The 5 Do's of Pinterest for Home Improvement Brands
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Pinterest is like the motherland of all things DIY. Can you even remember the last time you went a birthday party, Super Bowl party or Christmas Tree Lighting and didn’t hear someone say “Oh yeah I got that idea from Pinterest.”? Me either.
However, when researching for this article, I found that there are very limited resources out there aimed at helping Home Improvement Brands get the most from their Pinterest account.
1. Add the Pin It Button to your Website & Mobile App
So before we get to talking about your Pinterest Account, let’s first talk about how you’re getting users there. The Pin It Button is perfect for getting your website users to publish your brand’s products and info for you.
If you don’t already have it, you can get the button here. It’s simple. Once the button is added to your site, anytime a user hovers over a picture the Pin It button will appear (just like in the screenshot below from Apartment Therapy). Users can click the button to immediately add the things they like from your brand to their Pinterest page and their follower’s feeds.
2. Tap into the Gold Offered by Pinterest Analytics
Yes, there are parts of Pinterest that businesses are asked to pay for, like promoted pins. But the analytics are free, and can help you take a deeper look into what consumers like about your brand.
Once you’ve added the Pin It Button, you’ll be able to track the things that are pinned from your site. You’ll also be able to see which pins on your profile are the most popular.
Pinterest recently announced a more user-friendly analytics dashboard for business users, which includes a way to see how pins you’ve generated are doing and what pins are driving users back to your site.
Now I know analytics are often a sensitive subject. Everyone has their preferred provider. And you should by no means abandon whatever analytics you’re currently using for your site. However, Pinterest does offer some good insights into how your pins are performing, and they are making promises of even better analytics reporting in the future.
3. Look Before You Pin
Make sure anything you pin points directly to your site, your blog or the original source of the pin so users can find exactly what they’re looking for. This may take some extra time on your part, but it will go a long way towards building trust amongst your followers.
Interacting with consumers on social networks can be a tricky undertaking. They’ll love you for it or they’ll hate you for it. And getting a message like the one below from too many of your pins can lead to a lot of unfollows and disgruntled consumers.
4. Don't Limit the Types of Boards and Pins you Post
Although you don’t want to confuse users about who you are and what your brand is really all about, you also don’t want to bore them with a constant redundant feed that only lists your exact products. So make your profile clear about who you are and what you do and then pin away!
If your company sells lawn and garden materials, you may need to think outside the flower pot. You’ll of course want to include gardening boards, planting tips and DIY decor ideas for outdoor spaces. But let’s talk about some expanded options as well.
Everyone loves holiday boards. Don’t be afraid to start a board about fall decorating or holiday party tips. You’re engaging the consumer where they are and you’re keeping them engaged throughout the year, not just during your brand’s peak selling season. Continued engagement matters to your consumers.
DIY Consumers want to buy from brands that are authentic. If your brand is only interacting with them during the exact selling season of your products they will sniff you out as only interested in their dollars and be turned off from your brand, maybe forever.
Here’s some examples of brands branching out with their boards:
- Apartment Therapy has a Weddings & Celebrations board
- Lowe’s has a board all about Tailgating
- Delta Faucet has a board dedicated to the Pantone Color of Year
- Viking Range created a board for all things Pink to raise awareness about breast cance
5. Get a DIY Professional to Stage a Pinterest Takeover
Get in touch with a well-known face of the DIY circuit, and have them run your Pinterest for a week. Let them pin to your boards, create new boards. You could even run a contest to let some users collaborate on a few boards with them.
Your guest pinner doesn’t have to be a huge celebrity. Choose someone who has a strong following on their blog, is active on social media and who has a style or brand you admire.
During the take over, have them post about some of their favorite pins on their blog and yours. Make sure they are tweeting about it, posting about it and that everyone involved is properly promoting the event.
The great part about these types of social media stunts is that everyone benefits. Both you and your guest pinner will get a ton of extra exposure from each other’s audiences. You’ll both gain Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook followers from the event.
