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In the last couple years, Pinterest has exploded as both a social network and a search engine. For people who like recipes, fashion and jewelry, arts and crafts, classic cars, travel, and home decor, Pinterest is one of the top social networks for interaction. The site has become more sophisticated thanks to Google, with a very good mobile app and excellent search capabilities. Additionally, it is full of lovely pictures, and we all know the world has gone visual because visuals are a lot more fun to interact with then plain old text.
Using Pinterest to Engage Clients
Pinterest is designed around the concept of a virtual bulletin board. The idea behind Pinterest is that each member has one or more bulletin boards that they can pin a photo (visual content) or video to. In order to pin an item, it has to have a photo included, and there is a section to include additional text to accompany each image Therefore, any blog post, article, or quote with an image can be uploaded (pinned) to a board on Pinterest. So what kind of boards should your agency create?? Well, let’s start some sample board titles such as “Homes we Insure,” “Classic Cars we Insure,” “Staff Members,” and/or “Clients of Paradiso Insurance.” This is a way for you to show off great classic cars your agency insures or some beautiful homes that your agency is insuring. But, it doesn’t stop there; make sure that within the text of your classic car visuals you add a hashtag such as #ClassicCarInsurance, or on a home pin, be sure you hashtag #HomeOwnersInsurance, because as we discussed earlier, Pinterest is very important for search and hashtags will help you optimize your boards.
What Goes Viral in the World of Pinterest
On Pinterest, you know if a pin goes viral by the number of times it is repinned (that is similar to a “like” in the Facebook world). Repinning is when another member of Pinterest pins a copy of your agency’s pin on one of their boards. This, in effect, reposts the link and the visual content onto their board and gives your post more visibility. As an independent insurance agent, I use Pinterest to market, brand, and sell insurance to others who have common interests as I do. The best way to do this would be to upload a series of visuals that are related to your insurance products, or use the site to offer advice, educational tips, and messages to clientele related to your insurance products and services. But don’t stop there; make sure to have boards that help others understand your agency’s brand. The social world wants to get to know who you are and what you stand for.
Pinning your Agency’s Blog Posts
If you have an agency blog, whether it’s an on-site or an off-site blog, please make sure you are using visuals and images so you can pin those later to the proper board in the Pinterest world. Therefore, you can write an insurance blog post about furnace maintenance, add in an infographic or visual, and then pin it to your agency board. Members can have many boards in their home category, including safety tips, money-saving tips, coverage tips, insurance tips and home maintenance tips. These topics lend themselves very well to the insurance industry, as do similar topics such as classic cars and motorcycles, home improvement, and professional success. Any of these topics can be the focus of a board with a stream of tips to feed to your prospects and/or clients.
Pinterest is a Fun Social Site
Pinterest is a fun site to interact with because of all of the visuals. The search mechanism is detailed and niche specific, which is helpful for creating tightly focused boards that will appeal to your niche. Participants can click on the “pins,” then go to the linked page for more information. Sharing is rampant on the site, and you may find your own posts getting a great deal of traffic from a single pin. Using Pinterest will increase your online engagement with prospects and clients because they will enjoy posting to boards while picking up tips from you. The more you pin, the better of a response you will have. And always remember to connect with those with similar interests.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “How will Pinterest bring my agency an ROI?” First, you have to believe in it, and then you must get consistent. After that, it’s all about engagement and hashtags, and you’ll be able to see how this social network really works.
