March 15, 2012
New social media sensation
By Helen Hassard
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
What’s the most popular social media referral site right now? Twitter? Facebook? Nope, according to online sources, and most of my social circle, it’s an addictive little website called Pinterest.
Pinterest takes the concepts of Twitter and combines it with the idea of an inspiration board, where you “pin” images of your favourite things: fashion, decor, event ideas, recipes, books and yes, even landscapes. Your followers or others may then browse through the Pinterest pages, view these and re-pin them for their followers, etc.
Now, I know less than a year ago I wrote an article on why social media isn’t the end-all and be-all for communication, and I stand by that. But I think that a communication strategy needs to have a balance of print, electronic, social media and personal communication; you need to find out the best way to communicate with your target market.
So, you may have already attended a training program or two about social media and learned from some social media guru how to use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Those gurus are likely already preaching the benefits of Pinterest.
The beauty of Pinterest is its simplicity. Users can spend hours sifting through attractive images ‘re-pinning’ things that catch their attention, or they may upload their own images to show off to their followers. They ‘pin’ similar images to various inspiration boards that they can later revisit. Most images have corresponding links for you to learn more. I see members using this several different ways.
Overall, Pinterest is still relatively new, but if you’d like to learn more about what it can do for you, give it a try. Go to http://pinterest.com.
Call at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or email helen@landscapeontario.com, or tweet me about it at @LOMembership. I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
What’s the most popular social media referral site right now? Twitter? Facebook? Nope, according to online sources, and most of my social circle, it’s an addictive little website called Pinterest.Pinterest takes the concepts of Twitter and combines it with the idea of an inspiration board, where you “pin” images of your favourite things: fashion, decor, event ideas, recipes, books and yes, even landscapes. Your followers or others may then browse through the Pinterest pages, view these and re-pin them for their followers, etc.
Now, I know less than a year ago I wrote an article on why social media isn’t the end-all and be-all for communication, and I stand by that. But I think that a communication strategy needs to have a balance of print, electronic, social media and personal communication; you need to find out the best way to communicate with your target market.
So, you may have already attended a training program or two about social media and learned from some social media guru how to use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Those gurus are likely already preaching the benefits of Pinterest.
The beauty of Pinterest is its simplicity. Users can spend hours sifting through attractive images ‘re-pinning’ things that catch their attention, or they may upload their own images to show off to their followers. They ‘pin’ similar images to various inspiration boards that they can later revisit. Most images have corresponding links for you to learn more. I see members using this several different ways.
- Link it to your Facebook page. You can update Pinterest and automatically send the image to your Facebook account at the same time. All of this is engaging your network and making sure you have a constant presence on social media. I’ve heard it said that a poorly maintained social media page is worse than no social media page at all!
- Pin images of job sites you’ve worked on, but don’t forget to direct them back to your website! While your audience might end up stretching far beyond your company’s geographical area, the more people who pin your images to their followers, the more traffic your website will receive.
- Use it for your own inspiration. If you see plants you like, or colour palettes that are popular, incorporate them into your work.
- Have fun with it. The site is addictive for a reason. Have fun and let the creativity flow!
Overall, Pinterest is still relatively new, but if you’d like to learn more about what it can do for you, give it a try. Go to http://pinterest.com.
Call at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or email helen@landscapeontario.com, or tweet me about it at @LOMembership. I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.