I’d heard a report from last week’s SXSW conference that Pinterest would be redesigning user profile walls to look more beautiful and display users’ influences more prominently.
Imagine my delight upon logging into my Pinterest profile wall today to see that they have done just that.
The first thing that struck me about the new profile walls is that they showcase the owner and their activity/influence on Pinterest very prominently.
For marketing purposes, let’s call this your “landing page”. When people come to your landing page to see what you and your business are all about, you want that landing case to showcase your business in the best possible light.
Pinterest has accomplished this with a clean and simple redesign. One that puts the owner of the profile wall front and center.
The new header (#1 on the screenshot below) features places the Pinterest user front and center. Not only is it very easy to see a person’s profile information at a glance, but there are also built in social sharing icons for Facebook, Twitter and most importantly, a globe icon that takes you directly to the user’s website store store with the click of a button!
Social proof (#2 on the screenshot below) is also front and center with the latest repins displayed right next to your profile description. This provides added engagement with the community and those who are repinning your pins.
For business and brands who want to build a following and become influencers in their category, the new “activity bar” above the boards (#3 on the screenshot above) really heats things up.
You can clearly see the pin activity, number of boards, likes, and followers. A click on the “Activity” link takes you directly to all the user’s recent activity. A GREAT way for people to get a snapshot of all the products you’ve pinned.
Finally a large image (#4 on the screenshot above) of a recently pinned item makes each board even more visually appealing than before. The larger image serves as the centerpiece and the smaller tiled images below invite people to click. The names of each boards are also prominently displayed, making it easy for visitors to scan and go directly to the type of board they’re most interested in.
The new Pinterest profile wall update is great for businesses because it gives your landing page a more professional, polished look. It allows you to clearly showcase your brand and your wall.
With strategically named Boards, you can attract exactly the right visitors to your products and Pins.
Don’t Make These Pinterest Mistakes!
While Pinterest has just upped the marketing benefit for brands, it won’t help you unless your profile wall is optimized correctly!
Two of the biggest mistakes I see businesses making on Pinterest are lack of an optimized, relevant bios and Boards…
With the spotlight now on your bio and your Boards, optimization becomes even more important.
Here’s What TO Do!
1. First and foremost, your brand bio must describe exactly what you do! Pinterest profiles are indexed in Google, so your Pinterest bio must contain revelant keywords and keyword phrases describing what your company does.
As you can see below, when you land on Search Engine Land’s Pinterest wall, you can tell from their bio exactly what their brand is about.
You should also include the URL of your store or website in your Pinterest bio.
(I explain in-depth on how to brand your business with your Pinterest bio in my new Pinterest for Ecommerce 4-part video series.)
2. Create specific board descriptions. Pinterest boards should not be all about the hard sell, but neither should they be vague and unfocused.
Nordstrom does a great job of showcasing their products, along with combining interesting fashion news that their followers would be interested in.
Nordstrom was an early adopter of Pinterest for marketing and now gets more traffic to their site directly from Pinterest, than they do from Facebook or Twitter!
The way you structure and name your boards (as well as the Pins you put in them) makes all the difference in attracting the right customers. A mix of business, topical themes and fun (as opposed to sell! sell! sell!) is the recipe for Pinterest success.
And there are ways that any type of business (no matter what you sell or where you sell it) can theme their walls for maximum conversion.
If you want to learn more about using the power of Pinterest to market your products and services, I just released the first ever Pinterest for Ecommerce course!
This 4-part video series walks you step-by-step through reaching new customers, selling more products and increasing your brand visibility through the power of Pinterest!
Click below to learn more!
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