If it seems like this blog has devoted a fair amount of time to discuss the relative merits of Pinterest, well, it’s because it has—and not without reason. Pinterest is an increasingly hot topic in reputation management and online marketing circles more broadly. You have probably seen the statistics, about how it is the fastest-growing social media site, about how Pinterest can generate even more social sharing than Facebook and Twitter, and so on. Of course, people are talking about Pinterest; Pinterest is a legitimately big deal.
But maybe you are still relatively new to it. You may know how Pinterest works, but this question remains: How do you strategically use it for reputation management purposes? Read on for four essential tips for formulating your Pinterest strategy.
1. Find Your Niche
One of the essential uses of Pinterest is engaging with social media users—social media users who are particularly interested in your niche, or the niche you are working within for your reputation management campaign. A good Pinterest strategy begins with isolating this niche. Through some necessary Pinterest searching, find a couple of users whose interests match your niche, then use their pinboards and followers to network and find more like-minded users effectively.
2. Define Your Content Strategy
Pinterest, perhaps more than any other social network, it a straight content delivery vehicle. It is also a uniquely visual medium. As such, you must define a content development approach that will brand you in the way you wish to be branded—and that your content is image-heavy. You may think that you’re working in a niche that leaves little room for the visual but think again. A useful infographic can go a long way toward surprising Pinterest success!
3. Quality Counts
Of course, you know the old reputation management slogan, that content is king. Well, in Pinterest terms, the quality of your content could not prove more relevant. There are two basic pointers to remember here. First, it is vital to maintain your signal to noise ratio, and to make sure you are not repining content that is useless, as far as your branding goes. Second, remember that finding truly stellar, gripping images matters a great deal, as they maximize your chances of really engaging with users.
4. Think Like a Merchandiser
Here is a final word of advice for those using Pinterest for reputation management purposes. Approach it like you are a retailer, putting up merchandise in a store window. You want to pick items that catch someone’s eye and get them into your store, of course, but you also want to choose things that reflect appropriately on your brand. Thinking this way is invaluable for reputation management professionals.
And indeed, it is the secret to using Pinterest well. This popular, image-heavy social media site is an incomparable resource for developing a brand, which, in many ways, is what reputation management is all about. For your next campaign, think critically about how you can utilize the tools provided by Pinterest.
