Pinterest Magic for Entrepreneurs: Get Inspired, Ideate, and Thrive

Turning Your Pinterest Passion into a Thriving Business

Pinterest is my jam.

My Pinterest journey started innocently enough - a casual hobby of pinning pretty pictures.

Who knew this digital scrapbooking would become a secret weapon in my entrepreneurial arsenal?

As I dipped my toes into blogging and eventually dove headfirst into my creative business, Pinterest evolved from a guilty pleasure into a strategic powerhouse. It's no longer just about curating neat little folders of inspiration (though let's be honest, that's still pretty satisfying).

Now, it's a dynamic platform for sharing content with pinpoint precision. Imagine having a billboard that only your ideal customers can see - that's Pinterest for your business.

It's still dangerously easy to fall down the Pinterest rabbit hole, losing hours to a world of stunning visuals and 'someday' projects. But for me, this visual wonderland has become an essential tool in my entrepreneur toolkit.

Curious about how I'm leveraging this platform beyond just pretty pictures?

Continue reading…you might be surprised by the creative ways Pinterest can fuel your business growth.

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1. Mood Board Magic

Pinterest isn't just a place to daydream about your future home or autumn wardrobe. It can really help your business to grow and serve your clients better.

Back in my photography days (you can read about my background 👉🏻 Multipassionate entrepreneur), I'd whip up secret boards for clients faster than you could say 'aesthetic.' These digital treasure troves became the backbone of their visual strategies.

Pro tip: Create pre-made boards for different aspects of your work. Need location inspo for a photoshoot? Create a board for that. Color schemes for new branding or outfits? Yep, create one of those too. It's like having a personal assistant, minus the coffee runs. 😁

Here are a couple more examples of how you can leverage Pinterest boards with your clients to make the creative process more collaborative and visually engaging:

1. Writers:

   • Create mood boards for characters: A writer can set up boards for each main character in their novel, pinning images that represent the character's style, personality, and background. This visual representation can help clients (such as publishers or editors) better understand the characters and the overall feel of the story.

   • Worldbuilding inspiration: For fantasy or sci-fi writers, Pinterest boards can showcase landscapes, architecture, and cultural elements that inspire the fictional world. This can be especially useful when collaborating with illustrators or when pitching the book to potential publishers.

2. Stylists:

   • Seasonal Capsule Wardrobe Planner: Create a series of boards for each season showcasing versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create numerous outfits. For each season, the stylist can create multiple sub-boards:

     1. Core pieces: Essential items that form the basis of the capsule wardrobe.

     2. Accent pieces: Trendy or colorful items to add variety.

     3. Accessories: Shoes, bags, and jewelry that complement the core and accent pieces.

     4. Outfit combinations: Pins showing how to mix and match the items for different occasions.

     You as a stylist can collaborate with the client, allowing them to add their own pins or comment on your selections making it a truly interactive and personalized experience.

   • Event-specific boards: For stylists working on special events like weddings or red-carpet appearances, create boards for each event type. Pin outfit ideas, accessories, and beauty looks that fit different themes or venues. This allows clients to easily visualize complete looks for various occasions.

2. Traffic-Driving Dynamo

Want to know the real superpower of Pinterest?

It's a traffic-generating machine for your website or blog. But here's the catch - you need to create content that's more alluring than a 'Netflix and chill' invitation.

The secret sauce? Pinterest SEO, my dear.

Sprinkle those keywords like confetti 👉🏻 in your Pinterest bio, board names, pin titles, and pin descriptions. And don’t forget your website as it’s a pretty important part of your Pinterest mastery.

Make sure that you use words people actually search for. No one's looking for 'unicorn-inspired productivity hacks'... yet. 😜

To further enhance your Pinterest SEO strategy:

1. Leverage Pinterest's Guided Search: Pay attention to the suggested search terms that appear when you start typing in the search bar. These are popular keywords that users are actively searching for, which can inform your pin and board optimization.

2. Use long-tail keywords: While broad terms like "recipes" or "fashion" are highly competitive, long-tail keywords like "easy vegan dinner recipes" or "summer boho fashion ideas" can help you reach a more specific audience with less competition.

3. Craft compelling pin descriptions: Your pin descriptions should be keyword-rich but also natural and engaging. Aim for about 100-200 characters, and include a clear call-to-action (CTA) to encourage clicks through to your website.

3. Brand Your Heart Out

Your pins should be like your business card. Make them so distinctly 'you' that your audience can spot them in a Pinterest lineup. Consistent use of colors and fonts not only makes you look professional but also helps build brand recognition.

Of course, you can play around with different styles. Text-only pins with a punchy background? Sure. Images with snappy overlays? Go for it. Just keep it vertical (a 2:3 aspect ratio for optimal display in the feed) or square - horizontal images are so 2010.

Test and observe which types of pins resonate most with your target audience. And do more of those.

4. Number Crunching (But Make It Fun)

Who doesn't love a good data dive? (Okay, maybe just us nerds. 🤓)

But trust me, Pinterest analytics is like candy for entrepreneurs. It tells you who's crushing on your pins, which boards are hot stuff, and where in the world your followers are hiding.

Google Analytics takes this game up a notch - highly recommend if you want to really geek out.

The analytics information makes it easier to create content that specifically appeals to your Pinterest audience. Pinterest is also a valuable tool for market research. You can easily discover what your audience likes and what’s trending right now.

5. Transform Your Pinterest from Blah to Brilliant

Think of your Pinterest account as your digital storefront. Tidy it up, name your boards cleverly (and SEO-friendly), and write descriptions that make your followers smile.

And hey, don't forget to hide those personal 'Dream Wedding' boards - unless that's part of your brand!

Spread your Pinterest everywhere: social media bios, email signatures, even your t-shirt (okay, maybe not 😆). These strategies allow you to market your expertise for free and integrate Pinterest marketing into your overall social media strategy.

And remember, when you're adding images to your website, name them like you're naming your pets - no 'image1234.jpg', but something that'll make Pinterest's algorithm fall in love with you. When someone pins content from your site to Pinterest, Pinterest often pulls the description from the image’s alt tag or file name.

6. Inspiring and Being Inspired

Pinterest isn't just about getting inspired - it's about being the inspiration.

Whether you're a photographer, writer, artist, florist, stylist, or macramé master, create boards that showcase your creative process. Let your followers peek behind the curtain and watch your magic unfold.

Let me know how you are leveraging Pinterest?