Some business owners wish that they could expand their marketing efforts to Pinterest, yet they just aren’t sure how to even get started with this exciting social media website. Pinterest Marketing Expert Anna Bennett was kind enough to provide some insights into the success that she has enjoyed with White Glove Social Media, and she provides several useful tips that you can start trying today.
Can you tell us a bit about White Glove Social Media and the services that you offer?
White Glove Social Media Marketing uses Pinterest to help businesses:
- grow traffic
- grow sales
- grow brand profile
- grow profits
- grow market share
We do this in four different ways:
1. One-on-one coaching
2. By conducting a strategic review of your current Pinterest account
3. Monthly account management
4. By selling courses teaching people how to use Pinterest effectively
Working together as a team of inspired professionals, White Glove brings a combination of time-tested best practices combined with the latest and greatest: writing, design & social media marketing strategies & tactics to your business. We have over 30 years of combined business ownership & management experience.
Some of the reasons to outsource your social media marketing to White Glove include:
1. We focus on this stuff 24/7 so you can focus on your core business.
2. By working full time and studying social media continuously, it is very likely that we are more up to date on the Pinterest rules (so you don’t get shut down) as well as the latest techniques & trends that drive traffic.
3. The stakes are too high if you fall behind your competition because you are slow or using ineffective or outdated social media marketing methods; the financial consequences to you could be huge.
Working in conjunction with your stated goals and objectives, we will harmonize your social media marketing strategies to help you achieve your goals.
We have two Pinterest-focused courses:
1. Pinterest Marketing for Business is a course designed for businesses that have the time to learn about Pinterest and want to manage their own accounts.
2. How to Become a Pinterest Account Manager is a course designed for those who already know Pinterest but want to learn how to dramatically elevate and professionally manage Pinterest accounts; including their own, for the company they work for, or as an agency.
What sets WG apart from other social media marketing services?
There are 5 key differentiators that set us apart from other social media marketing companies:
1. We are Pinterest specialists; although we understand all the social platforms, we specialize in one – Pinterest – and we know it inside and out.
2. We have proven more so than any other Pinterest agency we have the unique know-how of using Pinterest to get on the top of Google’s organic search results.
3. Pinterest has hired me to be part of their “Business Expert Program.” They pay me to provide advice to their business users.
4. We manage accounts professionally for others full time. It’s what we do. We don’t just blog about it as a theory; we actually do it for people who pay us and depend on us. So we have practical experience,too.
5. We have published two courses on how to manage Pinterest accounts, which demonstrates a very rich and deep knowledge of the platform.
All combined, we are not aware of another agency out there that has those five qualities; and that is why we are a brand’s best choice for Pinterest consulting, education, or account management.
What do you ultimately aim to provide to business owners?
We aim to help them increase traffic, sales, and brand domination in their category. And we provide ROI reports to prove it.
What are the greatest benefits that Pinterest has to offer?
- Getting more traffic by getting onto the first page of Google’s organic search – FREE traffic BTW!
- Making more sales
- Collecting market intelligence, which helps with future content & product development
- Raising their brand profile
- Developing loyal fans and brand advocates
Pinterest also provides tools to help their clients get more website traffic and sales.
Why do you focus on Pinterest over other social media websites?
First and foremost, because people go to Pinterest looking for things to buy – much more than any other social platform, and that has been proven many times over by various research firms including IBM. 70% of Pinners use Pinterest for inspiration to buy. Let that sink in for a moment. So if our job is to help our customers use social media to increase sales, having a Pinterest focus is a no-brainer.
Second, what many businesses fail to realize is that Pinterest can help them rank on the first page of Google. As a B2B company, I rank on the first page of Google consistently with my chosen keywords because of Pinterest. What’s not to love about that?
Third, I chose Pinterest because I knew I couldn’t be an expert on all social platforms; and with the rise of visual content marketing, Pinterest has proven to be the most powerful platform.
And finally, because Pins also live forever, which is heavenly for any marketer because your content keeps getting shared over and over. That doesn’t happen in any other social network.
Do you think all businesses can benefit from using Pinterest as a marketing tool?
For those who have an ecommerce site it’s a no-brainer to be on Pinterest. Naturally, not all businesses can benefit from Pinterest. For example, if you’re a local coffee shop with one location, I’m not so sure you need to invest in Pinterest.
