With Spring comes spring cleaning, difficult in the UK, because we are still experiencing winter conditions. Pinterest however, has been taking care of business and rolling out a new look in time for spring. The new-and-improved site includes better browsing and search features to make finding new things easier.
Refreshed elements that have been introduced in the website’s new design include a “close-up view of pins” to help its users discover new and more interests, including pins from the same board, which allow users to explore an entire board without leaving the webpage they are on. Pinterest has been copied by other large websites in the past, so it remains to be seen if these new elements will be emulated elsewhere.
Another new addition is the “people who pinned this also pinned” feature. Likewise, pins from the same source” has also been added on the site so users can find other things pinned from the same website. Mashable is reporting “These features are only available on the desktop for now, but will soon be rolled out to Pinterest’s iOS and Android apps, says Jason Wilson, Pinterest’s lead product designer.”
Many of the influenced changes were in response to direct user feedback. Dedicated members are a significant part of Pinterest’s success, especially now that companies are getting in on the act. Pinterest says that thousands of businesses are using the site and sharing content, even the Financial Sector (albeit a bit clumsy in my opinion). In order to help and provide clarity there are specific business terms:
We now have two sets of terms—one for people and one for businesses. The business terms help guide businesses on how to use Pinterest. They also enable us to separate the provisions meant for businesses from those meant for regular people.
Our advice for companies is before you start pinning, consider what pinners really care about. Check out your web analytics to see what they like best, or talk to them directly. Tailor your pinning for them. That’s right, Pinterest also now comes with Web Analytics. Web Analytics (free) gives site owners insights into how people are interacting with pins that originate from their websites. So if your company is struggling with engagement you additionally have the following; business accounts, Pin It buttons and board widgets.
The launch of the analytics tools comes soon after a $200 million investment in the image sharing social channel. This could possibly be their first major step towards monetisation and perhaps advertising. The move finally sees its promise to marketers late last year that it would introduce data analytics tools for businesses, of verified websites, to track Pinterest referral traffic.
If you are still unsure if you should join the Pinterest band wagon here are some tips:
1. Add descriptive, keyword-rich text to your “About” description. This will help your Pinterest account show up in search engine results. Include your location as well.
2. Promote user-generated content with a guest pinner board. Allow visitors to add videos and photos that fit in with your niche. You may also want to consider running a contest for the most interesting, unique, useful, etc. pins on a topic.
3. Don’t just pin pictures, pin videos. I am guilty of overlooking videos myself. Revisit segments from speaking engagements, news clips and YouTube videos that are highly relevant to your Pinterest boards.
4. Use strong visual images with all your blog posts. This is crucial folks. The more captivating your images, the more likely they will be re-pinned. Adding an image to every blog post you put up gives you the opportunity to pin it and drive traffic back to your site.
Images credit: Pinterest.
Hayden Richards is Contributor of IntelligentHQ. He specialises in finance, trading, investment, and technology, with expertise in both buy-side, sell-side. Contributing and advising various global corporations, Hayden is a thought leader, researching on global regulatory subjects, digital, social media strategies and new trends for Businesses, Capital Markets and Financial Services.
Aside from the articles, interviews and content he writes for IntelligentHQ, Hayden is also a content curator for capital markets, analytic platforms and business industry emerging trends. An avid new media explorer Hayden is driven by a passion for business development, innovation, social business, Tech Trading, payments and eCommerce. A native Trinidadian, Hayden is also a veteran, having served with the Royal Air Force Reserves for the past 10 years.
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