In case you missed our live chat with Susan Strayer and Jessie Read from Evviva Brands on their second #PinYourBrand post, we've recapped it for you here. 

 

1. What do I need to start thinking about with Pinterest that I don't need to think about with other social media channels?

• You'll need to put more thought into where your images link back to (i.e. your website) to drive traffic back to you. 

2. Your blog post talks about Pinterest being a gateway. What exactly do you mean?

• It's a gateway to the rest of your online presence. Use it to spark interest in the brand and ultimately bring people back to your website and Twitter. They may not have gone to the site without seeing someone else pin your brand image and inspire action. 

3.  I understand the importance of images capturing your audience but is it really enough to keep people engaged?

• No it's not enough. Thoughtful content and where images link to are as important as the image itself. 

4. People can share their content on Twitter and Facebook just as easily. How is Pinterest different?

• Pinterest is just a grid of images and that means a different user experience. You see more in a shorter period of time. It's easy inspiration. 

5. Should brands name their boards creatively with personality or keep it strictly professional?

• It depends. What you really want to focus on is length of board name and internal alignment with your strategy. 

6. How can you optimize the links from Pinterest if your organization's strategy has not been defined or is in flux?

• Start with a company website and align internally to link there at a minimum. If you don't yet have a website, work to create one and add in imagery to pin.

7. Still concerned with copyright and if incorporating Pinterest into digital strategy is worth the risk. Thoughts?

• We recommend great and thoughtful insight from Heather Bussing and Dan Heller on the issue of copyright and Pinterest. See links to both articles in our post. 

8. How effective is linking from a static image on Pinterest to a static image on a company's website? Is video more engaging?

• Use a combination of images and video. Video is more engaging but takes time to review. Creating your own content is best. 

9. The news this week was that Pinterest is going downhill. True? 

• The media attention around Pinterest is starting to slow so naturally you won't see as much rapid growth as we did at the start. 

10. I need to make an internal case to use Pinterest. How do I connect to the bottom line?

• Make your case by connecting to the bottom line. If you sell a product, pilot a board on Pinterest and see if it impacts sales. Measure the number of referrals from Pinterest to your site. If you're not selling a product, use a pilot to measure engagement on content. 

11. Wouldn't Pinterest be more interesting if you could see more than one picture per page?

• You can; that's what the boards are for and categories. Quick eye scanning + visual learners = fast inspiration and action. 

12. If you have images that really speak for themselves and your brand, why is the engagement piece with others still important? 

• Don't post and run!! You don't do it on other social media channels so don't do it on here. You want to be sure you're interacting with your audience to keep the engagement levels high & keep them interesting in what you have to say, now and in the future. 

13. If your customer demographic skews male, how do you generate brand interest utilizing Pinterest? 

• Start with images that really entice that male audience. Consider also that women on Pinterest will share with men as gateway!

14. How good of an idea is it to build Pinterest into your digital strategy now if it's still growing? 

• You want to do it now so you won't be backtracking later and risk being behind the social media and marketing curve. 

15. You mentioned copyright in your post. I should read the articles you linked, but what's the deal?

• The deal is if you post a photo you didn't take or purchase, your violating copyright. So creating own content is best. 

16. I don't work in a creative industry. How can I be sure that Pinterest will work for my brand?

• We recommend going back to the inital post we did. But simple answer: Every brand has a personality that should be showcased. 

17. But what about all the images currently up on Pinterest. Don't most of them violate copyright?

• They might - for individual Pinterest users, risk is low. But for brands, best bet to minimize risk is to post original content. 

18. To build mutuall beneficial relationships, what opportunities exist for similar organizations to collaborate on Pinterest?

• Look for organizations in your supply chain to promote. Also partner with organizations who have similar values but aren't competitors. 

19. What is the difference really between digital strategy and social media strategy and how does Pinterest fit into these?

• We suggest pins link back to original content that sits on your website. This means you need to look beyond just your social media strategy and how it will play into your overall digital strategy. 

20. How can I use Pinterest in my hiring strategy?

• Have a general brand account where candidates can experience brand or careers account focused people. http://bit.ly/I8vedX

21. It seems like a lot of what you might put on Pinterest already exists on our website or other social media channel. Why do I need this also?

• Pinterest could and should be used to showcase your brand personality. Use it to breakdown the stiffness that may exist on website. 

22. If we're creating our own content for our Pinterest boards, what should we consider?

• Imagery on Pinterest should spur action. Instead of a model picture, use a real model. Show an actual product or event. People need a reason to click on an image. Think WHY they would click and what action it drives (read more, purchase something, watch a video, etc.)

23. Your post mentions something about driving traffic and increasing SEO using Pinterest. More detail?

• We recommend this read here. You'll want to focus on keywords and how they fit into your strategy. 

24. What about captions, do they matter in Pinterest?

• Captions are important but imagery more so. Keep captions succinct with recap of what action happens when they click on the picture. 

25. You say, "On Pinterest what your brand does is secondary to who your brand is." How do I hone in on who my brand is to show that in Pinterest?

• Start with those unique aspects of who your brand is that people don't get to see from the website. Now how can you show that visually?

26. Your post mentions adult learners as an important part of why Pinterest works. Really?? It's not training!?

• It's not about training. It's about how adults take info in. Research says they do that visually. Less words, more pictures. 

Posted on 30 April 2012 by Jessie Read

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There are 1 comments relating to this blog post.

Inka says:

29 May 2012 at 11:55:02

Verrrrrry interesting.I epecxt, given that Pinterest\'s TOS also require posters to indemnify Pinterest against all claims, that this story is going to have more chapters.I just got done leaving this comment for Pinterest: Consider: I park my car along the street. Anybody who wanders by and fancies a drive, who jumps in and drives away, is a thief. I do not need to pin a note to the steering wheel saying (name of thief), you do not have the right to drive my car away, if you do so, you are stealing. If I did have to do that, I\'d have to name every person who MIGHT come along that day, a list entirely too long to attempt. So suddenly, your tiny bit of code that tells Pinterest to leave my stuff alone now consumes gigabytes of bandwidth to tell you and every imitator who might come along the same thing? I think you got it backwards here. It is not incumbent on me to tell a wandering passerby not to steal my car, nor YOU to not steal my copyrighted material.

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