Can Pinterest and sales really coexist in a platform that discourages self-promotion? From the moment you sign up, Pinterest is very clear about discouraging “salesy” content. Still, the high traffic and the potential business that could come from Pinterest is simply too good to pass up. So while the idea of Pinterest and sales working together in harmony is frowned upon by the creators of the website, nevertheless there are great ways to use Pinterest in the way that it was intended and still get traffic and leads to your business website or blog.

Pinterest and Sales: Tips for Non-Spammy Business Pinning

If you are not yet privy to Pinterest, now is the time to get acquainted. Why? With over four million users and counting, Pinterest is the new darling of the social media world, with increasing daily traffic to themselves and other sites. But how can you make Pinterest and sales work together to translate into a sales tactic for your business? Here are some tips for non-salesy self-promotion that can bring increased traffic to you without drawing the ire of Pinterest: 

• Relate your company to a lifestyle. Do you sell sporting goods? Associate your company with health and fitness. Are you a restaurant? Relate yourself to foods, or even a specific type of food. The point is that, rather than saying, “Hey, look at me and my business, we're awesome!”, you're saying, “Hey guys, we found this really cool item that we love because this is the stuff that we're all about, and if you're all about this stuff too, go here...”. It's all in how you word it.
• Create various boards for different interests. One tremendous advantage Pinterest offers is flexibility. You can create a board for anything, and you can divide it up into interests. That is how you attract followers in droves—the kind of traffic that has everyone raving, and that is how you get Pinterest and sales to enjoy each other's company. People can also follow individual boards rather than other people, meaning you can have different audiences for different things.

• Include your information with every post. Whenever you're “pinning” something to your board, be sure to write something about what you're posting, and then include a link to your blog or website. This will encourage traffic to your website without you blatantly telling people to go there.
• Add a hashtag to your posts. Thankfully, like most of the other social networks, Pinterest supports hashtags, so use them in your posts. Be sure to use the same tags on Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest so that the content can be easily shared across platforms.
• Add a “Pin It” button to your website to encourage sharing of your content.
• Follow others' boards to encourage other people to follow your boards. You give and you get, see?
• Use analytics to measure your results. As with any other marketing strategy, it's imperative that you keep tabs on your success so you know what's working and what isn't. Tweak your strategy when necessary to improve your Pinterest and sales relationship.

Pinterest is a great platform for your business, if you can put Pinterest and sales together in a subtle package without projecting a “spammy” image. Learn more about using Pinterest and other social media for your business by taking a look at our classes at www.splashmediau.com today.