If you have heard of Pinterest, you may think it is only for retailers or photographers, however, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

Pinterest is a new, AMAZING social media platform that has application for ALL entrepreneurs.  If you haven’t already, it is time to get on Pinterest!

In Shareaholic’s January Referral Traffic Report, Pinterest was found to be a BETTER traffic referrer than YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, MySpace or Googe+ combined!

Likewise, Birchbox cofounder Katia Beachamp, sums up the most important aspect of Pinterest,

“Pinterest, my goodness, shocks us. I wouldn't say it's taking over, but it's getting more and more traction.  The audience is really responsive.  They’re seeking a beautiful experience, and they’re in the mindset of shopping.”

Creating a Pinterest page is the first step to reaping the great referral traffic; however, it is also important that you add the red Pinterest ‘Like’ button to your site.  The best part is that Pinterest provides easy html code that you can readily insert into a blog post or in a set location on your homepage.

Now that you understand why, let’s get started…

If you are not already a Pinterest member, see my article How to Get Started With Pinterest).  

If you need help getting started on your own Pinterest page, check out the great ‘how to’ resources at: http://pinterest.com/about/help/

You will want to create your own Pinterest page because fans can follow you just like they would your facebook fan page.  Moreover, on your Pinterest page you can share your blogs, products, pictures, recipes, personal interests and so much more. (Stay tuned for our future blog where we will teach you how to become a Pinterest Rockstar!)

Now that you have a page, it is time to add a Pinterest button to your website.  The two best ways to do this are to include a Pinterest ‘follow’ button and a Pinterest ‘Pin it’ button. 

Follow these 2 steps to add a Pinterest ‘follow’ button to your website:

1.  Once you’ve created an account with Pinterest, visit http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/. Here you can choose from 4 different Pinterest icons.  Pinterest will provide the html code that will link the icon of your choice to your Pinterest page.

2.  Copy and paste the code to your website, wherever you’d like it to appear.  If you are using a WordPress platform, you can insert it into your sidebar using your widgets. For example, on my site it you can find the Pinterest follow button in the top right hand corner of the page.

 

There Are 2 Options for Adding a Pin It” Button to Your Blog Posts and Products

OPTION #1

 1.   Once you’ve created an account with Pinterest, again visit http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/.

2. Scroll down to: ‘Pin it’ Buttons for Websites

3.  Here you can set up a “Pin It” button to your product pages or blog posts. Simply enter in:

            A. The URL of the webpage the pin is on

            B. The URL of the product or blog to be pinned

            C. Optional: A short description explaining what will happen when the visitor pinns it. 

4.  On the right hand side, you can choose what the ‘Pin it’ button looks like and whether it shows the number of times it has been pinned or not.

5.  You also have the option to select basic html or the advanced html.  Advanced html is very helpful if you want to have multiple ‘Pin it’ buttons on the same page. For example, selling multiple products or photographs on a single page.   

If you use the advanced html, be sure to confirm that each ‘Pin it’ button is connected to the right picture.  You can do this by Pinning your own pictures, or double checking you’re “a,b,c” steps from above.

OPTION #2

There is a Pinterest “Pin It” Plugin for WordPress users.

1. Login to your WordPress site

 2. Click On Plugins

3. Click On Add New

4. Search for Pinterest “Pin It” Button (make sure that it is spelled exactly like this; there are few similar ones – this particular plugin has a five star rating so it will be easy to spot)

5. Click Install Now

6. Click Activate and viola you now have pinning capability from your blog site!

 

Drop by my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/socialmediabrandinggal and let me know what you think of Pinterest. Got questions…ask away!

Check your Google analtyics and let me know how Pinterest is working for you?

How much traffic is it driving to your site each week or month?

How is your target market responding to Pinterest? 

What do you like best about Pinterest? 

What more do you want to know about Pinterest?

Bottom line…I want to hear from you!

 

If you would like even more details on Pinterest, I invite you to check out my new book; 'The Quick and Easy Guide To Branding Your Business and Creating Massive Sales With Pinterest'

 

 

 

 

To receive Kim's "30 Fun & Creative Ways To Increase Your Facebook Likes "CLICK HERE"