Pinning your Business to the Top

with Pinterest
Jess Loren, SVP of Digital
Legacy Marketing Partners
@ChiTownJess
Jessica Galliart, Social Media
Manager Tribune
@JessicaGalliart
 Overview
• How effective is social media?
• Social media and marketers
• Alicia Keys and Pinterest (?!)
• What is Pinterest?
• The appeal of Pinterest
• Getting started with Pinterest
• How does Pinterest work?
• The image theory
• Case studies
• Viralocity
 Social Smocial:
How effective is Social Media?
• Social Media is just another tool
• Needs laser focus in order to be effective
• Must be driven by business needs
• Must be measured
• Must be tweaked based on results
 Social Media and Marketers
Five Benefits of Social
Media Marketing
from
beingyourbrand.com”

1. Increased
exposure
2. Increased traffic
3. Provided
marketplace
insight
4. Generated leads
5. Developed loyal
fans
 Alicia Keys

• Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and actress Alicia Keys

used Pinterest to correspond with her new album
• Pop culture enters social media (and vice versa)
So why does Keys care about Pinterest?
 What is Pinterest?
The people behind Pinterest describe their
company as:
“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the
beautiful things you find on the Web. People use
pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their
homes, and organize their favorite recipes. In
simple terms, it is a visual board where one can
attach images that tickle their fancy. It’s like a
scrapbook that lets the world share itself.”
 The Appeal of Pinterest

• Above graph shows increase in visits since 2012 from Compete.com

• 2.5 billion page views a month (40-50 million unique visitors)
• Over 70 million registered users
• Valued at $2.5 billion
• Used mainly by 18-50 year old women
(http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-user-demographics_b38095 )
• Women are five times as likely to use Pinterest than men
• Strong base in fashion and home decor posting
• Higher rates of posting more acceptable
 Getting Started with Pinterest
• Pinterest used to require invites to register,
but now it’s public.
• If your business has a Facebook and Twitter
already, you next logical step is Pinterest: you
can sign up for Pinterest with either of those
two accounts
• Before pinning anything, determine your
brand’s editorial tone: light-hearted/fun?
Glamorous?
 Getting Started with Pinterest
• Before inviting everyone on Facebook and Twitter
to follow your Pinterest, build a small library of
board, pins and re-pins first
• Respond to re-pins you like and communicate
with your Pinterest followers as your brand
• Ask for your fans’ input on what you post
• Don’t go “pin-crazy” and spam your fans’ page
with your pins: though Pinterest allows for higher
frequency posting than Facebook, it’s still quality
> quantity
 How does it work?
• Pinterest Basics: Pins (photos), Re-
Pins (posting someone else’s
photos, ie “retweet), and Boards
(where you post the photos)
• Pins link back to their original
source
• You want to make sure your
website receives credit for your
pins
• It’s not in bad taste to repin
someone else’s pin, just
remember that it will link back
to their pages
• Describing your Pin
• Slight explanation for your pin:
creative or straightforward
• Your description will be seen by
all who repin
 Creative Board Names

• Engage the Senses

• State the Obvious
• Sarcastic Banter
• Quote others
• Inspire
• Themes
 Pinterest Categories
• Popular • Holidays & Events
• Everything • Home Decor
• Gifts • Humor
• Videos • Illustrations & Posters
• Animals • Kids
• Architecture • Men's Fashion
• Art • Outdoors
• Cars & Motorcycles • Photography
• Celebrities • Products
• Design • Quotes
• DIY & Crafts • Science & Nature
• Education • Sports
• Film, Music & Books • Tattoos
• Food & Drink • Technology
• Gardening • Travel
• Geek • Weddings
• Hair & Beauty • Women's Fashion
• Health & Fitness
• History
 The Image Theory
- Dr. Walfish: “Attention spans are lengthened when you
offer some visual or auditory enhancement to the
written word... Visuals, when it comes to advertising,
are much stronger than just words. That is why so
much is done in graphics and trailers down to the
imagery of the title.”

- Dr. Wald: “Branding is all about imagery. People

associate images with companies. Psychological
research has suggested that visual attractiveness
causes people to associate other positive attributes to a
person or product."
 Effectiveness of Images
• Images have the potential of producing
positive and emotional responses
• Making images more dynamic and interesting
draws attention to your products
• You can use your images to:
• Show products that you produce
• Inspire users to pin their own images
• Show lifestyle tips in action
Case Studies

• J.Crew launches new

September style guide on
Pinterest
• A great way to get fans’
first impressions
• Creates a sense of
exclusivity between fans
and brand
• Fosters loyalty among fans
for getting a “sneak peek”
Case Studies
• Nordstrom: The most
followed brand on
Pinterest
• Posts inspirational
quotes, wedding
ideas, and funny stuff
(like a “Fashion Cats”
board) to keep
people interested in
the brand’s attitude,
not just the fashion
• Proof that success on
Pinterest relies on a
diverse amount of
high-quality content.
Case Studies
• Whole Foods: perfect
for Pinterest’s main
demographics and
interests
• “We’ve really focused
on remaining authentic
to the space that
[Pinterest founders
have[ created and not
treated it as an
extension of our website
or as an advertisement
of our products.” —
Michael Bepko, Whole
Foods global online
community manager.
(http://mashable.com/2
012/02/23/pinterest-
whole-foods/)
Case Studies
 Viralocity
• Infographics
• Provides necessary details and figures while
stimulating the brain
• Word-of-Mouth
• Liking, Sharing, Repinning, and Commenting on
your content
• Contests
• “Pin and Win”, Most Repins, Scavenger Hunts,
Sweepstakes
 Viralocity
• “The more you incentivize people to share, the
more they will share. There are two ways to do
this: bribe them or inspire them.” – Emerson
Spartz
• Define what going viral means for you
• Just because something should go viral does
not mean it will. The same goes for the
opposite
 Thank you!
@ChitownJess
@JessicaGalliart