VA Tip of the Week: 20 Things You Should Know About Pinterest

You may have heard of this site called Pinterest, although, you may not (yet) know what it is for, or how to use it. This is the first post that will help you not only understand Pinterest, but also how to use it. By the end of this series of posts, you will learn tips on how to use Pinterest to it’s fullest potential and use it for marketing your business. Enjoy!

In this post, I am providing you with 20 tips all about Pinterest. You will learn what Pinterest is all about. The things you should know before getting started. You will also learn about how to use Pinterest. Including, how to see who is following you, how to “repin” something, as well as how to start a new categorized board.

Week one: The Basics – 13 Things You Should Know Before You Start Using Pinterest:

1. Pinterest is basically an online vision board/collage/scrapbook. It helps you keep everything that you love, want, and desire, all in one place.
2. It is a few years old, and currently “invite only.” But it’s a network that is blowing up – fast!
3. Pinterest is mainly for women. For a “manly” version of Pinterest, which includes cars and mustaches, check out Gentlemint: http://gentlemint.com/
4. Pinterest is a HUGE source of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement.
5. You can think of Pinterest as Twitter, but with photos and videos.
6. You “follow” those who have similar interests/likes as you, and you “repin” the ones you want on your own boards.
7. You can organize each photo/video by “repinning” them to a categorized board. (Common boards are: Weddings, home decor, food recipes, outfits and accessories for your wardrobe, photography, travel destinations, inspirational quotes, pieces of scripture and bible verses, ect)
8. You can tweet every “repin” you post, as well as post them on Facebook. (I suggest only doing this on Twitter though. If you’re active on Pinterest, it can fill up the newsfeed and seem annoying to your Facebook friends/followers.) See my thoughts on Over Posting here.
9. Every photo is linked to its original source. (Usually, a blog or website.) Companies use this for marketing. (More on that coming soon!)
10. Blogs are adding “pin it” buttons to each page so you can easily grab a recipe, photograph, or funny photo and share it directly to your followers by “pinning” it to a board.
11. Use keywords in the “search” bar to find new images to pin.
12. Use the “category search” (Top toolbar under “Pinterest” > Everything > CATEGORY NAME) to find new images to pin through a specific theme.
13. Be warned: Once you get into it – it’s ADDICTING!

The Basics – 7 Tips On How To Use Pinterest:

1. How to sign up: Receive an “invite” from someone already signed up on Pinterest. (Want an invite? I’ll send you one! Leave a comment below with your email address. Don’t worry – it won’t be shared!) After receiving the invite, follow the step-by-step instructions to set up your account. It’s super easy.
2. Who do I follow?!: Don’t worry! Pinterest sets you up by automatically following any of your Facebook friends that have a Pinterest account. They also have you click on categories that interest you when you sign up. This will automatically have you follow the “big names” in those fields. (You can always “unfollow” any of these people – to see how, look at number 7.)
3. How to create a new board: After you have an account and are logged in, you can see “Add +, About, YOUR NAME” on the top toolbar. Click “Add +” then “Create a Board” to start a new one.
   
   From there you can choose your category, select a name, and whether you want specific users to also add to this board, or if you want to be the only one to pin in it. (More about multiple “pinners” coming soon!)
4. How to repin a photo/video: When you see a photo/video that you like, hover over it. You will then see a small toolbar pop up with buttons that say, “Repin, Like, Comment” click on “Repin” and select the board you’d like to add it to. Make sure to change the description to be relevant to you and your followers!
5. How to see where the photo came from: If you click open a board and click on a photo, it’ll come up with more details along with a list of repins and comments that could be on that photo. If you click on the photo again, it takes you to the direct link of where that pin came from.
   Further example - You can check out my photography boards by going here: http://pinterest.com/taterbugtaylor/tminspired-photography/ All of my photos link back to the blog post in which they were originally posted.
6. Oops! I made a mistake: To edit a previously pinned photo, go to your profile (top right corner) and view the board in which it is pinned. Then, hover over that photo and click “edit.”
   
   From there, you can change the link that the photo leads to, edit the description of the photo you pinned, as well as what board it is pinned on. You can even delete it completely from your board.
7. How to see who is following you and edit who you are following: Go to your profile. On the left hand side under your name, you will see “# followers, # following.” Click one of those to follow/unfollow people. I check my followers regularly to find new connections.

Still have questions? Leave a comment below!
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