Can Somebody "splain" To Me How To Use Pinterst As A Marketing Tool?

Hi Rich . sure, just Pin your pin. Use a few keywords in the description & throw in some hashtags while you are at it.
There are members here who have fineArt boards, & Art Prints for sale. Your images will be "repinned" by interested parties - & there it goes around the web.
No socializing necessary ( best part )

Edit - You do have a Pinterest page, yes ? If not, create one (very easy) & make boards of your photography in categories .

Bored people sit on the web looking at pinterest. They want to decorate their room with a black and white photo, so they search "black and white living room photo", since you are a genius and tagged your photo with that exact tag, it comes up. They pin it, and their friends then see that they pinned it, and all of those links head back to where they can buy it.

But most people just pin it.

Thanks Janine. I'm confused by it too, but I do try. I name my boards, like Game Room Art or Kitchen Art. Is that right or should I just post it all to one board, Karyn Robinson Art?

Karyn, you can Pin ( or re-pin ) to two boards if you wish.

So you may have one for Karyn's SouthWestern Paintings and/or Kitchen Art .

Rich can have boards (or many) for his Muscle Cars & one for his Equestrian photos.

Use your image as the cover for the boards. Follow people with like interests, & Pin a few of their pins. People in return will see your Pins - & check you out.

Your image may be re-pinned several hundred times without a purchase. But you usually must be viewed a few hundred times for a purchase anyhow, right ?

I love pinterest. I have gotten a recent sale from it when I started making boards showing my work on pillows....

https://www.pinterest.com/jathmann/throw-pillows/

I have not joined pinterest, but I have a few images with pins (from here) in the thousands. Not one sale on the highly pinned images. Therefore, I doubt there's much value in pinterest for marketing. But, what do I know?

Loree, it goes back to the exposure thing. It isn't necessarily about how many people see your work - but who sees your work.

Exactly. And me thinks pinterest is not really populated with people looking to buy things. It's kind of like people who collect stuff (shot glasses, matchbooks, golf tees), but digitally, not in real life.

https://www.pinterest.com/bridburg/cards/

Rich,

I put cards first to get a few sales. I have none so far from Pinterest.

I think there is a critical mass of something like 3500 followers before you get an occasional sale.
I have 556 followers. So I am on my way, but not successful there.

The search engine, while I have no clue how it works, nothing I use it for comes up directly. There
is just this huge volume of prior stuff on there.

Pinterest is several times FAA's size. Compete.com recent volume for Pinterest 51.8 million to FAA's ~1.2 million,
so several times is a vast understatement. The sites controls are made a little more complex in how they are abstracted,
but the site is purely for commercial purposes, so most folks that spend time on there are buyers. If you get to a critical mass
over say 3500 people are constantly discovering you and adding you at the drop of a hat. They do that now for me as window
shoppers. Daily I have a few new Pinterest followers. They are generous that way.

I am only now getting clicks from Pinterest back to my AW.

Use your AW to offer products and prints.

Dave

Rich,

Three weeks ago I added this image to Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/469711436111300841/

I know from Pinterest analytics that there have been five clicks on this image.

It is my most clicked on image so far. I have over 22 clicks in the last 8 weeks or so.

My account on Pinterest is about four months old.

No sales yet. Cheaper moves first, I put my cards first in line, then throw pillows. Then the pins of prints with pins of cell phone cases.

Dave

https://www.pinterest.com/DollyP43/derivative/

Looking at my analytics, this link is to a board by someone else where they took some of
my pins. This board is 17 out of the 20 followers with some of my pins.

I like having my Kitchen Maid next to the original.

Rich, You have me taking the time again, as I do intermittently, to look over my stuff on P.

My Christmas stats were much much higher, but with more followers now, my numbers are up 70%
over the numbers of viewers and engagements on average prior to December 10th. For some reason
on that date all hell broke out with my numbers rising.

I offer Pinterest to my viewers in every sales channel.

