February 18th - 2013

Wired Office: Pinterest for business

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.

Wired Office: Pinterest for business

By Karen Ebidia

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. In November 2012, Pinterest -- recognizing that many businesses had already set up a presence -- launched Pinterest for businesses. Businesses have their own Terms of Service and have access to some helpful tools and brand guidelines such as widgets and buttons.

To join Pinterest as a business:

  1. Click on the Join Pinterest button located near the top of the Pinterest home page.
  2. Click on Learn more, located beside Are you a business? New to Pinterest? Join as a business.
  3. Enter your Business Type, Contact Name, Email Address and Password.
  4. Give some thought to your Profile Info. This information is displayed publicly, and serves as your Pinterest identity. Enter a concise and meaningful profile description. Add an image/logo that is representative of your business.
  5. Enter your website address.
  6. Read, understand and agree to the Terms of Service.
  7. Click Create Account.

If you already have a Pinterest account, you can convert it to a business account. To do so:

  1. Point your mouse at About located at the top of the Pinterest home page, and select For Businesses.
  2. Click on the Convert Your Existing Account button.
  3. Enter your Business Type, Contact Name and Email Address.
  4. Please refer to steps #4 to 7, above.

Now that you’ve successfully joined Pinterest as a business, you should verify your website. You can do this from your Settings page. Once verified, a small checkmark will be displayed next to your URL.

OREA on PinterestPinterest is a great platform for telling the story of your company and building a community. It’s a place to share the kinds of things that inspire you -- an opportunity to show people what makes you unique. What story would you like to tell? What are you passionate about? Rather than creating a bunch of pinboards with images which you happen to like, create boards with themes that are meaningful.

Images should be cohesive in some way. Pin things that are meaningful to your community. Do you believe in sustainable living? You can create a “Living Green” board. Is there a specific neighbourhood in which you specialize? Create a board for that neighbourhood, and post images of restaurants and services within that neighbourhood. Do you know of some helpful do-it-yourself projects for homeowners? Create a DIY project board. Set up a board for storage solutions, or a board of “dream gardens”. Inspire your followers. Create loyalty. Visit OREA’s Pinterest boards for additional ideas.

For each of your pins, write meaningful descriptions. Include keywords so that people can find your pins via Pinterest’s search function. When you pin something, be sure that it links to a useful web page. For example, if you have a pin for a DIY project, verify that it links to a page that provides “how to” instructions.

Take advantage of Pinterest’s buttons and widgets to make it easier for people to pin items from your website and follow you or your boards on Pinterest. Promote your pins on your website, Facebook or Twitter by linking to your Pinterest profile. Track the number of “repins” and “likes” of your pins to see what people are most interested in. Modify your boards and pinning if needed. Familiarize yourself with the brands, businesses and pinners who follow you. Inspire each other.

For additional info, check out the Pinterest for Business board.

Karen Ebidia is the web editor at the Ontario Real Estate Association.

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Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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