Marissa Mele - January 15, 2014
So you created a Pinterest profile for your brand. You’ve been pinning, adding new boards and repining images from influencers, but you still aren’t seeing enough results. Maybe your boss is even saying, “Do you still think Pinterest is the right channel for us?” Before you throw in the towel or send your Pinterest profile out on an ice floe, why not try to get some real engagement happening. It’s time for you to take advantage of Pinterest’s Group Boards.
If you are unfamiliar with Group Boards, they are pinboards that you and others you invite can all pin to. You create the pinboard just like you would any others and then add other users as you see fit. All you have to do is click on “edit board” and then type in a contributor’s name in the “who can pin?” box.
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One important thing to keep in mind is that your Group Board, shouldn’t be devoted to only your brand’s pins. This board, as with all pinboards, shouldn’t just show off your products and services, they should show what inspires them. Create a Group Board that encourages pinning by making your board more generalized around a category of product you offer or something related to your industry. For example, if you make baby products, have your Group Board focused on “ways to baby proof” or “decorating ideas for your baby’s room.” Make sure you write clear titles and descriptions so that newly added pinners will know what types of pins to add to the board. Also be sure to add targeted keywords to your titles and descriptions and include your contact information so that anyone who discovers your Group Board will be able to contact you to be added as a contributor.
Now that you are all set up, check out our list of “6 Reasons Why You Should Be Utilizing Pinterest Group Boards” to start maximizing your engagement on Pinterest.
- Gain New Followers: One of the greatest benefits of Pinterest Group Boards is you will instantly boost your follower count. How this works is when a Pinterest user selects the “follow all” button on any contributor’s profile, they will automatically be added as a follower to your Group Board. This is the perfect example of the “halo effect” in action.
- Maintain Control: For many brands out there, allowing audience members to curate content on their social profiles seems like a scary endeavor. Worries such as “what if they pin something from one of my competitors” or “what if they pin something that represents my brand in a negative way” are common when allowing your audience to participate in your content creation. However, you can put those worries out of your head. When you are the creator of a Group Board, you have complete control over the board. Only you will be able to change the title and description of the board, and you can remove any contributor to the board at any time and you can delete any pin from the board.
- Increase Engagement: Any time you allow your audience to participate in the content creation for your social profiles, you will increase engagement. People want to feel that their opinions matter, and what better way can you let your audience know that you value their input than with allowing them to curate the content for one of your Pinterest boards.
- Save Yourself Time: Anyone who says social media is free, doesn’t realize how much time, energy, effort, and (wo)manpower goes into effectively maintaining social media profiles. Pinterest is no different. In order to be most effective in this platform, you have to be regularly adding new pins. This is one of the greatest benefits of Group Boards, your audience does the work for you. During busy times in your daily work/life, you can rest assured that new pins will be added to your Group Boards because of your contributors.
- Discover Brand Advocates: Once your Group Board is up and running you will quickly begin to see which contributors are most actively pinning to your board. These pinners are your potential brand advocates. Pay extra attention to them and nurture this new relationship. Make sure to favorite their pins and comment on them. You can also use the comments section to get a dialogue going so you can further solidify your alliance.
- Understand your Audience: Lastly, not only are your Group Board contributors aiding in your brand’s social media efforts, they are also providing you with a wellspring of user generated content. Use this UGC to gain more of an understanding about your audience’s preferences. If you are a clothing brand and you see your Group Board contributors adding a bunch of pictures of ombre scarves, chances are they want you to see more of these types of scarves from you in the future. That’s free market research for your brand.
Now let’s turn it over to you. How will you utilize Pinterest Group Boards for your own brand? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
