another user’s boards, or you can just select certain boards to follow. You can sign up using your Twitter or Facebook account, which makes it easy to find all of your friends already using Pinterest.

Repinning is sharing an image pinned by someone you follow or found while browsing Pinterest, and then adding it to one of your own boards. Repinning gives credit to the person who first pinned the image. You can also edit (or add to) the description when you repin something.

Additional ways to pin things:Chrome bookmarklet

“Pin this” button on a web page or blog article

Manually entering a URL

Upload an image from your computer

Photo: Flickr diamondduste

Once an image is repinned, you can see the history of the image’s activity.

Double-clicking on a pin will load the website where the picture originally came from.

This is a great example of understanding how viral content is within the Pinterest community.

Over 80% of pins are re-pins

compare with

1.4%of tweets are re-tweets

According to RJMetrics over 80%of the content on Pinterest are repins compared to Twitter in where only 1.4% of tweets are retweets.

What sets Pinterest apart from other social mediums is that it’s simply visually stunning and grabs people’s attention. It’s hard not to browse through Pinterest and not be bombarded with amazing pictures of food or incredible photography, or your dream architecture and interior design. It’s a beautiful place to be.

Pinterest has inspired a whole new type of web design. The simplicity of their design allows for excessive scrolling with minimal effort and minimal distraction. Images take up the majority of the page and all action buttons and comments are neatly tucked away until you scroll over them.

Pinterest has apps for iphone, ipad and Android phones and tablets that allow the user to browse from anywhere.

What is Pinterest? Your way to tell the world, “here are the beautiful things that make me who I am, or who I want to be.”

Photo: Flickr rsmith

Who’s usingPinterest?

Pinterest is the third most popular social network in the world.

According to compete.com, as of August 2012, Pinterest has had over 25 million unique visitors.

Pinterest crossed the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history.

Female users make up 79% of Pinterest users, predominantly between the ages of 25 - 54. The average time per visit is almost 16 minutes per visit. That’s 3 times more than the average time spent on Facebook and Twitter.

Top 5 categories browsedHome and GardenClothing and ApparelArt and DesignFood and GiftsHealth and Beauty

Top 5 categories purchasedClothing and ApparelHandbags and AccessoriesArt and DesignHome and GardenHealth and Beauty

Why are you on Pinterest?Entertainment, to pass the time

To get inspiration on what to buy

To collect things I like

To connect people with similar interests

To associate with familiar brands

To get special offersfrom retailers/brands

73%70%67%51%43%39%

Overall Pinterest users are more engaged and retain relationships longer with brands and they act as curators for that brand as opposed to Facebook where they may like a brand just to get the latest coupon or contest but otherwise having nothing to do with the brand.

12% of Pinterest users have pinned something they have later purchased online and 16% of items they have later purchased offline. The average sale resulting from a Pinterest user following an image back to its source and then buying the item is $180 compared with $80 for Facebook users and $70 for Twitter users.

Gucci has been the first to unveil a banner ad with a small “Pin it” button on the bottom left-hand corner which is the first of its kind. When you click on the ad, it will prompt you with the choice of posting the mysterious lady in red or...just the shoes.

When consumers login into the service on the Zappos site, they can see suggestions that relate to their own personal pins or those of other users.

Generating traffic may be all you need

Photo: Flickr 27147

Pinterest doesn’t necessarily require a strong brand presence on the platform itself — many brands saw high referral numbers from the site before they event launched brand accounts. Pinterest can generate a lot of traffic to your website because pins link back to their original source.

Seriously drool-worthy

Photo: Flickr Santos

Having great, shareable content isn’t a new concept - but with Pinterest the visual aspect is what gets your foot in the door in getting your content repeated by others.

Photo: Flickr Santos

Phoenix stylist and blogger Alex Evjen from AVE Styles: “Pinterest has revolutionized my business. This tool has also helped me capture fashion trends, visualize my personal style, and share my styling projects with the rest of the world, and I’ve also connected with some new faces in the blogging/fashion world.”

One creative way Alex used Pinterest to build her business was to use Pinterest boards to style long-distance clients virtually.

Photo: Gina Meola

Photos by photographer Gina Meola.

Everything was preplanned by Pinterest before the day of the shoot down to the accessories and details.

Photo: Gina Meola

In a little over a year, Alex is close to hitting the 1 million follower mark and is currently ranked the #111 top pinner out of the millions of Pinterest users. (by the way she as 338 followers on Facebook).

Pin frequently Keep your content fresh and use the tool every day to interact with your followers and get new ones.

Content is kingTry to be the 20% and post original content.

Be mindful of layout Vertical images are more noticeable than horizontal.

Some of Alex Evjen’s Pinterest tips.

Take time to edit your board covers Make sure they are great representations of what your board is

about and eye-catching images.

Continue to enjoy PinterestUse it for what it is intended – a way to catalog things you love.

