05May

Should I Use Pinterest For My Business?

Pinterest is the perfect platform for showcasing the more visual side to your dealership, such as inventory at work, renovations in progress and completed jobs. But does that mean you should be on it? Here’s what we know!

What is Pinterest?

It’s a platform that allows users to share and save (called pinning) visual content, such as new home designs or landscaping ideas, to virtual boards. Users can then follow and search other boards, and pin what they find to their own boards. They can also pin visual content that they find on websites. Think of it as a virtual inspiration board for any projects, dreams, styles, etc.

Who’s on Pinterest?

Pinterest is very unique compared to other social platforms in that 71% of the platform’s 72.5 million visitors in the US are women. But men are quickly joining on. In 2014, Pinterest revealed that the US male user base grew 73% compared to the previous year.

Why is Pinterest a good option for my dealership?

Pinterest can help you do the following:

  1. Grow brand engagement. Post inspirational posts that motivate your audience to take action such as purchase lawn and garden equipment, consider investing in or renting a compact excavator for their home renovations, or inspire them to start their next Do It Yourself Project.
  2. Drive Website Traffic. If you post articles or blog posts on a consistent basis it would be a great idea to add a “Pin it” button on your website to allow your audience to share your posts on their Pinterest boards. The best articles revolve around educating your audience, sample topics could be “How to Save Money When Renting Equipment” or “Top Ten Best Practices in Construction Safety.” As people pin your content to boards, links are automatically created that drive traffic back to the where the original content was posted, i.e. your website or blog.
  3. Boost sales based on what products people like. Pin images of construction sites or a project in progress and share a picture of the finished result. Such posts can really inspire people, which ultimately leads them to take action.  You can also use Pinterest Analytics to see which Pins people like most and make this topic/product more prominent on your website.

Tips for Using Pinterest as a Business

  • Understand your ideal customer. Pinterest is great because you can easily search using keywords to get an understanding as to what your ideal customer is already pinning. For example, when you search construction equipment, you will see tons of images of construction equipment in action. This will help you create boards that provide answers to questions, inspire users and solve their problems.
  • Create boards around business goals. When deciding what your first boards should be called, think about your goals, values, products and services. For example, you could have boards all about excavators, new home construction, roads less travelled, etc. You should also think about those ideal customers and design boards that help meet their needs. It’s a good idea to be creative in naming your boards, but keep in mind some essential keywords because Pinterest boards are also searchable.
  • Have a pin strategy. Just like boards, pin descriptions are also searchable. So use keywords that will help your ideal customer find your pins and products. Another thing that will help you grow your Pinterest community is following other users and engaging with them. Repin content that you think your ideal customer would want to see. This will help you with content on your own boards and also help build your community of followers. Also be sure to include your website if you are pinning images that come directly from your business. That way people are able to click  and hopefully convert!
  • Join as a Business. Be sure to join as a business and not as a person. Like Facebook, by joining as a business you will have access to analytics which will help you thrive on the platform by really understanding your followers and their interests. To sign up as a business, check out Pinterest for Business.

Here’s Are A Few Examples of Businesses Active on Pinterest in Your Industry:

Rock and Dirt Pinterest Board

 

JCB South Texas on Pinterest

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