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Book Description

Pinterest is a social media site that enables users to create online pinboards of compelling images they find online by "pinning" the images and curating them into various categories. It has exploded into American consciousness with big media attention and exponential growth-most notably reaching 10 million unique monthly visitors more quickly than any social media site in history. The vast majority of early devotees have been women of higher income between the ages of 25 and 49, and the images they pin frequently fall into the categories of clothing, crafts, food, and home décor. This represents a significant opportunity for companies and brands whose products are targeted to this market; however, Pinterest has value far beyond its initial popular use. Companies large and small are hearing the hype and hoping to get an early start with a site that shows signs of continued growth and influence. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Pinterest Marketing helps small business owners as well as marketing experts at larger companies get on the Pinterest bandwagon and learn how to use this exciting new phenomenon to increase online exposure for their products, strengthen their online presence, and connect with customers in a place where they are now flocking. In it, readers learn how to:

- Use the basic features of Pinterest, including setting up an account, creating boards, and pinning images
- Develop a Pinterest marketing strategy and integrate it with other online and offline presences
- Project a brand voice onto Pinterest through strategic pinning and writing compelling pin copy
- Create pins that get repinned
- Grow a following organically and understand the importance of whom a brand follows
- Engage an audience through contests, collaborative boards, and more
- Determine who in the organization will pin, or whether to outsource it
- Gauge and quantify the success of a brand's marketing efforts on Pinterest

