Pinterest is one of my favorite social media platforms for my photography business, but I do see photographers making mistakes using Pinterest or not using it all. Check out these 7 myths surrounding using Pinterest for your photo business.
Myth #1: You can’t use it for business, or you think you need a separate account for that.
Although many photographers and small business owners are hooked on Pinterest for personal use, many do not realize that it can be a great business tool as well. When I mention to photographers that Pinterest is great for SEO and for being found online, they immediately think this means they need to create a Pinterest account solely for their business. This is a myth, and the cool thing about Pinterest is that it allows you to personalize your brand. Big companies are taking advantage of this aspect by showcasing their fans and adding a more human touch to Pinterest. If you have not been using Pinterest for business, don’t you worry – just convert your current Pinterest account to a business page by following the instructions here.
Myth #2: It should only be for business. This is the opposite of the first myth. Sometimes I see folks using logos as a profile picture and only having work-related boards. Instead, they should personalize their profiles and descriptions.
Myth #3: You shouldn’t pin your own work. While it does feel a bit odd to self promote all the time, Pinterest is a gold mine craving images and content. As I have mentioned before, 80% of the pins on Pinterest are repins, so there is this huge opportunity for us as photographers to be photo curators on Pinterest. You have beautiful work and you have a business? Add your work to Pinterest! This is perfectly fine and acceptable.
Myth #4: You should only pin your own work. (Then there is the opposite myth that one should not pin another’s work.) Well, if you have ever repinned anything on Pinterest, you have already done that. The key is to add others’ work on inspiration boards, and of course never on your business name boards or claiming it as your own.
Myth #5: The goal is to be found on Pinterest. So, photographers get discouraged when they see that perhaps they are not being found on Pinterest or getting as many repins as they would like. But the true goal, especially when it comes to SEO, is to be found on Google. (Say what?) That’s right. So for local SEO and to be found online for my Pinterest pins/profile, let’s say a client is searching on Google and searches from the Google Images tab. My goal is that my pins and work are found there. So really, I am more concerned with Google than being found via Pinterest search.
Myth #6: Use massive hashtags. Pinterest is a social media platform where hashtags are frowned upon by its creators. I actually have some pins with no hashtags that have gotten hundreds of repins. The site has assigned a greater value to more original and natural text when pinning your work. Gee Feuza, what the heck do I write, then? This is very easy. All you have to do is answer this one question: What is this photo about? And perhaps answer the questions where is it and who took it? You can definitely still add hashtags, but keep it down to a few instead of packing them in.
Myth #7: Pinterest is hard to do. Oh Feuzie, another social media platform to handle? Sigh. Don’t you roll your eyes at me just yet because chances are you’re already using this platform personally. My Pinterest workflow is very easy. I repin using my phone daily for about 5 minutes (okay, some days this may be an hour, as I find all these yummy recipes I dream about making), then once every two weeks, or once a month, either my intern or myself will pin some top images from my blog. Such an easy, easy workflow, and you can do it, too.
Check out my new Pinterest SEO workbook and E-course here.