Don’t focus on numbers. Just have fun and enjoy it!

Promote lifestyle over product What makes your brand tick? Focus on what inspires you to help the

consumer.

Use it as a focus groupPeople are sharing what they love. Take the time to see who is

following your brand and what interests them.

Additional tips

Pin with contentDon’t upload pictures to Pinterest from your computer or link to a

page with a photo and no content.

Pin videos and tutorialsPinterest isn’t limited to photos, you can also post videos. Followers

also enjoy cataloging tutorials.

Collaborate with othersWhether you create a group board and invite others to participate,

ask followers to curate content with a hashtag, or host a contest, take

advantage of the collaborative features.

Add a Pin It button to your siteMake it easy for people to share your content.

Have a strategy in place for price tagsDirect purchase pins are a bit controversial!

Don’t use Pinterest just to advertisePintest was created for and from the perspective of the individual, not marketers.

Don’t hurt your credibility with memesIt may be tempting to post those cat photos and Futurama Fry

photos, but those are best left to Reddit.

Read the Terms of ServicePinterest has made several revisions to its Terms of Service since

launching, make sure you’re ok with all the rules!

Some inspiration from brands that are doing it right:Fitsugar - fitness blog (pop sugar)Boards include: Inspirational fitness quotes, Healthy breakfasts, Inspiring Yoga positions

Lowe’s2.9 million followersBoards include: Helpful hints, Craft Ideas, For the home

Style Me PrettyOver 4 million followersBoards include: DIY Projects, First Look

It’s not just about the ladies - some examples of successful male Pinterest users

And if your product isn’t particularly visual, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not meant to be on Pinterest. General Electric has been really creative in engaging their followers on Pinterest with boards like Hey Girl, Bad ass machines, and Fabulous kitchens (which all have great lighting of course)

And Nonprofits are using Pinterest for instance the National Wildlife Foundation has an Annimal Appreciation board that takes advantage of how viral cute animals can be

And the Smithsonian’s Archive of American art has an amazing collection of vintage boards.

Marketing Toolsrepinly.comHelps you find the most popular pins, boards, and pinners on Pinterest

pinalytics.co.uk // pinpuff.comSearch results on content and interactions on Pinterest

reachli.comAnalytics dashboard

Here are a couple of marketing tools that you might find helpful in getting started with your own Pinterest analytics and tracking.

Tell me how you really feel

Photo: Flickr sergiu_bacioiu

You can also use Pinterest as a tool within your business. Relationship counselor Crystal Rice asks her clients to pick pictures every day that describe their emotions and mood - and evaluates them when they return to her office. This method has been very successful among her male patients.

Stephanie Liebold and I collaborated on a shirt design by using Pinterest.

Photo: Flickr MrAnathemaPhoto: Flickr MrAnathema

Have fun with it! Whether it’s collecting recipes, household tips, or making a board dedicated to Fisher price little people mom dolls for yourself or you use it for your business by curating and creating the content that defines and inspires your brand. Get on there and start pinning!

Photo: Flickr hownowdesign

Thank you!pinterest.com/nikiblaker

SourcesTomKat Studio: My Interview With Pinterest Co-Founder Ben Silbermannhttp://blog.hgtv.com/design/2011/08/30/tomkat-studio-my-interview-with-pinterest-co-founder-ben-silbermann/

Can Ben Silbermann Turn Pinterest Into The World’s Greatest Shopfront?http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670681/ben-silbermann-pinterest

Pinterest Data Analysis: An Inside Lookhttp://blog.rjmetrics.com/Pinterest-Data-Analysis-An-Inside-Look/

Shopify Pinterest Infographichttp://www.shopify.com/infographics/pinterest/

Online Consumer Pulse Pinterest vs. Facebook: Which Social Sharing Site Wins at Shopping Engagement?http://bizrateinsights.com/?s=pinterest

Harvard Business Review Highlights Pinterest Infographic by Vision Criticalhttp://www.visioncritical.com/news/harvard-business-review-highlights-pinterest-infographic-vision-critical

Pinterest Newshttp://www.pinterestnews.org/

pinning & winning: how to make pinterest work for you

pinterest work

pin boards

evan sharp launched

individual photo

users boards

online photo albums

design strategist

design blogs

Documents

pinning down cloud computing

mfp80 certificate pinning

are you power pinning your business with pinterest?

start pinning with pinterest

powerpoint for pinning

pinning pretty: a qualitative study of pinterest users...

pinning and candle lighting ceremony april 2014 pinning and

pinning your business to the top with pinterest

revision pinning ovm

my pinterest story -...

12+ months 10-12 months - magnetstreet · caterer, and...

certificate pinning

pinning politics

pinning insect

pinning our lives: pinterest and beyond

pinning from slideshare

certificate pinning v2

pinterest - is the life insurance industry pinning?

profit pinning

pinning slideshow