Tag Archives: pinterest

Pinterest Marketing: 3 Tips for Attracting Pinterest Traffic to Your Blog

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Pinterest featue in Metro - 27th February 2012

(Photo credit: Great British Chefs)

Have you been enjoying the guilty pleasure of pinning images and creating boards on Pinterest, but wish there was a way you could use it to benefit your business? Pinterest is the hottest social media property out there right now. It’s gained faster adoption by users than any other social media platform. For example, the InQbation blog says, ‘Pinterest Most Successful Startup Company on the Web in 2012.’ Lemon.ly created an infographic that illustrates the statistics related to this fast growing, social media platform.

Here are some Pinterest stats:

  • Over 10.4 million users
  • They hit 10 million unique monthly visitors faster than any site in history
  • Pinterest generate more referral traffic to websites than Youtube, Google+ and LinkedIn.com combined. Source: lemon.ly

If you’d like to get some insight on how you can leverage all of that traffic and re-route some of your ideal audience to your blog, here are five tips for attracting traffic to your blog using Pinterest.com:

1. Find out what kinds of images your visitors like to pin

Jessica Kupferman, of Badass Biz, wrote this guest post on Denise Wakeman’s business blog, ‘Top 5 Reasons You Need to Use Pinterest with Your Blog.’

I like tip #4, which shares a link that you can use to find out if visitors are pinning images from your website: http://pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite.com (replace /yourwebsite with the URL to your blog.) This will give you an idea of what your visitors are pinning (if at all) and what they are not pinning from your site. Source: http://bit.ly/HHV5YJ

2. Discover what gets pinned and re-pinned the most

Rather than link to a specific article, I’m sharing a link to an entire site that is a fabulous resource for learning about marketing and selling on Pinterest.com. Marketing on Pinterest, is a website authored by marketing specialist Jason Miles, and it covers topics such as Pinterest traffic tips, infographics, and he offers a 10-part video boot camp.

His, ‘Pinterest Traffic Tip #18,’ asks, “What content gets re-pinned the most on Pinterest?” He also includes an image that captures the main points of the tip that can be shared on Pinterest. This illustrates how you can leverage Pinterest’s visual focus even if you’re selling information products. You can create compelling visual images, graphic book covers or product shots and share them with your followers.

3. Customize the images you share

If they are popular and appealing, photos and images can be pinned and re-pinned dozens of times. But this can lead to the link to your website getting lost when visitors do not follow the custom of pinning from the source as opposed to simply clicking that re-pin button. Create a watermark of your logo and/or your website’s URL to include in each image you share on Pinterest. This will make sure that those who are re-pinning your image know exactly where it came from and how to get to your site for more information.

This comes from tip #4 of Michael Chizbuzor’s article, ‘Pinterest and Twitter: 16 Marketing Strategies to Drive Twitter Traffic.’ In this post, Chizbuzor writes about using social media to drive qualified, targeted traffic to your website for free.  Always keep his tip #5 in mind when you are doing any kind of social media marketing: Don’t waste your time. Invest your time. Get in, post your pins and get out.

*Bonus Tip: Share other people’s blogs

Ken Pickard has started a Pinterest Blog Roll. In his article on the Empowerment Network blog, Ken shares the concept of sharing other people’s blogs, so that in turn, they will share your blog on Pinterest.com in order to get more exposure and traffic.

Basically, Ken has created a content syndication tribe where the members visit each other’s blogs and share one another’s content. You can read his post and join his tribe, or follow suit and create a special tribe within your niche or network.

Source: empowernetwork.com/kenpickard/blog/pinterest-blog-roll/

Please follow me: http://www.pinterest.com/evelynwrites, and be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter where you’ll get lots of insider tips about writing and marketing online that you won’t ever see on the blog.

 

 

 

 

 

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Visual Storytelling and Marketing

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photo credit: Erik Johansson

Guest post by Brianne W.

The immediate impact and the efficacy of visual storytelling have been known for long. It is making its presence felt in a more prominent manner now with social networking platforms that rely purely on images, graphics or presentations. These have the potential to bring in traffic to a website, to create a repertoire of inbound links and to help the SEO initiatives taken up by an organization. The difference now is that the effort need not find a place only on the organizations’ websites. More avenues are now available for marketing through visual storytelling. You too can benefit from these platforms by following a methodological approach.

1. Create an effective campaign

Use platforms such as Pinterest, Slide Share, Youtube and Instagram to give shape to your visual storytelling initiatives for marketing. Each of these platforms boasts of millions of users. A video, a slide or a picture can all prove effective in making your campaign go viral over the web. Do not turn the campaign into a list of features. State what it can do for people and show people their benefits for you to gain in the form of higher sales and revenues.

2. Use networking platforms

Even though the visuals based platforms remain your primary ground for activity, post the links to your visual message in the form of videos, slides or pictures on other networking platforms as well where you have gradually built a place of prominence. Capitalize on your goodwill on these platforms to get more inbound links and traffic.

3. Prepare your site for a higher conversion rate

Once the marketing through visual storytelling methodologies prove effective and you get the traffic for your website, the product details and the website as a whole should inspire confidence in people. Build your website in a manner so as to capitalize on the gains that your marketing initiatives bring. Enable ease of navigation. Provide information on the various options available to get more details on products.

4. Document the processes in a visual format

Each business has an aspect that is visually more appealing while at the same time immediately identifiable with the business. Focus on such aspects of your business to give shape to a striking campaign. Give it a professional touch to prepare it for the immense competition you face on the visuals based networking platforms.

