3 ways getting social with other companies can build your consumer brand
These days, the hottest thing in content marketing is an almost entirely visual platform known as Pinterest. At Pinterest.com, users—including businesses like yours—can create shareable pinboards to display photos, blogs and other online content that is of interest to them. From a user standpoint, Pinterest is awesome because it lets people express themselves quickly and easily. The site is chock full of beautiful pictures, delicious recipes, inspiring articles and more all pinned there by avid users.
Pinterest boasts 5 million plus users (nearly 1.5 million unique visitors a day), and it continues to grow. As far as social sharing sites go, Pinterest not only drives more traffic to websites and blogs, but users tend to spend more time on them when they get there because they are genuinely interested in the content. This makes it an ideal platform for businesses to round out their social strategy while building a stronger brand personality.
Many businesses use Pinterest to focus on consumer marketing efforts, which is a great idea. But here are a few ways that courting other businesses on Pinterest might also help build your brand:
Tag your vendors or companies you do business with
Your Health Nutrition Brand does not operate alone. You may source products from or share common goals with other businesses. Tagging those businesses or vendors on your Pinterest boards invites reciprocity. It can also allow you to tap into their existing fan base. For instance, if you are marketing a sports supplement, and you rely heavily on a vendor that supports the Special Olympics, don’t be afraid to post photos that will appeal to them and tag them.
Connect your clients who use Pinterest by introducing them to each other. Recognize your best pinners by sending out a weekly “Best of Pinterest” email that includes spotlighted boards and pins from your clients’ profiles.
Follow the biggest companies in your category
Every time you leave a comment on another company’s post or pin something from their site onto your pinboard, you are keeping your brand in the conversation and making their fans aware of you. Be sure to choose topics wisely, and only comment on things you genuinely appreciate or have insight into. Nothing screams corporate marketing like cookie-cutter comments or shallow posts. Pin products and services that either complement your own or that highlight your company’s values.
Know which companies are pinning your products
Find out who is “pinning” your products and follow them. If they follow you back, you have created a mutually beneficial relationship that will help both of your companies reach more people. When they pin your products, they drive business to your website or blog and vice versa, so building this momentum with a lot of solid companies is a good idea.
Leave comments that define your brand
When you pin an item from another company or you comment on one of their pins, you can leave comments that highlight your brand values. For instance, if “locally grown” or “sustainable harvesting” are two of your brand’s key values, pin items that let followers know these things are important to you. If you’re having trouble deciding which companies to follow or which products (other than yours) to pin, making a list of your brand values can be a good starting place.
Pinterest encourages companies to use their site, and many companies find it to be one of their best social sharing assets. I love the idea that using Pinterest allows you to build alliances with other Health Nutrition brands without undermining your own. The above tips are just a few ways to get started, but I encourage you to really explore all of the possibilities of Pinterest. And feel free to share any tips or tricks you learn along the way by contacting me. Happy pinning!
Follow Jessica on Twitter @JessClay to discover new marketing tactics that can energize your health or nutrition brand.
Jessica is a competitive athlete and the President of Energize HNM, a health and nutrition marketing agency. Jessica is committed to supporting health brands of every size by helping them define their missions and connect with their customers on a deeper, more meaningful level.