A 3 Step Sociable Pinterest Marketing Strategy

You’ve heard the phrase killing two birds with one stone? I’m going to show you how I kill a bunch of birds with one stone. Well it’s actually a bit more involved than that but it makes for a nice intro! I’m calling this my 3 step sociable Pinterest marketing strategy.

To be fair it hits a lot of other areas… it is VERY sociable after all. But Pinterest is the starting point and it’s really where the focus is.

To implement my sociable Pinterest marketing strategy you’ll need your own platform to promote. This will most likley be a blog but it could easily be a Twitter account, YouTube channel or anything else. You’ll also need an account for each of the following platforms (you’ll understand why as we go on):

• Pinterest.
• Twitter.
• Facebook.
• WordPress.com.
• Disqus.
• Google.

To carry out this strategy more quickly you can use Tailwind (a Pinterest and Instagram scheduling tool). This is optional but it’s a powerful string to your bow that’ll help with the Pinterest elements of this sociable marketing strategy.

Tailwind is a subscription service, meaning you’ll have to pay to access the full benefits of membership. The good news is you can use a FREE Tailwind trial account that allows you to:

• Schedule up to 100 Pins on Pinterest (and 30 posts on Instagram).
• Join up to 5 Tailwind Communities, which are an important piece of this puzzle.

Since the Tailwind trial is free, it makes sense to try it out for the purposes of this strategy. If you don’t want to sign up to the free Tailwind trial, you can still use my plan and I’ll explain in my guide how to do the Tailwind parts manually in Pinterest.

You’ll also need around 30-40 minutes each day once you’re used to it (a little more if you’re not using Tailwind). This may sound a lot, but you get a considerable amount of bang for your buck so it’s worth the effort.

What’s the Purpose of My Sociable Pinterest Marketing Strategy?

The purpose of this process is the following:

• Increase your reach in Pinterest.
• Grow Pinterest followers.
• Find interesting / useful content to share in Twitter and Facebook.
• Grow Twitter / Facebook followers.
• Increase your exposure on other blogs.
• Grow visitors to your blog.

I’ll tell you up front with no false promises. My sociable Pinterest marketing strategy requires consistency and commitment. This is not going to propel your blog into the stratosphere in a week or two. It‘s a long-term strategy to build steady growth in a number of areas. The aim is to make these activities a part of your daily routine until they become habit.

I’ll also emphasize the activities in my Pinterest marketing process are designed to be truly sociable in nature.

This is not a parasitic plan to piggy-back off of others to their detriment. It’s a mutualistic strategy designed to deliver a net benefit to other bloggers at the same time as marketing your social media accounts and ultimately your blog.

So let’s get started…

The SideGains Sociable Pinterest Marketing Strategy

As I’ve mentioned, the starting point for this sociable marketing strategy is Pinterest. To carry out the initial tasks for Pinterest I’ll be using Tailwind. If you don’t have a subscription to Tailwind, I’ll outline how to carry out similar tasks directly in Pinterest.

Without Tailwind it will add a little more time onto the whole process. To make my sociable social marketing strategy a quicker process, sign up to the FREE Tailwind trial subscription.

Step 1 – Pinterest Pins

For Tailwind Users

If you’ve been a Tailwind user for any length of time you’ll understand the value of Communities. Hopefully you’ll be a member of a few, since your Communities’ pins are where you’re going to begin. If you don’t belong to any Tailwind Communities, look for some that seem active and join them.

So, here goes…

Find 5 high quality pins that link to quality articles. You want to find pins that link to useful posts, that are a good fit for your Pinterest boards.

Look for pins that have a link to the original pin on Pinterest, as shown by the Pinterest icon (see image below):

N.B. I’m only using the link to the original pin to save time. You’ll want to engage with it later, so it’s quicker if you don’t have to go looking for it in Pinterest manually.

When you’re researching pins, open the blog post each pin links to, because you’ll need to check they:

• Point to a landing page that renders.
• Have well-written content that’s useful / informative / interesting.
• Allow commenting.

You’ll be at the starting point for the whole strategy when you have 5 pins from your Tailwind Community that:

• Are relevant to one of your Pinterest boards.
• Have a link to the original pin in Pinterest.
• Include decent descriptions (well-written, appropriate to the landing page, hashtags).
• Have some reshares, so you know how popular they are. You’ll see these on the pin itself in your Community with an icon on the pin like this: .
• Links to a valid blog post with well-written content that’s useful / informative / interesting, with commenting enabled.

You’re going to share these pins, so when you have 5 that meet the criteria, add them to your Tailwind queue. Make sure you assign them to relevant boards.

Keep the original pins and the landing pages for each open in your browser tabs because we’re going to revisit them later.

For Non-Tailwind Users

It’s a similar process as for Tailwind users, but it’s a little more manual.

Search Pinterest for 5 high quality pins linking to high quality articles. Use a specific search term to find pins that are relevant / suitable for your boards, since you’ll be repinning them later on.

The pins appearing highest in Pinterest searches are the ones that will likely be seen by other people searching for the same terms. As a result they’ll likely generate lots of impressions: other people will see them.

For each pin you identify as a candidate, check the landing page it links to. Open each landing page in a browser tab and keep the ones that:

• Include well-written descriptions (appropriate to the landing page, hashtags).
• Link to a valid blog post which is well-written, useful / informative / interesting.
• Have comments enabled.

When you’ve got 5 pins that fit the bill, repin them to your most relevant boards. However, keep the pins and their landing pages open in your browser tabs for the next part of the Pinterest step.

Step 2 – Commenting

Once you’ve scheduled or repinned the 5 Pinterest pins you found in step 1, you’re going to revisit them and the blog posts they link to.