Dave

Hi, I am also very new to pinterest and opened my account just last week.
Jacqueline, your pillow collection is very nicely organized on your pinterest board!
I managed to pin only some of the images, but I can not find out how to pin the link to the throw pillows, can somebody explain, please?

https://www.pinterest.com/rumiwhitcher/

Thank you
Rumyana

I've landed several graphic design gigs by including my Pinterest link on correspondence to prospects. However, I don't use Pinterest as a sales channel. I couldn't care less about engagement, viewers, followers, stats, repins or averages. And since the introduction of the "Picked for you" pins I've pretty much stopped looking at my feed.

I only care that my boards have great images that I like. A few pins are my art but most of the images are by others. If I really like an image but the caption is filled with hashtags, prices, links and sales speak, I remove the caption.

For me, Pinterest is a conversation starter, and that's all the opening I need. Once the prospect and I agree on taste (and Pinterest is a super-fast way to do that), landing the business is easy.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Dan,

Very interesting. I wish I ran in your circles where people around me would care about tastes etc.

I run my Pins to automate a sale pitch further afield than over a handshake.

I have never had a single guy or gal ask me what I am doing on P. I know a few thirty year old
women on P locally. I asked them early on. One said she spends five hours per day on it. I was sold.

I kid another young lady who is a friend that I am far outpacing her for followers. She is supportive of my art and
says good. She is fun.

But Dan, as of today alone my barber and his side kick wanted to know if they could buy naked pictures of my art? And IF not what good
am I? They were kidding around, but they were not kidding around.

Then later today at the diner with friends the guys said I would never sell if I did not offer naked pictures. Again the guys are not matching
their socks never mind their couches to the art.

I can not depend on the natives for sales. LOL

Dave

I think Janine explained it really well. I started up a Pinterest account, panicked and ran away screaming (it was one thing too many when I was doing so many other marketing activities). I have now come back to it and am starting to get to grips with it. I have been surprised how quickly my stuff was re-pinned (particularly my Barnie Paw Print Designs it would appear!).

I stuck with Twitter and Pinterest.

I made a few attempts to understand and use FB, but FB keeps making it useless.

I tried to start a blog on tumblr, but I dont like the format. I have a hard time seeing how I would get
into loads followers. I am not naturally a good writer. etc....

I started on Flickr, but I want to link my images.

I have a SU account, but SU is fading off the radar.

I wish IG worked with desktops.

Snapchart is way overblown, if you look at that stats you have to wonder why they come up at all.

Anyway, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to focus on Twitter and Pinterest. And that those were easier to
use. I did not say easy to use. Trying for less is more.

I think Linkedin is going to fall away. These guys make marketing hype out of failures and then find out later they are failures.
If a company raising $2 billion and can not make a profit is it a success or a failure? Failure. If a company does a hell of a
lot of rebranding its self and falls flat on its face, good for them for trying, but still failure. The shareholders will not thank them.
I think LInkedin wont succeed in its big push here.

While Twitter and Pinterest are very commercial, the emails I get from Linkedin.....job $4750 per month to start......blah blah blah.....
not one word of it is trust worthy. What sort of resume site runs every con email anyone can put out there more or less in their name?
People learn and get smart awful quick to this.

Dave

Dave, most of my clients are in different states. Communication is through email, text messages and phone calls. They come to me through my website and referrals. That, and I also hunt them down! I am too impatient to fish.

"But Dan, as of today alone my barber and his side kick wanted to know if they could buy naked pictures of my art? And IF not what good am I?"

There is a subtext there. People like sex. They LOVE sex. My most popular boards are "The Girls" and "mmm...nice bum." Those no doubt eliminate some prospects, but absolutely seal the deal with others. Pinterest is a great tool which enables prospects to decide quickly if we're on the same page. It's not the whole story, of course, but it can tip the scales my way if I can get them over there.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

I don't know if it works...but it can't hurt

https://www.pinterest.com/feralcoot/

I simply copy my keywords and post them with the pin....

