Guest Blog Post by Meagan Williamson
There are SO many great things about being an Online Service Provider – not the least of which is that, in most cases, your potential client base knows no geographical bounds. But within that great expanse, there are many other Online Service Providers all vying for the attention of each and every potential customer out there, making it easy to get lost in the shuffle. You know you need to get in front of more people, but how do you find new clients? How do you bring in new leads, without spending hours on social media – hours that could otherwise be billable hours? I have the answer for you: Pinterest! Today, I’m going to cover the ins and outs of Pinterest for Online Service Providers.
Grow Your Online Visibility With Pinterest
Pinterest is an extremely effective tool for expanding your online reach. It is wonderful for growing your business visibility and landing yourself in the laps of people who want to hire you. Pinterest is unique when it comes to social media, or even just general online marketing, and we will get to that in a moment.
Because Pinterest works differently than any other platform out there, it is often misunderstood and misused. However, once you truly understand how it works, developing a steady, effective Pinterest strategy is easy, and THAT is absolute gold when it comes to increasing traffic to your site.
How Pinterest is Different
Unlike other social media tools, Pinterest is a search engine first. That means that people are coming to Pinterest LOOKING for a solution to their problems. Next you might ask, well then why would I use Pinterest to get in front of searchers, instead of Google, the mother of all search engines? Well there are a couple of reasons for that.
Pinterest is a VISUAL search tool. Ranking in Pinterest matters, but not anywhere near as much as it does on Google. If you can develop an effective Pin that calls out what you have to offer, people are going to click on it. It’s not like on Google where the idea of scrolling through mounds of text is so off-putting that people just click on the first legit looking link. On Pinterest, people will scroll until they find something that seems to meet their needs, because it’s easy to look at uniform images designed to explain what they’re all about – and a well-designed Pin, does just that.
A Pinterest Mindset for Success
I always like to say that Pinterest can be thought of like an online portfolio. For example, maybe your line of work makes you an expert at content marketing. Sharing that valuable information on your blog, then putting a Pin (or three) out there leading back to your blog post, will bring people your way. You don’t have to give away the farm, but sharing your expertise will draw the right kind of people to you, people that are looking for someone that can do that kind of thing.
Next, imagine a person hopping on Pinterest who needs to figure out how to market their content and get more people looking at their blog. That person will be searching for your expertise. Maybe they want to DIY it, but maybe they start to see how hard it is to become an expert at content marketing, and decide they need to hire someone. Well guess what, they’re already on YOUR site, and YOU are the expert. There’s a good chance that person is going to reach out.
Maybe you’re a graphic designer, or a branding professional – Pinterest is AMAZING for displaying your talents in a neat and tidy package, that tells people who you are at a glance. Truly, any service can be shared and displayed via your Pinterest account and having it looking neat, tidy and profesh doesn’t hurt a bit.
Optimizing Your Pinterest Strategy
Not huge on research, but want to learn all about optimizing your Pinterest account? I have a great webinar called How To Optimize Your Pinterest Account for Search that you’ll probably find very helpful.
However, if you’re more of a written-word type person, then here are some great tips and methods that will help you get the most out of Pinterest.
Make Pins that convert – Having Pins that are the right size, and follow the psychological guidelines that draw people in is key, AND there is no need to take a shot in the dark when it comes to making perfect Pins. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Images in 2019 for all you need to know.
Make multiple Pins for every blog post – You don’t have to be a content machine, to make it look like you are. Making multiple Pins for every blog post allows you to push out a variety of Pins leading back to a handful of blog posts, without making it look like you’re spamming your audience with the same Pin over and over again.
Optimize your Pins for search – Make use of keywords and phrases in your Pin description. Think: What would people be typing into that search bar to find you? Make it easy for them to get to your Pin, by ORGANICALLY using those same keywords and phrases.
Produce multiple offers – Some of your blog posts will offer information alone, and that’s great. But if you really want to start drawing people in, nothing gains traction on Pinterest like free webinars, lead magnets and freebie offers!
Make your blog a reflection of your services – Make sure you’re showcasing your knowledge. Your blog should be a vehicle for sharing your experience and offers. People need to know who they’re dealing with before they would consider hiring you. Read Why Blogging is Good for Your Business if you’re still unsure about this whole blogging thing.
Your website should make reaching you easy – Set up your goals ahead of time, before you start floating Pins out there. For example, if your focus is to get users to fill out a “contact me” form on your website, optimize your website and blog posts so that potential users can contact you easily to find out more about your services.
Use Pinterest the way it’s meant to be used – It’s easy to get excited and just dump all of your own Pins into Pinterest then walk away. Pinterest needs you to use it properly, by going on regularly and pinning content to your boards that you think your audience will find useful or engaging. Think of it as curating a feed for your audience. And hey, it doesn’t hurt if you’re sprinkling a few of your own Pins in there along the way. Also, use Pinterest authentically because it’s awesome!
Be consistent and patient – Pinterest is a long game strategy. It’s not like you’ll throw up a couple of Pins and the crowds will come flocking. Keep at it. Set aside a bit of time each week to do some pinning and share your own Pins.
Pinterest is a Beast Worth Taming
Developing a comfortable, maintainable Pinterest strategy is KEY to increasing your website traffic. I have seen it work with my clients and with fellow entrepreneurs over and over again. There are a lot of things to consider as you move along in your Pinterest journey and if you’re ready to up your Pinterest game, Pin Potential* is a great place to start.
*Nicole Cheri Oden is a Pin Potential affiliate, so if you use this link and decide to purchase the membership, she will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
About the Author: Meagan has been helping businesses learn how to use Pinterest for over 5 years but has been obsessed with the platform since it first rolled out over 9 years ago. A trained psychologist, Meagan has left those days behind to pursue helping small business owners harness the power of Pinterest marketing to grow their online business. When Meagan isn’t pinning, she is busy chasing her crazy toddler around and drinking coffee.
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