Pinterest Business Pages: An Essential Part of Social Media Marketing

It’s no surprise that we talk a great deal about social media marketing platforms that include Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin. We've even dedicated numerous eBooks to the topic (one of our top faves is our ebook “Social Media Tune-Up”).

If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve probably developed a special place in your heart for Pinterest. It’s hard to ignore – it takes us all back to the monstrosity of things we posted on our dresser mirror and bulletin boards as teenagers (or as part of visualization tools if you got into ‘The Secret’ in the height of its popularity.) Perhaps one of the most surprising social media sites that has hit the scene, Pinterest has grown exponentially within just a couple of short years.

We surmise there are a couple of reasons for this. For one, people become visually engaged far more quickly than they'll become engaged with text (which is why video marketing can really drive up your profits).

Secondly, marketers and marketing-savvy business owners have recognized Pinterest's potential in social media marketing, and in combination with peoples' penchant for visual content, it's proving to be a fantastic marketing tool for these companies.

Pinterest obviously caught on to this too, so a couple of months ago they launched what we'd all been waiting for: Pinterest business accounts.

Why Bother With a Pinterest Business Account?

If you set a Pinterest business account up beside a personal account, you likely won't even be able to see any difference between the two. So why bother converting?

One reason is that by having a business account with this social media site, you'll then be able to take advantage of the resources that Pinterest has put out there to try and help businesses succeed with them. We found a lot of great educational materials that can help any business improve their Pinterest business strategy.

The other point that you have to consider is that if Pinterest is bothering to make “business accounts”, then there's a good chance that they'll continue to improve how their business accounts function in the future.

You want to make sure that you keep up with curve by having your business account up and rearing to go rather than be left scrambling because you thought it wasn't worth it to take the few minutes to convert months ago.

Optimizing Your Business Account

Once you convert from a personal account to a  business account, it's time to start optimizing your account.  You can easily do this in a few quick steps:

Step 1: The Company Name

The username that you enter into Pinterest has a 15 character limit, meaning that your full company name may not quite fit.  If it doesn't, then choose a name based on:

• Memorability
• Keywords
• Ease of spelling

Also make sure that the name that you choose obviously suits your company and the niche or industry that you're in.

Step 2: Verify Your Website

Before you go any further, make sure that you take the time to verify your website on Pinterest. To do so, all you need to do is click on the “Settings” link after you log into you Pinterest account. Make sure that you've listed your website, and then click on the “Verify Website” button.

Now Pinterest will recognize that you're the owner of that website, and your site will appear next to your profile in search with a check mark beside it so everyone else recognizes you as the owner too.

Step 3: Work On Your “About” Section

We talk about how important your “About” section is on any social media site in our free download “Take Your Social Media To The Next Level”, and Pinterest is no different. Pinterest's “About” section provides you with 200 characters of what HubSpot refers to as “prime keyword real estate”.

While you want your description to be descriptive as well as keyword sensitive, you also want it to be clear, simple, and to the point.

Step 4:  Include Links Back To Your Site

A lot of businesses were a bit ticked with Pinterest changed their re-pin links to “nofollow” links.  Even though adding these links won't give you any extra weight in terms of SEO, it's still important for you to include links to your site just to improve brand awareness and customer experience.

Step 5: Create Differentiated Pinboards

If you've dealt with Pinterest a lot in the past, then you're likely aware that when you create an account, you can use some “general” Pinboard topics.

While this may be fine for the average day to day user, as a business, you really need to work on creating differentiated Pinboards that speak to you company.  This is the only way that you'll be found on Pinterest.

If you happen to have a Pinboard titled “For the home”, which RJ Metrics reports adds up to being the title for more than 3% of all Pinboards, then no one's going to be able to find you easily.

When creating names for your Pinboards, keep these things in mind:

• The Pinboard names should clearly align with your businesses
• The name(s) that you choose should use the same language or jargon as your customers
• Always be keyword conscious
• Pinterest is highly addictive -- remember your purpose and don't give into your impulse to abandon your other social media marketing duties.