Seed Factory

are you part of the pinterest craze yet? i am thinking you are either a tiny bit addicted to pinterest or maybe thinking you may have a “pinning” problem? yes, yes i know how you feel. pinterest has not only become a social media tool for me but i use it on a daily basis for work as well—and sometimes i just feel guilty for my usage. pinterest is a great tool for getting inspiration and also a great marketing tool for your business—among other things. i have a feeling by now you have read a dozen or more post about pinterest and maybe you are a bit sick of hearing that it is the “big thing” or “what pinterest can do for your business” etc. i just couldn’ t help myself from making a pinterest cheat sheet of tips and tricks for pinterest users.

if you are totally clueless about pinterest you will want to read these articles and how to’ s first:
• what is pinterest?
• a beginner’ s guide to pinterest via mashable
• how to use pinterest for business from hubspot

if you are ready and experienced at pinning— read on for 20 quick tips for pinterest stardom:

1. pin images from your website,but don’t go crazy, no one likes a spammer. here is a little etiquette from the makers.
2. protect your work. if you pin something you created you want to make sure your logo or name is included on the image so it can easily be tracked back to you.
3. # tag your images. this will make them easily searchable.
4. add the pin button to your website. make it easy for your followers to pin items—it is almost telling them to pin by having it be seen. easy peasey. look here for how to make it happen.
5. add the pinterest icon to your website. just like you would facebook or twitter. you want to be followed here too.
6. jumpstart your network. be sure to sync your twitter and facebook usernames
7. make sure your images are easy to pin. be sure to create images that are a good size I would recommend at least 400 pixels wide. bigger is better.
8. run a contest or share promotions. take advantage of pinterest as a marketing tool for already existing campaigns.
9. network. comment. like. repin. i mean this is the next hot tool right? so connect and be active.
10. share with other networks. you can set it up so that your actions on pinterest reach your twitter or facebook timeline account.
11. describe your pins. take the time to really describe what you are pinning. although, do try to make it short and sweet.
12. download the app. if you have an iphone or android be sure to download the free app and use “on the go”. take pictures and pin away.
13. tag original pins. don’ t just repin other people’ s pins. pin your own goodies too.
14. collaborate. create boards to share—invite contributors or your followers to pin with you.
15. check to see who is pinning from your website. by checking this it will help you see what people like and maybe what content you should share more of. this is how i check mine : http://pinterest.com/source/seed-factory.com/. you can check yours by replacing the last part of the url with your website.
16. check the popular feed. see what’ s trending and what people are loving and interacting with. this could be a good way to brainstorm better content for your website.
17. use it for special projects. gather thoughts and ideas and create a moodboard.
18. organize. when you want to pin something but can’ t find it’ s purpose, make a new board and pin with purpose. keep your thoughts organized so that when you go back to find something you can easily find it’ s home.
19. curate who you want to follow. just like any other social media platform, choose the people that pin things that make you ohhhh and ahhhhh!
20. be inspired & enjoy. perhaps with a glass of wine or 2.

one thing i find VERY important for how i use pinterest is #19, who i am following. later this week I am sharing my list of 25 people/businesses who are rocking’ my pinterest feed. the peeps on my list have amazing taste and i suggest you follow. stay tuned—and follow my boards if you love design, fashion, color, paper & wedding inspirations.