Promotional Pins: Innovative Ways to Increase Traffic

Pinterest is a great platform for businesses of many kinds, however some may have been slow to jump on to the bandwagon. I'm sure this article will definitely inspire those of you who haven't to move forward. It can become a vital tool in order to achieve a successful marketing campaign, however, reaching full capacity on the channel is something that can only be done if it is optimised correctly. That's the hard part.

Let's talk strategy. In order to harness the referral power of this exciting, visual and fun social media platform, here are some key points you need to know.

If you're new to Pinterest, give this article a read beforehand to help you learn more on how to get started: http://bit.ly/1HeDgQL

Images

Members of Pinterest ''pin'' visual images from the web on to a series of sub-categorised virtual Pin-boards. The platform is a stand-alone visual social network built around engaging visual content. Content is amplified by ''pinners'' creating, sharing, collecting and re-posting information through picture, image, or video format.

The way in which your images are presented on Pinterest is critical. Producing visual content that is engaging should be the main focus when creating content for Pinterest. Here are three main factors that you should focus on:

• Create your own original content: Your images will get more exposure by you showing your business for what it is and does. Create a unique picture or graphic, once you've done this make sure to edit your pin and add a link.

• Pin slide-share images; this is a totally underrated feature with some cool aspects to it that can be used right into your Pinterest decks.

• Pin videos ; videos is the most under-pinned visual format on Pinterest, but the most engaging! Be one of the first in your niche to use video.

Join A Group Board Related to Your Blog

Expose yourself to the right audience by joining group boards. This is a great way of driving traffic as you're able to contribute valuable content through a myriad of visitors, and with it relating to your business or industry it gives you better scope, leading you to potential consumers.

Group boards are Pinterest boards that have more than one contributor. There's no doubt that you're going to find an increase in traffic, however in order to do so it is important that the group is managed well, this will give you more chance of putting yourself out there.

Here are three best practises to follow:

• Work on specific projects by collaborating your team through the group boards. You can use it to share industry specific-tips, training materials and resources. If you're working with colleagues and don't want your competitors to see, you can also make the board ''secret''.

• Invite other pinners and bond with them about a common topic, actively re-pinning each other’s content is a great way of networking.

• Engage your audience by running contests, or supporting a worthy cause. This gives the audience a chance to interact with your brand as well as being able to raise awareness – a quick and easy way of promotion!

Measure your traffic

So that you are able to weed out what is working for and what is not, it is important to constantly keep track of your traffic. It's valuable to know the amount of traffic that is being driven for businesses as it can give you the advantage of being able to determine how much time you spend optimising images on your site for Pinterest. Here's an infographic to show how you can track conversions.

Whether you're using Pinterest without the necessary expertise or not giving the channel a a chance altogether; the loss is at both ends. The outcome is you potentially missing an opportunity to cross promote your content and build more followers. Gaining more traffic through Pinterest is all about keeping the momentum of pins consistent and ongoing, in essence this is a simple process, but it takes an awful lot of knowledge and time to get to grips with.

Article by Yasirah Fatimah