5. Connect with people

Make sure that the campaign allows people to connect to it. Depict issues that people face. Let your picture or video bring a smile on people’s faces knowing very well that they are familiar with the content of your campaign. Highlight the features that present a solution.

The visual medium carries a wider reach. It does not rely on the written word more often than not. A picture can be self explanatory. Your audience gets the message in just one glance. If the message is powerful enough, it draws people to explore more. Once this happens, the marketing campaign moves towards conversion. The efficacy of your overall campaign in the visual storytelling domain depends on your creative skills. Let your creativity do the talking for you.

About the author: Brianne is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on beer pong game attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on data recovery software.

 

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Guest Post: Social Media: Balm or Bane for Authors?

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photo credit: JupiterImages

Today we’ve got another guest post about how authors can make the best use of social media without feeling overwhelmed. This is a topic that I know many writer’s struggle with including myself, so I hope you’re able to glean some helpful insights from Amy’s article.

Social Media: Balm or Bane for Authors?

By Amy Atwell

How many of you use some form of social media? Facebook and Twitter seem to be the bastions most popular with authors today. But there’s also LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon and more. Social networking is what drives GoodReads, Shelfari and LibraryThing. Even Pandora radio lets you create a profile page and encourages a community of listeners.

Many authors find it all overwhelming. It’s a challenge to find enough time to write fiction, much less post and pin and tweet. So where is the sweet spot? Just how important is social media to authors?
If you’re serious about a long-term writing career, social media will continue to be an important and viable source of promotion and audience building. But, and here’s the key, it’s only going to work for you if—

1. You find at least one of social network that you enjoy.
2. You strike a balance between your online social networking and your writing.
3. You approach social networking with the same imagination and commitment you bring to your writing.

Doesn’t sound too scary, does it?
Here’s why I think it’s important—the Internet isn’t likely to disappear. Millions of people are on it, and millions more are buying smart phones and tablets because they can’t get enough of it. In some ways, our society is growing more fragmented, with less person to person interaction in real life. At the same time, people seek out and savor their interactions on social media.
This is where social media works so well for authors. Most stories have some element of human connection at the core of the story. A hero learning to trust. A heroine returning to confront her hometown memories. A family on the brink of disaster brought whole again.
The readers who love those kinds of stories are out there in social media as squawking and hungry as birds. Keep tossing out birdseed on a regular basis, and those birds will find their way to you. Readers who connect with you and your stories will become loyal fans. They will spread the word for you. Remember the old shampoo commercial? “And they’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends…” and so on and so on.

That’s the magic of social networking.

You may be a pantser when you write but plotting or, rather, planning ahead will save you a lot of headaches with social media. Make a game plan for yourself so you can make the most of your social networking. And if you’re not published yet, it’s not too early to get a jump start on this. By all means, start to build your tribe now.

1. Study the different social networks and decide which one(s) best match how you want to communicate with potential fans and fellow authors.

2. Secure your profiles on any (frankly, I would do all just in case) social network you plan to use. Ideally, use your writing name.

3. Find an image and write a short bio so your profiles are consistent.

4. Make a list of the topics you will discuss—and not discuss—on social networking. You want to be personable and friendly in your interactions, but remember anything you say can come back to bite you and your career.

5. Start slowly and blend in. Join in other conversations, repeat items of interest, help your fellow authors. Don’t just pop in and shout about your book.

6. Ask questions! Experienced users love to help newbies.

7. Set aside some time weekly, 30-60 minutes to seek out people to follow and friend.

8. Be gracious. Send thank yous to people who repeat your messages.

9. Tend your social network account(s) daily, whenever possible. Each day you miss, you will lose a bit of momentum. 15 minutes is all it takes, really.

10. Be prepared to adapt as the social networks grow and change.

I’ll mention that Facebook is in the midst of rolling out its new Timeline design. Both personal profiles and business (author) pages are changing. You can read a full article on it on Author E.M.S., the online business resource library for authors.

I hope some of that was helpful. I’m happy to field any other questions you might have about social media—so, tell me, what’s your biggest fear or frustration with social networks?

Visit Amy online at her website, Magical Musings, Facebook, Twitter and/or GoodReads.

 

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Pinterest: My Newest Social Media Obsession

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In addition to being a writer, I’m also an artist. I’ve got a passion for DIY crafts such as knitting and sewing, I love to cook and I appreciate fine fashion. Now I’ve found a social media site called Pinterest that allows me to indulge in collecting and “pinning’ images of all of my favorite things in one place.

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media sites. It’s an online pin board where members can collect, organize and share images of things they love.

Users create boards that they can give unique names to. After dragging the bookmarklet to your browser’s toolbar, you can just click on the ‘Pin It’ button whenever you see an image on a website that you want to add to a Pinterest board.

Pinterest has great potential for marketing when it’s done discreetly. For businesses and brands that have a visual focus such as fashion, food, art, design, etc., Pinterest has obvious appeal. However, even brands that are not product or visual image based can benefit from using Pinterest to communicate the personality and aesthetic of their brand image and philosophy.

If you are already posting images to Facebook and Twitter, you can easily work Pinterest into your routine, and you can even add a cool Pinterest plugin to your WordPress blog. The Pinterest RSS Widget displays the thumbnail images and titles of your latest Pins on your blog using the Pinterest RSS plugin.

Because Pinterest is still in beta testing, you’ll need an invite in order to join. Send me an @ reply on Twitter, @evelynwrites, with your email address and I’ll send you an invite.
Once you’ve joined, be sure to follow me: http://pinterest.com/evelynwrites/

Are you already on Pinterest? Please add me and I will follow you back.

 

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