Put a Pin in It: How a Pinterest Virtual Assistant Can Break Your Business Slump
If you’re caught in a business slump or want to break through plateaus, increasing your Pinterest presence might be your golden ticket to success.'
Having outgrown its reputation as a recipe and home decoration idea board, Pinterest has become a repository for photos, links, and information for nearly everything on the planet. Now one of the top visual discovery search engines on the market, Pinterest leverages the “picture is worth a thousand words” philosophy through its engaging graphics, colors, and boards that allow customers to develop new interests and wants.
While any business owner can set up a Pinterest account in minutes, mining Pinterest’s marketing possibilities is more complicated than creating a pin. And, let’s face it, most small business owners don’t have the time to learn to wield Pinterest to the fullest.
Enter Pinterest virtual assistants!
As the name implies, Pinterest virtual assistants are virtual employees who run and manage Pinterest accounts for businesses. They differ from general social media managers in that they focus on Pinterest alone, often taking training courses to become true experts of the platform. This niche edge allows them to make Pinterest work wonders that the rest of us can only dream of.
With some understanding and research, you can hire a specialized virtual assistant to help your brand gain visibility and engagement on the Pinterest platform. Let’s get started!
Pinterest and Your Business
While many people associate Pinterest with fun and leisure, it is also an effective marketing tool. Pinterest allows users to create individual “pins” (visual bookmarks) that users can find, organize, and save in collections called “boards.” Both pins and boards can be shared by other users, which means Pinterest holds significant potential for no-cost, consumer-generated advertising.
Like other forms of social media, Pinterest allows the visual display of products, ads, and informational graphics, to build brand recognition. However, it carries an advantage over other platforms because it is inspiration-driven. When users come to Pinterest, they do so with intention; they usually look for something specific and may already have purchase or service needs in mind. This means that Pinterest users want to find your page. While mindless scrolling on Facebook, Instagram, and other sites can result in sales, Pinterest brings your offerings to those trying to find you.
pinterest claims that it has 2.3x more efficient cost per conversion than ads on other social media platforms and 2x higher return on ad spending for retail brands compared to social media. While marketing comes with no guarantees, there may be a psychological component behind these statistics: people love to shop more when they feel like they’ve discovered something compared to when they feel like they are the object of a company’s advertising schemes.
Considering these factors, it’s no wonder sprout social calls Pinterest a “goldmine social media platform for businesses with a visual aspect.” And since every business can develop a visual aspect, even big-name companies such as Bank of America have found a way to make Pinterest boards work in their favor.
Why You Should Hire a Pinterest VA
While you can certainly do your research and tap into the power of Pinterest on your own, a Pinterest virtual assistant can do so better and faster. Here are five reasons why you should hire a Pinterest VA right now:
More Engagement. Businesses reach new heights when placed in the right hands. Pinterest experts know how to use platform analytics, metrics, and audience insights to better manage your promos and draw more engagement.
More Money. By hiring someone who knows how Pinterest works, you’ll allow the platform to actively do its job. The right forms of inspiration can eventually translate to cash.
More Time. As a busy business owner, you don’t need another item on the to-do list. With a VA to manage your Pinterest, you’ll recover monetizable hours for doing what you do best (your job) or investing in personal wellness. Also, since skilled Pinterest VAs know their way around the platform, you’ll accomplish the most in the shortest amount of time.
More Allure. Setting up a professional Pinterest account involves creating boards, designing visuals, and scheduling pins. Not only will a Pinterest VA know how to do these things in a way that draws more engagement, but they will do so in a way that puts your brand’s best foot forward. The best Pinterest virtual assistants understand color theory and use design tools like canva to produce the highest-quality graphics.
More Teamwork. Bringing on a Pinterest VA gives you all of the benefits of a teammate (communication, collaboration, and shared victory) without needing to provide office space, workers comp, and other benefits expected for traditional employees. The extra set of hands also ensures that Pinterest can keep rolling even when you’re not on the clock.
Qualities to Look For
As you may have guessed, you’ll want to do your research to make sure you are hiring an assistant who can deliver these benefits.
Below are some qualities you’ll want to look for when hiring and interviewing your VA.
Powerful storytelling senses. At its core, all marketing is storytelling. VAs who know this will know how to use your brand's story to draw engagement.
Excellent organization. Managing multiple pins and boards takes an eye for detail and keen organization.
