Infographic: How Small Businesses Can Use Pinterest

While Instagram may be getting the attention as the social platform of the moment, Pinterest must remain a key outreach tool in the PR pro's arsenal. But what about smaller, brick and mortar businesses—how can they use Pinterest to their advantage? 

Jessica Jenkins, marketing communications manager at Wasp Barcode Technologies, says it starts with creating a call to action. "Imagery evokes in consumer a powerful emotional response," Jenkins says. "Brands that connect visually and inspire consumers will better influence behavior than those who fail to make the connection." 

But how can understaffed small businesses get the ball rolling in terms of building a fan-base on Pinterest, one that will actually view and engage with their images? Jenkins says to work with what you've got, and create a system for automatic content syndication to lessen the managerial burden. "You can upload all of your marketing content, how-to-guides and other collateral already on hand," says Jenkins. "One idea to help decide what to post: ask people to tell you what they think of you, using only pictures or images. Monitor Pinterest to better understand the behavior of your customer, and think about what you can provide that will inspire them." 

The bottom line, Jenkins says, is that Pinterest helps organizations understand perceptions, generate ideas and connect with the most fundamental driver of consumer decision-making: emotion. 

To learn more about how to successfully leverage Pinterest, register for the PR for Pinterest Webinar, set for Jan. 30.



Follow Bill Miltenberg: @bmiltenberg