My pins are simple as well.

The search function is not worth try to really win any sales with.

People pour over P pages constantly. The search function is not that important.

Dave

In the several discussion threads I told that look at my Pinterest account as a store out of FAA.
Yes its a matter of luck if some pinterest members use the picture just for their collections but there are some who is coming to the the artistic page.
What I absolutely ADORE about Pinterest that hashtags work PERFECTLY!
You always can expect that somebody will come to your new pin using key word - its just bringing unknown people from aside to your picture. All the time I can see the members whom Im even not connected coming and pinning and than your image is widely spead.
By my statistic on Artist Websites I can see daily the visits from Pinterest. And I can not say for 100 % but as I have the special boards for the iPhone cases and Laptop skin from RedBubble and I can see there the sales.
One more important point I can see by the Google search my works on Pinterest.
And as I took the control on them - links are leading directly to my site, using right hashtags, so its just a great direct marketing tool.
Also many of my Pinterest images are rich and already have the price on the pin.

I have couple of common boards for FAA artists so another artists can add the pins to those boards (request my invitation).

https://www.pinterest.com/jennyrainbow1/

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

while i know some people shuttle others to that site. i think its a pain to use. if someone finds you on pinterest with google, when you get there, if the page isn't loaded up you won't be found. the page has to load first. then you have to look at all the images, they may never find yours, i can never find my own. people can take the image here and upload it there and the link is dead. and people can switch your links after they pin it.

i'm only there to have some control over where my work comes from and what its called. so others can may collective pin boards about me. even when i shut the thing off people found other ways to copy it on there. as a marketing device i think it's totally useless. hard to use, hard to find, a weak search. you are found on google - but often first before this site, and there is no promise the link will go here. you would get more exposure on facebook. yet it's another place to be and not hard to do.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Jenny,

Much obliged for your showing me how to use #hashtags.

I have some work to do.

What are you using to see your AW daily numbers? Which analytics?

Why do you want the price on the pin? I leave that to those who click on a pin.

Dave

David, as simple as you do on Twitter. Put it in description. Usually Im using description to put the title of image and my name and than desired keywords/hashtags - like that: Risen from Stars. Cosmic Iris by Jenny Rainbow. #Iris #Cosmic #Nebula #FineArtPrints

You can check my images and easily understand how simple and powerful that.
Well I know it can be annoying for some Pinterest members - but I wouldnt say it can stop me from using them as it bringing the right pinners.

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

there was a time that pinterest would add the price on the piece but they haven't done that as of late. i still add prices showing that it's a sales item and not just another picture for the pile.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Mike, if you make the pins rich, it will be showing the price under the picture: In Stock - $37 - for example.

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

A couple of my bestsellers have a ton of repins so it must work sometimes.

I just create boards like "Pinned from Fine Art America". I only pin my own stuff and include links back to my images.

I know Sean wrote a big essay against Pinterest while back. I don't know if he has changed his mind. The smart thing would be for FAA and Pinterest to reach a affiliate partnership where Pinterest would get a commission for sales sent to FAA.

Jenny,

RE: Hashtags

I have a hard time understanding how hashtags help, when they take people off your work on to others.

Roger, always will be others :-) As well as your images could be found among others... I can see a big help in that really. Would be so happy if FAA would work the same way with inside search...
For now Im using this practice also for Twitter - Im placing the tweet with picture (new work for sale) and the same image without picture only with hashtags.
Not hurts at all but taking your tweet wider

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

Also I have to say that with the new products which providing FAA for now - I mean pillows, duvets, iPhone cases - those products are perfectly looks on Pinterest. You can create the collection only iPhone Cases or Pillows. And I can say that always will be the people who can follow only one of such boards. Its another great idea to show out your art.


Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

i've been doing that.

https://www.pinterest.com/mikesavad/

$37 Mike Savad - i have it on all of them, it used to show that price banner there. and does anyone know what a pay per click thing is? it popped up on the screen.


i think i have one that has 4000 pins - and no sales.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thanks for the explanations!

