Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have now become so mainstream most businesses have some relationship to either, if not both, these communication strategies. But some of the newer social media sites have been less used by the kitchen and bathroom industry so we thought it was time to take a look at these sometimes-useful sites to see if your business could benefit from involvement.
Today we’ll look at Pinterest and in the coming weeks we’ll take a look at a variety of others – if you have any suggestions you’d like us to follow up on let us know.
How does it work?
Pinterest is basically an online scrapbook where users “pin” images of items that interest them. Users are able to create a variety of “boards” for different areas of interest. Boards can be added or deleted as needed. The site describes itself as “a tool for collecting and organizing things you love”.
Other users can “follow” your boards and therefore be notified when you add a new image and you can also “follow” other users.
You don’t need to know the other users to follow them and any user can choose to follow your pins.
If you use Facebook, you can link your activity to your Facebook or Twitter account which will automatically update your timeline or Twitter feed with your Pinterest activity.
Why is this useful for the kitchen and bathroom industry?
Firstly, Pinterest is a great way to grow your own profile. Images of your own projects can be uploaded to a variety of your boards and categorised to make them easier to find. As your followers “like” or “repin” your images, your projects (or products) can be shared around the world. It’s important to note that the original link back to your site (or wherever you first “pinned” the image from) is not lost so any member of the public clicking on a pin will be taken back to that original location. Your source is protected.
Secondly, Pinterest can be used when working with clients. If you have clients who are already on Pinterest you can encourage them to start an inspiration board with images related to the project you are working on. You then follow that board and you have online access to see what they like. Because they can add images from anywhere on the internet, you are likely to get a great cross-section of ideas which you can then use to help understand the style they like.
Alternatively, potential clients can be encouraged to follow your company’s boards and this will give them a great introduction to the type and quality of work you undertake.
How do I get involved?
Pinterest is still an “invite only” site but all you need is to be invited by any current member. If you are not already on Pinterest, and you would like to start exploring this site, please email me at melgardener@gmail.com and I’ll send you an invite to join Pinterest.
For a more complete overview of the site visit http://about.pinterest.com/
Over to you – do you currently use Pinterest and do you find it useful? What do you think of these social media sites in general? Do they work for your business?
