What’s the first thing that catches your eye when you land on a website?  If you’re like most of us, it’s a bright call to action, a stunning photo, an interesting logo or even the feel created by the textures, gradients and colors used.  In fact, your brain unconsciously establishes a perception of a brand before you even read the first word of a headline. It's a leftover legacy of the brain's inner cortex keeping us aware of that lurking saber tooth tiger. We are highly drawn to visual stimulus first.

Pinterest is a fast growing social media platform that is capitalizing on visual attraction.  Pinterest has just a little over 72 million users, 47 million of which reside in the United States. 85% of all Pinterest users are female. 

When joining Pinterest, you can “pin” a graphic (image, picture and even a video) to an online board that you create.  Most people create their board around categories, and, in fact, over 70% of boards are in the “home” category. The users have the ability to create links to their pinned images, so when someone clicks on that image, they’re redirected to the new site.  Users of other social media (namely Facebook and Twitter) can share their images on those social media platforms also.  Someone who’s marketing their services or products online can effectively use Pinterest to drive traffic to their website as well as incorporate other social media platforms into their Pinterest marketing efforts. Think of these pin's and postings as a social media push that uses visual marketing as part of an overall branding strategy.   

Businesses who market their services online should be especially interested in trying Pinterest. According to DMR Digital Marketing Stats, each pin results in an average of two website visits. With a little creativity, almost anyone can successfully use Pinterest to drive traffic back to their website.  For instance, an architect or interior designer would be a natural fit for Pinterest, due to the visual nature of their services.  Once a visitor clicks back to a website they're provided an opportunity to pin images from your website.  By pinning a picture of a chair or room, adding tips on how to style and decorate, a company can easily start a viral marketing effect.

So what are some ways that you can effectively use Pinterest to market your service or product?  Here are three easy ways to use Pinterest to market your business:

Share videos.  Many people aren’t aware that you can also pin videos, however, by using effective keyword strategies, and creating interesting videos, you can multitask by combining Youtube and Pinterest video marketing.

Advice and How-to’s:  Create boards that show visitors how to use your services by illustrating how a design board works.  Show how to accessorize a small room or demonstrate complementary color trends.  Provide advice on choosing a throw rug or choosing quality outdoor furniture.

Feature your customers:  Combining user tips from your customers about your services and using testimonials, you can sell your products and services without appearing to sell.

Social Media requires effort and adding yet one more platform to your marketing efforts can either raise your business to the next level or be a waste of time.  Thinking through how Pinterest fits within your marketing efforts is a first step. Run a series of tests pins and set up a set of boards that use images from your portfolio. Watch your website analytics closely to determine if you’re driving more traffic to your website.  If you decide that Pinterest is increasing awareness of your firm, but you just don’t have time to manage it,  consider using a marketing expert. Give us a call. We understand using a visual content in online marketing campaigns. We can guide you towards an increase in traffic and a higher return on your marketing investment.