Pinterest is an absolutely addicting site! If you haven’t joined it yet, consider yourself warned! It’s not ALL fun and games, though. Pinterest can be a really effective marketing tool for independent hairstylists and local salons, too. We’ve got a few hot tips to make the most out of your pinning efforts and create some buzz for your business. Read on and enjoy!
Perfect Your Pinning!
A few key basics to keep in mind when pinning:
- Pin from the direct source. For example, if you’re on a blog with multiple articles, click on the title for the individual post you’re sharing and THEN pin from there. This way anyone who wants to read the article accompanying your pin will be taken to the direct link and not have to search for it in a feed of multiple posts (annoying when you want the info).
- Add relevant keywords to your Pinterest descriptions and boards. Don’t always leave these fields blank or always blindly repin others’ text. Optimize most of your pins and all of your board descriptions for search with relevant descriptions like “messy ponytail”, “cute curly updo” or “long, beachy waves.”
Create An Online Idea Gallery!
You know how some clients like to browse through hairstyle magazines for ideas on cuts, color and style? Make your Pinterest account an online gallery for inspired hair ideas. Clients can peruse your boards from home or the waiting room and pull up their top picks to show you before their appointment begins. If you have a tablet available, you can even hand it to clients who show up early and let them browse on a bigger screen. Idea boards to include (of course, make sure anything you pin you have the supplies and skills to do):
- Short Cuts
- Medium Cuts
- Long Cuts
- Various Color Options
- Special Occasion Hairstyling Options
- Men’s Hair Cuts
- Key Hair Products (if you sell online, pin directly from your site – otherwise the manufacturer’s site is a great source) & Tips To Use Them
Capture More Local Clients!
Getting tons of repins and likes are great but what you REALLY want are more clients and repins from outside your state aren’t likely to help you all that much. Most pins have very little to do with any specific location but there are a few tricks you can do to help bring more followers in from your surrounding area. Try adding boards like these to your mix:
- Fave Local Places & Spaces: Pin a variety of local restaurants, clubs, stores, landmarks and other points of interest that are unique to your area. Those that repin this content are highly likely to be in the same area as your business and you have now exposed each one to your business without promoting hair one bit.
- “Your State” Living: I volunteer for an animal shelter in Texas and we have a board called “Texas Living” where I pin tons of quotes, signs and images that speak to being Southern, being Texan and life in the state of Texas. The pins have nothing to do with animals most of the time but they great a response and the vast majority of repins are from people actually living in the state. These are people who may become adopters after perusing the rest of the shelter’s pins since they’re nearby. The same is true for your state and your business so show off your state pride with a new board.
- “Local” Events & News: Was there a big game for your hometown team? Pin a WTG team from their site! Is there an annual cook-off, gala or fundraiser? Pin the details from the website. Did the local news post photos after a crazy storm? Share a few with your fans! All this local content helps you pull in more followers that will spread your name and may actually become new clients! Tip: Name the board with your city in it, such as Houston News or Around Town: Houston.
Share Some Simple How-Tos!
Want to make your clients feel like you go the extra mile for them? Pin a few simple at-home how-tos to a of Pinterest board. After a new color or cut for a client, recommend a look for them to try at home with their style from the board. A simple send-off like this will do the trick and make clients feel like you’re looking out for them here and at home: “There’s a couple of really cute braids (ponytails, updos, etc) that are really simple to do and would really look great with your hair. Take a look on our how-to Pinterest board when you get home if you’d like to play around with your style.”
For a great sites to pin a few home how-tos from, try The Beauty Deparment, Hair Romance or the CHI Pinterest board, of course!
Be the Original!
It’s fast and easy to pin from other pins on Pinterest and it’s a nice way to get seen by others with similar interests. Occasionally, though, you should be the original pinner of some pins, too. The original pinner is always referenced on a pin so no matter how many times it gets repinned, your information will stay visible to any future pinners. This is fabulous for your visibility so search the web outside of Pinterest a few times a week for interest content and pin directly from the source.
Final thoughts: Pinterest is a creative, visually compelling site so keep that in mind when choosing your pins. Above all, explore and HAVE FUN!
P.S. A few quick don’ts:
Don’t overpin! Just as with Facebook, flooding your followers’ streams is considered a faux pas and will often result in several unfollows. Pin a few things at a time (5-10) and spread out your pinning.
Don’t remove an image’s credit! Never upload (that’s upload, not PIN) an image that isn’t yours or remove the source link from a pin that isn’t yours. All images are all copyrighted upon creation and to remove the credit or redirect a link to your own site is copyright theft.
Have questions, need advice or want more tips to improve your Pinterest marketing? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help!
