Hello, Vendor! I’m Very Much Pinterested.
How to Perform Pleasing & Popular Pinterest Marketing Campaigns
After gaining popularity since the early months of 2012, Pinterest became the next biggest social network after Facebook and Twitter. Its current demographics show that women remain its top users at 68%. This social networking site acts like a virtual mix of pinboards and scrapbooks where users can like, pin and repin images they find endearing, entertaining and educational. This characteristic makes it a huge attractant for women who want to express themselves through the pictures they love.
How does this relate to businesses? Entrepreneurs can use Pinterest to supplement a meager marketing budget. What they can do is hire a professional photographer and a model to showcase their merchandise. But what if you don’t have enough funds for expert work? You, a family member or a friend savvy in photography can take shots of your products and services. Don’t have the money to look for experienced models? Try people you know or customers satisfied with your products. This lends an authentic feel to your pins and can attract people to browse your selections further.
Pinterest caters mainly to predominantly female pursuits like the following:
Businesses involved in the categories listed above can gain considerable marketing success with Pinterest. The first thing to do before you start your Pinterest campaign is to plan your images carefully. What products are you going to advertise? How are you going to present them in the picture? Should they stand alone in a plain background or a colorful palette? Contrast and balance of colors is important as well as the angle you use when taking the picture. Consider the elements of photography such as:
- Lighting – source, amount and direction of light in the photograph. This can come from sunlight, flash bulbs or lamps.
- Texture –describes how the object appears to feel to the touch. How light falls on the object and changes its look can also affect its texture.
- Focus – sharpness or clarity of the subjects in the picture. Camera manipulation is needed to make blurry, gentle edges or create sharp detail through selective focus.
- Angle of View –position from where the photographer shot the image. The mood of a picture can be affected through shifts of angle. Using this technique can also bring about interesting images.
- Framing and Composition – how a subject is presented in the image. Photographers determine what to include in the frame. They, then, compose the image to draw the viewer’s attention to how they want the picture to be seen.
- Color – can make pictures look alive or subdued. For intense and dramatic moods, photographers use heavily saturated colors. Subjects that need a peaceful look should have muted colors.
Well-taken pictures get more attention than pictures not given enough effort. What further separates them from other boards is good storytelling. For example, if you’re selling baby paraphernalia, you can create a board starting with cute infant shirts, mittens and booties. After that, show pictures of cribs then mobile crib attachments. With this board, you can illustrate what items babies need at different stages of their life.
Another simple way to create boards is like arranging your products in a specific theme, color or type. This would create symmetry and a feel of organization. You can also create boards for each of your most popular products. From the baby product example above, you can start on clothes to accessories then rubber mats, nappies and other baby necessities.
What you also need to do is to involve your customers in your Pinterest marketing campaign. Take pictures of them using your products, whether it’s an appliance, a striking shirt or an eye-catching piece of jewelry. You can either ask them to pose or take candid pictures of them. This would further endear them to your business, as well as make prospective customers curious about your merchandise. See example below:
Looking at those pictures yourself will entice you to try out Elizabeth Daniel’s shirt design.
You’ve managed to hook new customers with your Pinterest campaign. How do you maintain the interest and excitement of your customers? You can do that through staying current with the seasonal trends, holidays and special occasions. Update your boards in advance to keep up with special holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Show off products popular in each and every season of the year from spring to winter. Maybe you can put up birthday and wedding gift ideas. You can also add wedding and baby shower boards, as well. The possibilities are endless!
Go on and release your creative side. Brainstorm with your staff about your Pinterest campaign.
Why not start experimenting with pins today?
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