Kicking Flickr to the curb and jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon is all the rage right now! But why? How can we use Pinterest to market our businesses and properties online?
Let’s start with the basics of Pinterest
Pinterest has grown from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million users in December of 2011!
When you “pin” something it shares the image and link to the original location online. Pinboards are a collection of related images, similar to tags. If you don’t already have an account, you’ll need an invite. Leave a comment below and I’ll send you an invite.
Weidner has 23 boards and 406 pins - from generic to hyper-local
Why is Pinterest so GREAT?
Pinterest automatically links back to the page of the original piece of content. Building links is a fantastic way to improve SEO. Marketers are embedding links of local businesses into their descriptions and comments to drive traffic. You can also upload your own images to Pinterest by clicking the Add+ link at the top of your Pinterest account.
How do we get started using Pinterest?
- After you’ve set up an account, download the Pin It button to your bookmarks
- Create a few boards to start pinning images and videos (see ideas below)
- Browse the web looking for interesting images that relate to your business, customers, and employees
- Check out other relavent pinboards by searching Pinterest and repin content from other people and businesses
- Share your pins on your company Facebook and Twitter pages
- Invite more friends to Pinterest and encourage them to follow your company
- Remember to comment back when someone comments on your pins
- Add links to your website within the comments and descriptions
- Download the iPhone app for pinning on-the-go in your local community
- Don’t just share information about your community. Remember to share relevant information about your local area.
Here are a few interesting multifamily accounts to follow:
- Carly White from BakeExtraCookies.com
- Michelle Fording from Atlantic|Pacific Companies
- Lisa Trosien, the Apartment Expert
- EnVision Apartments are just getting started
- Weidner Apartment Homes has a ton of fantastic boards to follow
- .. and don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest!
Consider these 10 pinboard ideas for your company Pinterest page:
- Create a board for each community – upload images of community amenities, cool landscapes, gardens, or anything cool or awesome about your community (avoid signage, pools, etc. – don’t be boring)
- Consider a board for each room in an apartment – kitchen, bath, bed, livingroom, closets, patios and pin neat ideas or decorating ideas
- Upload images of community events, parties, etc.
- Make a board for organizing closets, cabinets, small spaces, and even the refrigerator!
- Share a board for pet lovers and upload photos of resident pets
- Create a shopping list for students that live in your community
- Speaking of students – student communities should have a school spirit board
- Don’t forget indoor gardeners – share neat window planters and ideas
- Share food photos and recipes for those that love to cook
- Consider a Pinteresting contest like Lands’ End where contestants pin images of items they would like to win – or perhaps a community scavenger hunt?
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