It easy to get stuck in routines in life isn’t it? Going to the same places, eating the same foods, etc…. We can even find ourselves in boring routines when it comes to our Pinterest accounts, always repinning from the same sources and pinning to the same boards leaving others ignored and untouched for weeks or months.
What’s the problem with getting into a routine when it comes to Pinterest? You could be missing out on big opportunities to attract new followers, you could loose followers, you could be missing out on traffic and sales.
Here are 4 easy things you can do to keep your Pinterest account lively and fresh. Keep those current followers interested and engaged, attract new followers and keep that traffic flowing!
1. Look for New Sources
I know I have a core group of accounts that I follow that will bring me great content to pin for my followers. Since my focus is primarily on Pinterest and social media I know I can rely on accounts like Mashable ’s Pinterest account to repin from that my followers will be interested in. (Remember, you’re building your business account for your followers, not for you.)
Mashable is so well known, chances are that my followers are seeing that same content in lots of places. I can better serve my followers and attract new ones by finding and pinning high quality content from lesser known sources that is’t seen everywhere and can offer a different perspective.
One place to look for new sources of content is to check out who the leaders in your niche are following or who your followers are following. You might find some gems in that list to repin from and to follow. Who knows, they might just follow you back!
*BONUS TIP*
Pinterest has a global presence and is offered in many languages. In your Pinterest account settings you can change the language and location of your account. Doing this will give you different results when you search in Pinterest. The Japanese version of Pinterest even offers different categories.
Give this a try to find new content to pin and new accounts to follow. Can’t read foreign languages? No Problem. Do this in Google Chrome and you can translate the page into your preferred language.
This tip was first mentioned as a Pinterest Tip of the Week in episode 46 of the Oh So Pinteresting podcast. To get weekly Pinterest tips be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.
2. Create Spin-Off Boards
Spin offs were rarely successful for television sitcoms. Remember when they tried to give Joey from Friends his own show? COMPLETE FAIL! Fortunately spin off Pinterest boards have a much higher success rate and in some cases do even better than the original.
When I first began using my account for my business I wanted to keep super focused on my site and on Pinterest. I decided to create a Pinterest tips board and a general social media board. I soon realized that most people who are interested in Pinterest are also interested in other social networks. My social media board is a jumbled mess of information about several different social media sites. Not the best way to serve my followers huh?
I’ve created spin off boards that are more focused including individual boards dedicated to Instagram, YouTube and recently Google+. My Instagram board is attracting followers and is frequently repinned from.
Doing this also allows me to pin my content to multiple boards. For example, my recent podcast episode about Google+ and Pinterest can be pinned to my social media board, my Pinterest board and my Google+ board.
3. Rearrange and Beautify Your Boards
I’ve come across several business accounts lately that seem to be shy about their business. The board dedicated to their blog or products is buried deep in their account. PLEASE don’t do this. If you really want to bring traffic to your site from Pinterest make it as easy as possible for visitors to your account to find your pins and click through to your site.
Put the boards with the the most pins that link to your site in the top left corner of your account. This board that most people will see and are most likely to explore if they’re interested in your niche.
Keep in mind that over 50% of the people visiting Pinterest are visiting from mobile devices and on smart phones, only the first few boards are visible when first coming to your account. Keep the most important ones towards the top. To rearrange your boards simply click on the board you want to move and drag it to its new location. (This currently cannot be done a mobile device)
Keep your newly arranged Pinterest boards beautiful by selecting attractive board covers. Change them out seasonally if appropriate or just try out a new ones to give them a fresh new look.
4. Don’t Neglect Your Boards
I confess, I’ve been guilty of neglect. I’ve come across a new topic that I was all excited about and created a Pinterest board for it only to loose interest in that topic just as fast. This happened last year when The TV Series Mad Men started again. I’m a fan of the show and was anxious for the premier. I love the look of the show so I created a board for it and pinned to it regularly for a couple of months.
Though I enjoyed the show, my excitement waned and I didn’t pin to that board for months. Neglect. During a time I was rearranging and organizing my account I came across this sad little board and decided it was best to let it go. I deleted it.
Though it was tough to say goodbye to that board, I realized that I just wasn’t that interested in the topic any more and it really didn’t do anything for my followers. My account represents me and my business. I had to ask myself, is my interest in a TV show really something that is important enough to dedicate a whole board to? Does it really represent me or my business?
Regularly check your boards and make sure that they are worthy of being on your account and that you have enough content to pin to them on a regular basis.
Having organized, focused and attractive board covers can bring more engaged to your account. You can become a recognized source of help and information that bring interesting and helpful information to your followers. What will you be doing with your boards?
