Showing prospective customers showroom samples of fences or photos from a catalog or website is a big part of your sales pitch. But nothing sells your products like photos of real fences in real settings.
How many times have you asked prospective customers to drive by a fence you recently installed to see its beauty? Or what about those photos satisfied customers send you that show how their fence looks after they’ve completed their landscaping?
You already know that posting these photos on your website and social media pages can gain interest. But have you neglected the platform that is aimed specifically at visuals?
Despite what you may think, Pinterest is for more than arts and crafts. As a fencing business owner, it is time to consider Pinterest as a search engine for images. And when people look for photos of vinyl fences, you want them to see your work.
This article shares tips for using Pinterest to promote your vinyl fencing business.
What is Pinterest?
Launched in 2010, Pinterest is an image-sharing and social media service that allows users to find and share ideas for home decor, fashion, recipes, and other creative endeavors. It also is a hub for health-related information and technology tips.
Pinterest is ranked number 14 among the world’s largest social platforms, with 445 million monthly active users as of November 2022.
Pinterest users create and share “pins” of their favorites, build “boards,” and shop for items for themselves and as gifts. The benefits of using Pinterest for your business are brand exposure and a broader customer base.
According to the company website, about 61 percent of “Pinners” report that they visit Pinterest when they want to start a new project. And 46 percent of Pinners who visit the site weekly say they have discovered a new product or brand.
Pinterest terms you should know
The internet, in general, has spawned countless new words, and Pinterest has some of its own terminology. Here is a quick primer for newbies.
Pin. A piece of content shared on Pinterest is called a “pin.” Pinterest defines pins as “ideas to inspire you.” When you click on a pin, it links to a website.
Pinners. Pinners is the term Pinterest uses for its users.
Pincodes. Pincodes are codes you can create to unlock your business’s boards and profile. Users enter the code to go directly to your suggested boards.
Boards. Boards are digital bulletin boards that allow you to organize your pins. You also can set up group boards and ask others to contribute to them.
Lens. The Pinterest app uses your phone’s camera to suggest pins based on the photos you take.
Pinterest also shares similarities with other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Here are a few examples.
Feed. Just like your feed on other social platforms, this is a list of pins that Pinterest thinks are of interest to you or are posted by the people you follow.
Tagging. You can tag other Pinterest users using the @ symbol.
Hashtags. Hashtags help other users find relevant content, working just like they do on other platforms.
Comments. You can comment on other people’s pins.
Messages. You can send private messages to other pinners.
How to get your business started on Pinterest
You can create a business account on Pinterest or convert an existing personal account to a business one. You also can add a business profile to a personal account if you wish. Each of these options is free.
Here is how to create a business profile:
Go to pinterest.com/business/create and follow the steps. You will need your business name, email address, location, and a password.
Select the description that best matches your business and add a link to your website.
Connect your other social media accounts.
Create your Pinterest profile. Upload a profile photo (your logo works well), choose a custom username, and write a brief description of your business.
Claim your website analytics. By doing so, you’ll be able to track analytics on pins that link back to your claimed accounts.
Start creating. Now comes the important part. Click “Create Board” so you can create image boards of your fence styles and colors. Once you have created several boards, you can upload pins in a few ways. Just click “Add a pin” and follow the directions.
Successful pinning
Here are some tips for successful pins:
Use vertical images; they work best.
Incorporate trending topics and keywords.
Use compelling headlines.
Link to helpful articles (such as “How to clean a vinyl fence”)
Keep track of your most popular pins using Pinterest Analytics.
As you get more comfortable with the platform, you can take advantage of some of its special features. For example, with “rich pins,” users can click the image to get more information, including blog articles, purchase details, and pricing. You can even add a direct link to your product page.
You also can set up a group board that allows others on your team— or even previous customers— to contribute ideas.
Should you advertise on Pinterest?
While setting up a business account on Pinterest is free, you can pay for ads that more people see.
These ads, called “Promoted Pins,” look the same as regular pins, but you can target them to your geographic area or other specifics. You get valuable additional exposure if a user sees your ad and “re-pins” it.
Should you use Pinterest for your fencing business? The answer is yes if you would like to expose your brand to a wider audience and influence potential customers’ buying decisions. And, more importantly, many of your competitors are already “pinning” there.
Pinterest wants you to think of it as a “place for inspiration” rather than as a social network.
As it prepared to go public, Pinterest said it would rather not be seen as a place like Facebook or Twitter. Pinterest wants to be something different. They wanted somewhere that users can “discover ideas for just about anything you can imagine,” according to their SEC filing.
A significant advantage of using Pinterest for your business is that users are actively searching for ideas and inspiration rather than passively scrolling through the site. So let them find your fencing company today!
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