I was very hesitant to start pinterest and then when I did try to start a bit I just couldn't see the point in it. Maybe I was thinking there was something more to it that I wasn't getting. Will have to try it again. http://www.pinterest.com/kolokolchikblue/

David, I agree with you about Tumblr. Again, maybe I am overthinking it - it just doesn't seem intuitive for me.

So back to pinterest. What do people think are the pros and cons of having more or fewer boards? What about working pinterest with Twitter? does one create traffic for the other?

Another question: can you pin videos?

Another question: whether to pin only your own images on your own boards, your own images with maybe a few other favourites mixed in - or, on some boards at least, fill them with other people's stuff? Would the last choice create more traffic / followers or would it just dilute the exposure of your own images?

Another thing - when I first opened my account I followed a lot of random people suggested by pinterest. I was surprised (and a little miffed to be honest LOL) at how few (something like 1 out of 200) followed me back. Is there some bad consequence for following too many people? Later I noticed that people from FAA were far more likely to follow back. So do you think I should unfollow all those original suggestions? Does it look bad or does no one care? Once your account gets going do people as a rule follow back?

Mike, Im not sure i undesrtand what you mean regarding pay per click..
And one of my suggestion to go to your ArtistWebsites Google analyse and check how much visiting people you have from Pinterest, so it will show you some clear picture if its still working for you.

Tatiana, yes you can pin the videos.
By more boards you can get the wider audience and more followers.
For now I added some more personal interests as All Earth Beauty - other pins from Pinterest, Recipes and so on. So Im getting more followers.
And its not taking a lot of time there.

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

it just popped up, says i'm selected or something. sounds like something i have to pay for.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Well, Mike I never had it, could not say what it is. I just got the letter regarding to turn my pins to rich pins and did it.. But have not been requested with any payment.

Jenny Rainbow Fine Art Photography

Hi guys,

Can someone advise technically how to pin images of throw pillows and phone cases? When I open any of my throw pillows images the pin icon is not there. I can find the pin icon only on the main image page. Looks that I am missing some details.

Thank you
Rumyana

@JC : I simply copy my keywords and post them with the pin....

Interesting idea. How is that working? Do you think you are getting sales from doing this?

I only post small, heavily watermarked images to Pinterest with links to my pages. I have found half the re-pins do not give any credit nor any link back to the original image, much less the site where it is for sale. At least with my logo and website embedded into a low-res pic, I don't get stolen art and when it is re-pinned, the link goes with it.

I find the site a waste of time.

Hello to All!

Thanks everyone and it seems not everyone here understands Pinterest,so I'm not alone. So after about 40 replies, here's what I think:

1. Pinterest is another "branch" of marketing, much like Twitter or even Instagram.
2. Much labor involved,with no guarantee that it will actually help(see Mike's post).
3. Duplicates the work as if uploading to FAA, but not the sales.
4. If I was going to put this much effort into uploading images, I would just start a new site of my own,probably with the same results.
5. Seems to work for a few here, but not for most.

So with limited time, I would rather spend it with uploading new images here and eventually to a new web site and market from there. Thanks everyone for this info,

Rich

Not duplicate work as I copy keyword list, hit the pin button, paste the work and an done.

Easy really.

NO idea if it has lead to sales. It does work for repins though. I can say I have some good sellers in the high pin images

I sold an original, gained a collector, and sold several prints because of pintrest. I am not yet a member of it. Maybe if I was I'd be more successful with it.

Rich your not alone, even I don't understand it. I did try Pinterest and nothing happens.

Randy,

I think I'll write a book and call it "Pinterest for FAA Dummies", like that sound,hope it hasn't been used yet..............

Rich

Rich that might violate a copyright, and lead to a thread with 500+ responses on why you should or shouldn't use it... ;)

How about "Pinterest for FAA Knuckleheads"? Mind you, so that there's no conflict.

