Pinterest is definitely looking like it will be the social media darling of 2012 if the first month of the year is any indication. Not only has it found its way into the top 10 websites in the social media category, its also scoring over 40 times the number of total visits in had just six months ago.
Dig Deeper: How To Boost Your Photography Business With Pinterest
The site is perfect for photographers because its target market user group is women between the ages of 25 and 44, and it’s a visual media form. Early users of this site were brides to be, as they could develop numerous pinboards for every aspect of their wedding, from planning the decorations to choosing wedding attire. Now we’re seeing a wide variety of visual businesses use Pinterest on a regular basis, from photographers to graphic designers and other artisans. If you are in a visual field, Pinterest is the place to be.
Pinterest is all about eye candy. Its about creating things in such a way that people are attracted to it and like or pin it themselves – over and over again. The more likes or pins, the more traffic.
The first step is creating your Pin Boards. Be creatively descriptive when designing your boards:
Think visual – how do you want to showcase different ideas within your business?
Tell the story – as a photographer, you can share ideas from beginning to end. Tell stories all the time and let your followers discover more depth to what you have to offer.
Stretch to show your expertise – its not all about you. When you discover other sites, resources, images that convey your ideas, don’t be afraid to share them.
Consistency is the key – just like every other social site you ever used, you have to be consistent both in your posting schedule and with what you are posting.
The second step is pinning to your boards:
Develop regular pins – maybe a coupon twice per month, or a video “how to” in which you talk directly to your followers.
Post your flyers, brochures and business cards – the idea is to showcase what you do in a very visual way.
How about a QR code? Create a special landing page with content, photos and videos. Use the QR code to send them directly to your page.
Want some more ideas? Here are several great ideas I found while searching through Pinterest.
Katerina Fort
I love her board names and the way she uses them to present ideas to people following her.
Sam Knox
What a great idea – use Pinterest boards to give your clients ideas on how to dress for photo shoots and tips on what to expect.
Sara Quinnett
Sara has 72 boards so its hard not to get inspired by browsing through her pins. But one thing that caught my eye were her idea boards – how about a board on ways to display your photography? Great idea.
Jenn LaBelle
I loved looking through her boards at all the ideas she has. Her photography board is filled with so much content – checklists, tutorials, videos – it’s a great place to get inspired.
Tiffany Vo
This is another great way of showcasing your ideas for each niche you are specializing in.
Monica Calderin
I loved the titles of some of her boards. What a great way to put together ideas for concepts you are working on, or ways to keep ideas in place for the future when you need to develop a new promotion.
Lori O’Brien Photography
Another in depth Pinterest display with 61 boards and a ton of ideas. I especially loved the Photo Fun and Display ideas.
Marla Meridith
Pinterest is for all types of photography, any ideas you can come up with. Showcase your portraits or your food photography, as you’ll find here. She has many boards that focus on food photography, from Fresh Cooking to Sippity Soups.
Jennifer Warfel
Pinterest is growing at the rate it is because of the inspiration it provides. So why not name your boards “inspiration”. Then fill it with ideas you can share and motivate your clients with.
Olga Sola
This is the perfect site to share your inspiration with people no matter where they are in the world. This proves you can find familiarity and commonality with just a little search.
Follow us on Pinterest: PhotoshopTips and Lori Osterberg
Have any other recommendations?
About Virtual Photography
I started using Pinterest a few months ago and love the idea of compiling inspirational images and marketing through this platform. Thanks for the tips and for sharing a list of other photographers that also use Pinterest–this is a great resource!
I came across another blog suggesting Pinterest as a tool for photographers in business, but I’ve only made it to the sign up page so far.. It’s like really, another social media platform to get into? Lol. I have so much already on my plate that I’m trying to juggle…difficult to know where I’ll get the best ROI.
So long as it’s easy to master I’ll give it a good go next month. Thanks for helping me to keep this on my “To-Do” for next month!
Pinterest is my new addiction. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on there and looked up 20 minutes later… I think the visual part of it is what will be the biggest hit for photogs. Good luck!
Lori
looked at the website and this seems very interesting for photographers…..will definately give this a go in my photo studio…..We’ve linked you http://www.mxhairandbeauty.co.uk/