How to use Pinterest to generate traffic, leads and sales?

Using Pinterest for promotion means that you must optimize your presence on it using mainly the power of images. Think visually. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard and until now the best image-based social media around. In my opinion, Pinterest can be a huge time saver or the biggest time thief! It is easy to sign in and get lost in that sea of lovely images! Fashion, advertising, photography, animals, home decor...you'll find anything you like on Pinterest. As I said it can be also a big time saver! I used Pinterest for a while as a source for crafts inspiration. I saved tutorials that I might want to try one day. But it has been months since I logged into that account. I really don't have time for it! 

To use Pinterest to fuel my Zazzle store's sales is another story. Everyone is writing wonders about Pinterest as a market tool. I think this sums it, but, easy to say, not that easy to do. 

• Pinterest buttons

- Use Pin it and Follow button in your sites and blogs - it's done! Add Pin button to your browser - it's done!
-There's also Pinterest for iPhone, iPad, and Android (Oh, sorry, I don't have  a smartphone or tablet.)

Where to find it? I found this < > on Pinterest heather and that's how I discovered a widget! But all the goodies are here:

 http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/

- Use categories but find original ways to categorize your pins (colors, interests, styles...)

- Use keywords in your pins descriptions and About 

- Use hashtags in your pins descriptions and About

- You can have a personal account or a "business" one - use image, description, About, and link of your store or site so Pinterest can reflect your site/store identity.

- Check image link for source before posting
- Give credit to the image source in your captions
- Check Terms of Pinterest service

• How to integrate Pinterest in Facebook and others similar to it?

Go to your settings on Pinterest and find the Social Networks section. Click on the Link to it. By enabling it you can share the pins you created with Facebook. (Or other networks).
To create a dedicated tab on Facebook and then Pinterest boards, try this http://woobox.com/pinterest ( I did not try it. Facebook isn't working for me!)

• Interaction

- Follow - Repin - Like - Comment
- Tell your story!
- Cultivate relationships
- Ask your follower's opinion - every follower is a potential customer!
- Build engagement and encourage conversations - ask questions in your descriptions and comments.
- Share images and links across social media
- Let the customer know you 
- ...and know your customers
- Guess what kind of information your potential customers want and deliver
- Offer pins that reflects not only your interests but also customer's interests- try to identify these!
- Promote you but don't forget to promote seller fellows also!

• Check how users are interacting with your content: what is popular?

This is called the source page: 

http://pinterest.com/source/YourWebsite.com/...

- Use Pinterest as a visual artist
- Use creativity and imagination
- Use image-text, use video, photo creation tools, Instagram, infographics!
- Try to show your product in a new perspective!
- Use Pinterest like a seller would!

- Include $ and price in your product's description so it will show here http://pinterest.com/gifts/  (I haven't done this yet.)

- Link the pin to images on your store/site/blog
- Use call to action in your images
- Mark your images with your name/brand
- Pin to other products and services that can benefit your potential customers
- Pin to other products and services that can complement your products
- Consider other own images to diversify and complement the ones of products you sell
- Try to offer added value to your potential customers

• Get Pinterest savy!

Use Pinterest tools and related sites to make the most of your Pinterest experience. Examples I found. 

http://pinstamatic.com/ - Use Pinstamatic to create visually appealing Pinterest boards which will drive traffic to you with little effort. Use stickers, music, quotes, images and much more. See how PINSTAMATIC works in my next post!

http://www.pinerly.com/landing - The simplest way to market your visual content across the web. We can measure how our pins perform.


You have to keep the flow of pins constant. Use GoPixel.me or Pinwoot to do it for you. Yes, Pinwoot allows you to schedule pins. Check a brief introduction I wrote about Pinwoot here!

Great articles on Pinterest that you should not miss!

Pinterest HELP

(To be continued!)