Mind for strategy. Succeeding on Pinterest requires more than pretty pins. A competent assistant will know how to research competition, employ seasonally, and run campaigns to target specific audiences.
Design savvy. That said, pretty pins don’t hurt! While having a graphic design degree is unnecessary, knowledge of tools such as Canva and visual design theories will go a long way.
SEO savvy. Pinterest descriptions run on search engine optimization; assistants who know SEO skills will help your pins rise to the top.
Good communication. This is a must for any virtual assistant. Because you won’t be in person, you’ll need to be able to rely on your assistant to communicate with you and vice versa.
Independent problem-solving skills. Unless you want to have your hands in the pot, find an assistant that feels confident troubleshooting problems independently. Note: You will need to do some initial training to ensure your assistant is equipped to do so within their position and your brand.
Professionalism. Your Pinterest account is an extension of your business and brand. An assistant who works with integrity and professionalism will add to the caliber of your business.
As you look for these qualities, you may find it helpful to read our article
How to Prepare Your Business to Hire a VA
for general VA tips and to make sure you cover all your bases.
Pinterest Strategies Primer
While hiring the right assistant will allow you to leave the work to the experts, you’ll still want to have basic knowledge of how Pinterest works. In addition, understanding the available marketing strategies will increase effective communication and planning between you and your Pinterest VA.
If you don’t have time for a deep dive, this short list of strategies will get you started.
Find new audiences.
Use Pinterest to explore viewers of similar or related content. By seeing who is looking at what, you can find your ideal client and “Actalikes” (Pinterest’s terms for audiences similar to your ideal client).
Target existing audiences.
Marketing is more than finding new customers; it’s also about maintaining a good flow with your existing clients. Use Pinterest to provide your tribe with pins that offer joy, value, and community and keep them coming back for more.
Create group boards.
Create a group board where you can be a “host” for community and collaboration. Group boards look like regular Pinterest boards, but they allow multiple contributors. Group boards will enable you to make more connections, resulting in more clicks on your site.
Employ seasonality.
Design pins to match the colors and vibes of the seasons (of the earth’s climate and marketing trends). This is a well-known strategy for drawing engagement (pumpkin-spice latte, anyone?).
Create valuable content.
Whenever possible, use DIYs, how-to’s, recipes, and tips and tricks graphics to represent your business (85% of Pinners say they go to Pinterest to start new projects). Even if your business isn’t project-based, your Pinterest VA can help you think of ways to devise projects for your business. E.g., If you offer massage services, you could make a board with pins of the favorite recipes of your massage therapists. Clients will love trying out the recipes of their favorite practitioners. Not all Pinterest content lands the same. While product graphics are nice, educational content is king on Pinterest.
Use analytics.
Explore the metrics in Pinterest’s Ad Manager and strategically run campaigns that target your particular goals. Ad Manager has helpful optimizations that you can turn on, as well as targeting features and options.
Optimize your account.
Keep your Pinterest fresh for maximum optimization. Create new pins regularly, and repin as well (“repinning” involves posting content from other boards that will inspire your audiences). Utilize Pinterest’s Rich Pins to automatically sync pins with your website. Likewise, put Pinterest widgets on your business sites and socials to draw more people to your Pinterest boards. Finally, use the right words to tell a winning story with your profile page, and utilize SEO to craft pin descriptions to help you rise to the top.
Research competition.
Draw a larger audience by identifying what else is out there. A good assistant will know how to scope out your competition and learn from their brands and pin styles.
Set up automation.
Set up scheduled pins so that you can use your time to create new pins (or spend less time on Pinterest in general). Scheduled pins also give peace of mind that comes with knowing that you’ll have fresh boards even if work picks up and cuts into your marketing time.
As you can see, Pinterest carries huge marketing potential! The right assistant can help you make the most bang for your buck, hopefully in a way that makes you dividends.Pinterest VA’s Open Your World
“Getting by” on Pinterest is not the same as thriving on Pinterest. Your business deserves a presence that will reward you with solid investments. Consider hiring a skilled Pinterest virtual assistant and see if it makes the difference you’re looking for.
Luneer Mgmt would be happy to get you set up with one of our Pinterest masters.We can convert your personal account into a business account and strategize with you on how to connect Pinterest with your other social media and marketing platforms for ultimate success.
schedule a call with us today, and let us help you take your business to the next level!
WRITTEN BY: KATIE BARNETT