Why don't you do that Rich! lol

I don't understand it mind you. I just find it an extremely easy and passive way to market after that initial post.

I know I started with a few followers that were friends or other artists but have a LOT of people following me now...

shrugs....

My pinterest page was created about two years ago. I have over 3000 followers and run a few community boards.
Its fast, simple and I don't need to communicate with my followers. https://www.pinterest.com/saintjeanarts/

One of my community boards is Art Prints for Sale https://www.pinterest.com/saintjeanarts/art-art-prints-for-sale-aps/
170+ artists contribute and it has over 1600 followers. If anyone would like to join please message me in my ADD ME board.

I don't know the stats on re-pins to sales but for the amount of time I need to put in (very little) I find it worthwhile.

My two cents on Pinterest.
Cheers, Barbara
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/barbara-saint-jean.html

Rich - It only takes a minute (less) to create a board, & you can Pin your work randomly. It doesn't have to be done at once.

Like it (Pinterest) or not - with everyone on Pinterest - if they are not seeing your work - they are seeing someone else's.

Yeah, there are car guys on there.

Jenny,

thanks again.

Pinterest is a great tool. I could be nailing posters up across town or I can be putting up
a few boards with pins for actual window shoppers.

Window shoppers? That is all? No that is not all, window shoppers buy eventually.

The critical mass is somewhere over 3000 followers. JMO My township is 20k people give or take, but
they wont get out of their cars long enough to see my nailed up posters, hypothetically.

Dave

Janine,

You still have to upload/size images don't you? Or can you pin stuff from our FAA pages?

Rich

Rumyana - throw pillows and iPhone you can pin from the Pinterst only. You have to go to the board where you want to place a pin and can see there + in the center of blank pin and where written "add pin", press it and than in the pop window left side see - WEB- press it and will open one more window - you need to put there the link which will bring exactly for the pillow/ iphone. When you put it, press next - you will see different images with pillows and iPhone and greeting cards - so in the left top corner of the pillow - PIN IT - so your pin ready for placement. Just be sure you pin it on the right board. Hope this expalnation can help you.

Rich it really is quite easy, yes you pin stuff from our FAA pages. Have a look at what I have done, i haven't got all the keywords and stuff in there, I need to go back and play a bit, I created all of the product boards today and pinned the images between business meetings! https://www.pinterest.com/berrylound/

Dorothy,

So you do it from our FAA site and then fill in keywords and then what? How many can you add? What size files? Where do the people go to buy this stuff, FAA or another POD?

Rich

Like Dorothy says... from here. Easy - Peasy .

As long as you have your boards already created on Pinterest, when you are on your image from here - just click that P button (from the social icons)
A Pinterest window will pop up asking which on your boards you want it placed on. Scroll, pick , add your keywords, click .

Seriously if I can do it ... anyone can.

EDIT - you can Pin from FAA or your AW ( Pixels too ?) . It will show (when completed) : title, author , & $ when Pinned for you. As many keywords as you want I guess.

Your resolution is what FAA displays - it is only sending the link like you do when you are posting an image in threads here.

A viewer will click on the link to share. If they click on it 2x I think - it comes back to where you posted it from.

Rich

You start by creating a Pinterest account which is easy. Then you create a board by deciding on a subject, for example you could have one for your Corvette images. So you would call it Corvettes, give it a brief description and you are on your way. Then you can pin all or as many as you want of your Corvette images from your FAA site to that board by using the Pinterest button. You don't worry about size and you can add as many as you like. Then every time you upload a new Corvette image you automatically pin it to that board. Repeat for other boards you might make. There are some other bits and bobs, you can play around with things a bit and move things around, but broadly that is it. If you notice with my images they say where they have come from 'Pinned from etc'. If someone clicks on the image they get taken to another view where they can click to visit the website which will take them straight to wherever it was pinned from, so if it was one of your corvettes from FAA it would take you to your FAA artist website. Best way is to just play with a few images and get the feel of it. D

Rich - go create an account with your e-mail.
Now you have an acct. Make a few boards. Rich Franco's Cars. Rich Franco's horses ....

