Blogher12 :Using Pinterest to leverage your Brand

As I said in yesterdays post, the first session I went to at #Blogher12 conference, was all about leveraging your brand or business using Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram. It was AWESOME. So today I am going to share what I learned about using Pinterest. This was for those of us who already have an account, and I would say, for those of us that love Pinterest, and love going PIN crazy each evening until we look at the clock and think SHIT its past 11pm!

Alexandra Asher, of Alexandra Wrote ( and a million other things) led this informative discussion about Pinterest. Here is what I learned! (I am typing from my scribbled notes, so PLEASE, if you were in this session, I’m talking to you Jenny of TheNYMelrose family! and I write any mis info, please correct me).

Why use Pinterest for your business?
The Answer…UM, because it is now the #1 leading site for referrals to your blog or website with over 20mil users and growing! Crazy! Alexandra tells people to think of it as a visual Representative of you as a blogger, or a visual tweet.

Streamline all bios, from Twitter, to blog, to Facebook to Pinterest. All bios should say the same thing, and have the same photo (avatar)…Brand recognition!! ( Makes SO much sense, yet NEVER occurred to me!) Ps. you dont have an Avatar?You can easily get one at Gravatar

Take advantage of the “PIN it” button. There are a few choices of PIN it buttons. The most important is the “Follow me on Pinterest” button. This allows others to follow your boards. You will find it on  Pinterest under Goodies ( Pinterest–>About–>Pin it button) Add it to your website. Also use the individual “PIN it” buttons for your photos.

BIGGEST TIP: Watermark ALL of your original photos that you post on your blog or website. The reason: If one of your photos gets repinned a gajillion times, your website will always be on it. no matter what the comment says. It protects your original ideas. There are a lot of free sites where you can create and add a watermark to your photos ( Pixler and PicMonkey were the two that Alexandra mentioned.) I have included a few random shots of a corner of my collage wall, showing the hand drawn octopus that I did. I used PicMonkey and it was SO easy ( no Pic Monkey did not ask me to say this ;)) I think the key to watermarking is consistency. Find a fade/color/font you like, and stick with it! I think I will be using my second option.

Self promotion is a good thing on Pinterest. A very welcomed point for bloggers..we are our own biggest cheerleaders after all. lol! We just feel awkward about it..and when I say we,I mean me!
Have a board specific to your blog, and be the first to pin your original work. Just don’t be shady about hashtagging and commenting on it (as in “wow look at this great diy” Instead ,say something like “My latest DIY on #design thoughts blog) this made me happy. I always felt awkward about pinning my own photos, but now I realize that’s how brands grow! Wahoo!!

You can use up to 500 characters. When labeling your photo on Pinterest, you can use up to 500 characters. Hash Tags# are important for searching, and referring to someone else with the @ symbol is just as important, especially if you are re- pinning. Giving credit where credit is due is the name of the game, so please be kind, and courteous. There is a “pinners” etiquette, which you can find here

Keep your descrptions simple. The point of pinning original content that is your own, is to draw people back to your site. So instead of writing, say, an entire recipe under your beautiful picture of homemade chili including every ingredient..Add Text to the picture itself with what it is, and then in the description, outline briefly what the “pinner” will learn if they click through to your site!! Here is a PERFECT example by TheYummyLife.com! ps…here is the link to her yummy recipe!

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Don’t be just another chronic re-pinner. I’m raising my hand and looking embarrassed right now, because until this weekend, I was just THAT! It was with good intentions, I promise. I had thoughts of going back to those delicious recipes, and those fabulous DIY projects. But I never do. So, please, make sure you are commenting and “liking” others things. If you have intentions of doing a cool DIY project that you saw, tell the person how great it is, and that at some point in your life, when your kids are out of diapers and you have more time, you are going to tackle one of your own! You see a pretty photo that you are adding onto your “I can see my future” board? hit the good ole “like” button.

Double check the URL of others before re-pinnning. Yes this may take time, and I agree that it takes teensy little bit of the fun out of machine gun pinning, you know, on those days where the boards are FULL of inspiration, instead of the same no bake mug cake recipe. But listen, its worth it, and if it was your URL that wasn’t correct, you would want proper credit.

Finally..still have fun. Its super easy to get caught up in the proper way to be a blogger and what everyone else is doing. The tips that i shared are the ones that felt authentic to me, and the ones that I am going to implement. Pinterest is here because of us. Its success is directly linked to how we use and enjoy it. SO have fun, be courteous, give credit where credit is due, and build your brand into the mega success you deserve!!!

Whew! Thanks for sticking with me through that whole thing! was this helpful to you? Are these all things you already know? Are there other things that you want to add ? Leave me a comment! It makes me feel valuable 🙂
Ps. I linked up today over at The NY Melrose Family blog for Whimsy Wednesday! GO check it out please!

Enjoy your Hump Day!
Kim