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Part 1: Getting Started with Pinterest
    1. 1 What Is Pinterest?
      1. The Visual Social Media Site
      2. The Fastest-Growing Site in History
      3. Brands That Thrive on Pinterest
      4. Getting to Know the Pinterest Demographic
      5. Why Should I Use Pinterest to Market My Business?
    2. 2 Pinterest First Steps
      1. No Invitation Needed
      2. Creating Your Pinterest Identity
      3. Completing the Account Setup
        1. Finding and Following Your Interests
        2. Creating Your First Boards
        3. Adding the Pin It Bookmarklet to Your Web Browser
      4. Personalizing Your Profile Settings
        1. Editing Your Email Settings
        2. Changing Your Password
        3. Language
        4. Editing Your Pinterest Identity
        5. Changing Your Visual Image
        6. Facebook and Twitter Options
        7. Appearing in Google Searches
        8. Deactivating Your Account
    3. 3 Creating and Managing Your Boards
      1. The Parts of Pinterest Web Pages
      2. Creating a New Board
      3. Naming New Boards
      4. Categorizing Your Board
      5. Collaboration Versus Contribution
        1. Choosing the Kingpinner
        2. Grant Pinning Privileges
      6. Editing Your Board Descriptions
        1. Change the Board Name
        2. Add a Description
      7. Deleting Your Board
    4. 4 Pinning to Your Boards
      1. Pinning Options
        1. Using the Pin It Bookmarklet
        2. Adding a Pin
        3. Uploading an Image
        4. Pinning a Video
        5. Creating a Board While Creating a Pin
      2. Good Pins Versus Bad Pins
        1. Pinning from Original Sources
        2. Pinning from Permalinks
        3. Repinning
      3. Editing Pins
        1. Adding a URL to a Pin
        2. Adding a Price to a Pin
      4. Interacting with Other Pinterest Users and Pins
        1. Mentioning Another Pinterest User
        2. Liking a Pin
        3. Commenting on Pins
      5. Using the Pinterest App
        1. Understanding the App Icons on iPhone or Android
        2. Using the Camera with Pinterest
        3. Viewing Your Boards and Pins
        4. Using the iPad App
  7. Part 2: Pinning Down Your Marketing Strategy
    1. 5 Developing a Marketing Strategy
      1. Setting Your Pinterest Goals
        1. Defining Your Customer
        2. Who Are the Influencers You Want to Reach?
        3. Quality Versus Quantity Following
        4. Increasing Brand Awareness
        5. Attracting New Customers
        6. Increasing Product Awareness
        7. Engaging with Customers
        8. Becoming the Niche Expert
        9. Offering an Alternative to Customer Support
        10. Increasing Traffic and Sales
        11. Generating Media Coverage
      2. Developing Your Plan
        1. Pinterest Marketing Diamond
        2. Goal Worksheet
        3. Patience Is a Virtue
      3. Finding the Right Person for the Job
        1. Outsourcing Options
        2. Brand Advocates
      4. Merging Your Communities
    2. 6 Pinterest and Your Marketing Strategy
      1. Projecting Your Brand Voice onto Pinterest
      2. Writing Pinteresting Copy
        1. Tips for Creating Quality Copy
        2. Writing Pinteresting Copy for Product Pins
        3. Writing Pinteresting Copy for Lifestyle Pins
        4. Writing Pinteresting Copy for Tutorial Pins
      3. Becoming a Go-To Source for Trusted Information
      4. Presenting Your Company and Going Behind the Scenes
      5. Making Pinterest “Hot Topics” Work for Your Brand
    3. 7 Brainstorming Boards for Your Brand Narrative
      1. Visually Telling the Story of Your Brand
        1. Creating a Storyboard
        2. Using Archived Information to Tell Your Brand Story
      2. Profiling Customers to Create Board Topics
      3. Creating Compelling Board Titles
      4. Creating Boards with a Narrow Focus
      5. Customizing Your Board Cover Photos
      6. Arranging Your Boards
    4. 8 Making the Parts of a Pin Work for You
      1. Putting Your Best Image Forward
        1. Encourage Repinning
        2. Keep It Relevant
        3. Balance Content
        4. Create a Dynamic Environment
      2. Your Second Opportunity to Make a Pin Pop!
      3. Maximizing Information on Your Pin
        1. Pricing Your Pin
        2. Naming Someone in Your Pins
        3. Using Hashtags in Your Pins
      4. Timing Your Pins
      5. Other Forms of Engagement
      6. Link Reclamation
  8. Part 3: Implementing Your Pinterest Tactics
    1. 9 Pinterest and Your Online Presence
      1. Linking Pinterest to Your Website and Blog
        1. Adding the Pin It Button to Your Website
        2. Adding the Follow Me Button to Your Blog or Website
        3. Adding the Pinterest Logo to Your Marketing Materials
      2. Increasing a Pin’s Visibility
        1. On Your Blog
        2. On Facebook
        3. On Twitter
        4. On LinkedIn
        5. On Twitpic, Instagram, and Flickr
      3. Does This Apply to Your Business?
        1. ZAGGDaily
        2. Southwest Airlines
        3. Schoolhouse Review Crew
    2. 10 Sourcing Stellar Pins
      1. Why Create Pin Sources?
      2. Keeping Source Variety in Mind
      3. Creating a Dynamic Pin Stream
      4. Where to Find Great Pin Content
        1. Blogs
        2. Tumblr
        3. StumbleUpon
        4. Delicious
        5. FFFFOUND!
        6. We Heart It
        7. Facebook, Twitter, and Google+
        8. Pinterest
      5. Pinning with an “Editor’s Eye”
        1. Saving “Likes” as Potential Pins
      6. Sourcing Useful and Informative Pins
        1. YouTube and Vimeo
        2. Blogs
        3. Web Publications
    3. 11 Strategic Following
      1. Choosing Whom to Follow
        1. The Importance of Being Selective
        2. Grabbing Attention by Following
        3. Following to Edit Your View
      2. Building a Following
      3. Abiding by Pinterest’s Top Three Rules
        1. Rule 1: Be Respectful
        2. Rule 2: Be Authentic
        3. Rule 3: Credit Your Sources
    4. 12 Collaborating for Success
      1. Creating and Using Collaborative Boards
      2. Connecting with Your Community
        1. Business-to-Business Collaboration
        2. Business-to-Consumer Collaboration
      3. Running Contests
      4. Soliciting Brand Advocates
      5. Sponsored Pin Relationships
      6. Cross-Promotional Pinning
  9. Part 4: Taking Pinterest Further
    1. 13 Evaluating Your Pinterest Effectiveness
      1. Site Statistics and Referral Traffic
        1. Are You Being Pinned?
        2. Using Analytics to Count Repins and Followers
      2. Responding to and Soliciting Comments
      3. Pinterest as a Focus Group
      4. Conducting Surveys
      5. Understanding Visual Feedback
    2. 14 Making Your Brand Pinnable
      1. Making Your Website and Blog Pinterest Friendly
        1. Evaluating Your Website
        2. Are Your Website Images Pinnable?
        3. Evaluating Your Blog
        4. Doing It Right
      2. Creating High-Quality Images for Pinterest
    3. 15 Maintaining Your Pinterest Presence
      1. Reflecting Company Changes on Pinterest
      2. Staying Present by Being Creative
      3. Pin Perseverance
  10. Appendix
    1. A Glossary
    2. B Resources
  11. Index
  12. About the Authors