Pinterest for Small Business Marketing: Using Pinterest Business Accounts

There are plenty of ways Pinterest can be used to benefit a small business marketing plan, especially now that Pinterest has introduced business accounts.

Though there are no changes to your profile, it is still a welcome feature that local and small businesses should take advantage of.
Before we go into the new Pinterest updates, I wanted to mention some important reasons small businesses marketing will benefit from Pinterest in the first place. Pinterest is the fastest growing social network. As the Pinterest community grows, the number of people willing and able to share your content will grow as well. This will be a huge source of reach and growth for small business marketing. Why is that? Because Pinterest drives website traffic. Every time you use the ‘Pin It’ button from your site, your pins will link back to the source, your website. Think of you Pinterest account as your company’s vision board for how customers see you. Just as you can share on Facebook or retweet on Twitter, you can share, repin or comment on an image or video that is relevant to your business or of interest to your industry or company.
Let’s say you’re a florist, create a wedding board and post photos of the wedding work you have done, add another for your wedding design inspiration. Someone might find you virally through their search for wedding planning inspiration that wouldn’t have found you otherwise. It’s that simple. You can also post to group boards where you can reach a larger interested audience. It’s important to remember to focus on quality over quantity of followers. The more your audience likes what you are pinning, they more they will like, comment and repin your content. Remember, the pins link back to your site. Pinterest allows users to login using their Facebook and Twitter profiles. This means more users can see and share your images. To gain additional visibility, add hashtags to your pins in the comment section.
As always, we recommend you create a clear plan before introducing a Pinterest account into your small business marketing plan. Create measurable goals, define how you will measure your success, and create a clear action plan that supports your goals. Remember to encourage site exploration and engage your audience!
Alright, let’s get back to the update. Pinterest cited the contribution of quality content from the business community as a reason for launching these business-specific accounts:
“Thousands of businesses have become a part of our community, giving great ideas, content, and inspiration to people on Pinterest. Whether it’s Anthropologie sharing awesome clothes, Whole Foods sharing tasty recipes, the Smithsonian sharing fascinating collections, or Amazon making products easy to pin, many of us have been inspired on Pinterest by businesses.”
Pinterest also gives a handy list of best small business marketing practices to consider when you convert to your business page:

• Verifying your website
• Creating inspiring boards
• Sharing your business values (what you care about)
• Sharing your business story
• Highlighting specials
• Celebrating seasons and holidays
• Adding a personal touch
• Take the time to write a good description
• Link to useful webpages
• Collaborate with other pinners (perhaps someone in your community or on your team)
• Ask questions
• Promote your pins on other social media sites
• Add the Pinterest follow and share button
• Create Pinterest tabs on other social media sites