Bottom line: If you want to drive more traffic and sales to your website or blog, Pinterest can help you do that.
What are some best practices for companies who use Pinterest?
The most important best practice a company can keep in mind when they think about Pinterest is who is going to run it for them. Make sure the person who manages your account is an expert; meaning they have the full depth of knowledge about Pinterest, they are constantly up to date, and they have successfully managed their own account and other people’s accounts. It is too important of a platform to let an amateur run it, or to leave it to someone who will learn on the fly part-time.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you have someone on your team who is qualified to create content and pin on a consistent basis – which means every day?
2. In what way have they become qualified? Where is the proof?
3. If you decide to outsource, are you looking to hire the cheapest person you can hire, or someone who is an actual Pinterest expert?
Type the words Pinterest expert or Pinterest consultant into a Google search box. Notice the results. We come up on the first page of Google’s organic results. If the people you want to hire cannot get themselves onto the first page of Google’s organic search using Pinterest, what makes you think they can help you rank any better?
Getting on the first page of Google for your most important key words is a very important goal if you want more traffic and sales. People who rank highly know what they are doing; people who don’t, don’t. Or they’d be there, right? Do you really what to work with someone who claims to be an expert, yet can’t demonstrate that they can use Pinterest to get themselves on the first page of Google?
The most important best practice is making the decision of who will run your account. It has more impact on your success than any other decision. Sadly, too many businesses get this wrong because they either don’t realize how powerful Pinterest can be if used correctly or they want to try and save money.
Then there is the 80/20 rule. Understanding and applying this is critical to success on Pinterest.
What are some things you should never do on Pinterest?
Wing it: I see way too many businesses just wing it on Pinterest and then they wonder why they’re not having any success.
Quick fixes: It is no place for a part-time amateur or an overseas Pinning factory; because if they pin images to your site that belong to someone else, and they put your links on them and Pinterest finds out, you will be shut down. This is real, and we see it happening.
Spam: Pinterest hates spam.
Reinventing the wheel: I’ve spent over 4,000 hours creating the Pinterest Marketing for Business course, and I’m constantly updating it because Pinterest is always making changes in their policies, tools, and features. Unless you spend full-time hours on Pinterest, you’ll fall behind.
There is actually a very long list of things not to do on Pinterest. There are too many to list here, but these few should give you a starting point.
- Don’t pin 200 images in one sitting and think you are doing it right.
- Don’t neglect your keyword SEO strategy – don’t even think about pinning if you’re if you haven’t figured this out yet.
- Don’t neglect the 80-20 rule.
Pinterest is scientific. If you don’t know where to start or want to learn how to set up and operate your Pinterest account correctly for maximum success, you can grab Chapter 1 of my Pinterest Marketing for Business course for FREE to help you get started.
What are some of your other favorite online marketing tools (outside of Pinterest, of course)?
I use Viraltag for scheduling pins for my clients and use Canva for my blog images.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Most businesses think that because they know how to use Facebook and Twitter that they know how to master Pinterest, too. When I review their Pinterest accounts, it is clear that the majority of businesses out there are not even close to taking advantage of the power of Pinterest.
It’s hard to be an expert in all things. I see way too many businesses wasting a ton of time and money because they think they know how to operate Pinterest in-house. It is not as easy or simple as they think. A person in marketing with no formal education cannot maximize it working part time.
Look at it this way: is Pinterest helping you get on the first page of Google’s organic results for your key words? If not, then you are failing to maximize Pinterest. Imagine the traffic spike you would enjoy if you owned page one of search results. It’s all there for the taking, and Pinterest can help; but most people don’t have a clue how to do that.
Pinterest will shut down accounts. Unfortunately I see Pinterest accounts getting shut down because people don’t know what they don’t know. Pinterest isn’t lenient about reinstating your account just because you’re not sure what you did wrong. It’s really sad to see this, but that’s the reality.
If you’re not sure if your business should be on Pinterest, or not sure whether or not to outsource it, contact me at [email protected]. And pick up Chapter 1 of my Pinterest Marketing for Business course for FREE to help you get started.
Connect with Anna Cadiz Bennett on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.