Choose your own wording of course. Make a few boards for categories of your Art.
You will also be making a few to collect things like " How to... projects around the house ." You will find many Pins to blogs that you will be glad you did.

When you are here, at your convenience - you can Pin your images on to those boards you already made.

EDIT- Well, aren't you a lucky guy . Getting all this attention of the lovely ladies. ( sorry Dorothy, we are both speaking at once. I just take long to type.).

Rich,

Use your AW as uploads, because you can use products there.

Make individual boards for each image.

Make some boards for collections such as cell phone cases, another for throw pillows, another for whatever.....
that is where you put up all of those items from each image.

I am learning the value of hashtagging everything. Can not be understated.

It is easy when you get the workflow down. It takes a few tries to understand the workflow.

There are 58 million unique visitors to P every month. Just barely scraping the surface is a huge
increase in potential sales OVER TIME for us.

On the more abstract level remember only people who have some interest in something even if it is racking up
followers bother to follow. When they go to pin it is a compliment. People borrow design concepts for their
homes left and right on P. It is harder to get such a following here alone on FAA, and therefore repeatedly we
are told to go out and find your collectors. You only have to go half way to finding your collectors on P, they
come the other half of the way.

Dave

the numbers pinterest gives out - i'm certain are faked. i know they were when they first opened when they made tons of fake accounts to show how popular they were. when they were not. and even if there are millions, they still have to find your work. its lost in there. i have only 269 followers. that's it.

however i have 101 Mike Savad boards up right now from other people.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/boards/?q=mike+savad

hard to know what any of that means other than people liking the work enough to have a section for my work.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I'll give it a try maybe tomorrow, still have some car shots to work on before the car show tomorrow at 4:00 pm.

Mike, why are there people's images on your page, people who have pinned you? Is there an advantage to "pinning" others?

So there are no restrictions on the number of "boards you can create? Do the "boards" get searched or individual images and their keywords.........?

Rich

500 character limit on keywords, just like here.

i have very few of other people's work, due to copyright issues i don't want to get involved in, and i don't want to water my brand down. all those boards are fans that liked my work so much they dedicated pin boards with all or mostly all my work.

they used to use hashtags and still do a little bit. i add them anyway. i use my description as my words, always add the price and my name. then people people can repin my pin, or just come here and do it themselves.

just try to keep it organized as you send things. like i have my fine Art stuff, and my zazzle stuff apart from each other. i think you can make all the boards you want. but make too many and it will just look cluttered and confusing.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Rich,

there are some crazy upper limit numbers. I think you can only have 100k followers per account? OR is that Twitter?

The upper limits will never matter.

JC, where are you adding your keywords? Where Jenny Rainbow adds her hashtags? Up front? Or elsewhere?


Dave

I think most people use Pinterest for their future plans and activities. What does that mean? They search for something they want to do (renovate their house, plan their next vacation, ...) or just stroll through their feed. They pin away and take a look at their boards from time to time. And with some luck for the artist they decide to buy this cool phone cover or great canvas print... ;-)

If you are interested in a Fine Art America group board, here is my thread about it: http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2037331

Thank you very much, Jenny for your brilliant explanation about pinning throw pillows. It works absolutely fine and I am happy. I have been in pinterest just for few days now and haven't got many followers yet, but I noticed that since I created some board the number of views of my FAA images has gone up quickly. I also like that I can log in on pinterest through my facebook account, which saves me to remember and to enter another password, separately from facebook. I found pinterest an easy way to expose my images and I hope that it is a safe way as I am doing it through FAA website. I have opened so far six boards and will keep adding images in each one and probably open more boards.

https://www.pinterest.com/rumiwhitcher/
https://www.pinterest.com/rumiwhitcher/throw-pillows-art-for-sale/

Thanks
Rumyana