Guest Post:  Kelly Paull

[Editor’s note: Pinterest has become a powerful tool for building your business, when used appropriately. Like any social media tool, however, there are guidelines direct sellers must follow to make the most of their online success. This week, Kelly shares some great ideas and guidance on how to maximize your Pinterest efforts!]

1. Make a board geared toward future hosts

This board becomes a subtle suggestion to book a party, minus all the blatant marketing many direct sellers do to ask for bookings.  You’ll pin easy appetizers leaving out the messy chicken wings if you pass your products around at the party.  You’ll show how easy and simple being a host {ess} can be.  Pin fun drink recipes since we all know wine and beer can get old.  Party planning tips and theme ideas go great on this board and really serve to get people excited about having friends over for your show!

2. Do the occasional pin of your products

This does NOT mean go bonkers and pin every last product in your catalog!  Flooding Pinterest with your products just ends up annoying your followers and that is the LAST thing you want to do.  I suggest having a board called “Products I Love” or “Products I Can’t Live Without” or even “Best Sellers.”  In the “describe your pin” area for your pin you will want to provide a compelling description of the product, make it fun and interesting, not just copy and paste from your catalog.  Perhaps provide  some suggestions for how to best use the product or what problems it solves.

3. Let them get to KNOW you

Remember, social media is about getting to know one another.  Let people see a more personal side of you.  This leads to the ‘know, like and trust’ factor that is necessary for sales!  If you have a shoe fetish, let it reign in your shoe board.  Collect hippos?  Pin away!  It gives people a peek into your world and who you are.  Chances are people will be drawn TO you when they have similar likes and interests!  WOW!  Attraction marketing at its finest….draw similar people to you, so much easier than chasing them all around the internet!  =)

4. Pin things that are of interest to your target market

When you begin using Pinterest with your ideal client in mind by pinning the kinds of things you think that person would be interested in.  This kills two birds with one stone.  1. It begins attracting to you the kind of person you WANT to do business with and 2. it gives you a board full of content that you can then turn around and share on your other social networks!  {When you click through on the pin it will take you to the original site that it was pinned from, copy and paste the url from that site to your Facebook page or Twitter to share that link}.

5. Use Pinstamatic to add locations, music, quotes, twitter profile links, sticky notes and websites.

This fun new tool for Pinterest is eye catching and allows you to pin even more things than before! Try using the sticky note feature to leave your future hostesses some host coaching.  How about writing these on a sticky note:  “Invite everyone you know,”  “Don’t forget your reminder calls and texts the day of the party.”  “I can’t wait to spoil you and your friends with freebies!”  Don’t slip into marketing mode with this, keep it light and fun!

Remember, just like all social media, you want to be adding great content and engaging with others.  Leave a comment on pins you love or when someone re-pins one of yours.

Let us know in the comments what ideas YOU have for making Pinterest a valuable partner in your party planning business!

 

Kelly Paull is the Honey Badger of Niche Marketing at DirectlySuccessful.com  She’s a techie geek with 8 years of direct sales experience and a passion for helping women navigate the technology necessary to run a smooth operation.

 

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