Blog Commenting

Firstly, go back to to each blog post and bookmark the page in your browser. You’re going to add a comment and you may need to respond to the blog owner if they ask you something back. Replying to any response will show you are an engaged reader who is not just trying to drop a link and run.

Next, read each blog post properly. Make a note of the pertinent points and then head to the comments section. Add a thoughtful comment to the post:

• Explain what the content of the post means to you.
• Say what you agree or disagree with.
• Ask for clarification on any points you feel need more detail.
• Add your own advice or detail your own experience.

If you want to read more about how to approach comments, check out my post about correct blog commenting etiquette, but here’s a short summary.

Do not write disposable fluff like “Great post!” or “Thanks!”. Comments like these are spam and as such add no value to the discussion, the blog post itself or your reputation. I’d also recommend not to add a link into your blog comment… again this is poor commenting etiquette.

The point is to add value to the blog discussion and consequently add value to the post as a whole. Other people may see your comment and if you write something that’s truly useful, this will benefit the blog owner and you.

Some blogs automatically drop a link to your blog when you submit your comment: your name becomes the anchor text. However, the aim of my sociable Pinterest marketing strategy is not to build links for SEO. The SEO benefit from comment links was wiped out long ago in search engine efforts to drop spam sites from search results. This article from Search Engine Journal explains this in more detail: Are Blog Comments Useless for Link Building?

That doesn’t mean to say the link to your blog from your name isn’t useful: it can drive a visit to your blog… but only if you add a comment that truly adds to the discussion. Other readers may like your comment and decide to pay your blog a visit by clicking your name link.

Pinterest Pin Commenting

You’ve already sent an engagement signal to Pinterest about the pin you’ve repinned. The next sociable things you’re going to do will send two more.

Revisit each of the pins you repinned and add a comment to them as well. I add a short review type comment about the post. I’ll say why it’s useful and perhaps who would benefit from reading it.

Most of the Pinterest pins I see seldom have comments… they’re as rare as hen’s teeth! Leaving a comment on someone’s pin is an instant way of grabbing a pinner’s attention, because they’re out of the ordinary. As with repins, when you leave a comment on someone’s pin the pinner gets a notification.

Finally, why not send another signal to Pinterest by following the pinner’s account? You may get a follow back from them, which is good for you. More importantly, this helps the pinner (a follower engagement) and also shows Pinterest you’re active on the platform.

Another win for the pinner and for you!

Sociable Social Marketing Commenting Tips

I have created a specific bookmark folder in my browser for blog posts on which I leave comments. A few days later I return to see if a response is required from me. When I see my comment is published, I move the bookmark into a folder for published comments and and another if required.

Some blogs will require you to login to Facebook, Google, WordPress or Disqus to leave comments. This is why I recommend that you have accounts set up on all these platforms. Blogs that use these platforms to manage commenting will link to your profile on that platform. They won’t link directly to your blog… but that’s okay. The reason you’re leaving valuable comments is to:

• Add value to the discussion.
• Increase your profile.
• Encourage people to connect with you in whichever way that might be.

Of course I’d prefer everyone to click directly to my blog. But if someone has to click to see my WordPress profile and then click to visit my blog, that’s fine by me. If they don’t click my link, perhaps the next time they see me they’ll remember me and seek me out… assuming my original made enough of an impact.

The Sociable Marketing Benefit of Step 2 – Commenting

Writing comments that add value to blogs and Pinterest pins is a win for the pin owner and for you.

A high-quality blog comment adds value to a blogger’s discussion thread and ultimately the blog post itself. Some posts have zero comments so a thoughtful comment helps to make the post seem more engaging.

Regardless of how many comments a blog post has, a great comment is a very nice thing to receive. It shows the hard work you put in to create your blog post has connected with a real person. That person has thought about the post and taken the time to write something considered about it.

I love getting comments when they’re thoughtful. So do most bloggers who are passionate about their blogs, but who perhaps don’t get much direct and useful feedback.

In terms of commenting on Pinterest… did I say they’re like hen’s teeth? Pinterest comments too are a win for the pin owner and for you. Like repins, comments are engagement signals to Pinterest and help to increase a pin’s profile. They’re also an engagement signal for your account. They show Pinterest you’re active on the platform and adding value.

Furthermore, when you leave a comment on a pin, you leave a breadcrumb to your profile. Anyone seeing that pin may see your comment and decide to take a look at you and what you’re pinning. Because you’re repinning items relevant to your own boards, you may win another follower who’s interested in what you pin.

An approved comment often gets a reply from the pin owner, which gives you another opportunity to engage by replying back. I’ve experienced this dozens of times and more often than not the pinner will follow you simply because you’ve engaged with them in a very sociable and giving way.

Finally, when you follow someone in Pinterest, you’ll appear in their “Followers” tab. Although people may have to drill down some way to find you there, people use Followers tabs to identify other Pinterest accounts to connect with. You may end up getting more followers from this.

These activities are not rocket science! They’re a way to be courteous to people and treat them as you would a friend rather than as a network link… and friends do things for one another right?

Step 3 – Other Social Media Sharing

This is an optional step and you may not choose to include it every time you carry it out. However, it reinforces the sociable aspect of this Pinterest marketing strategy and so it’s worth the extra effort.

For any of the 5 pins you started out with, share the posts they link to in any other social channel where you feel they’d work. After all, you’ve identified quality content so why not put it in front of others?

Whatever you choose to share is potentially interesting content for your social media followers. This gives you something to add to your your social content calendar. I’m always looking for things to share and this helps me to meet my posting schedule in social media too.

Of course you may decide not to share any of the posts and that’s fine. Conversely you might decide to share one, two or all of them… that’s your call. However, if you do share anything, look for the pinner’s profile in whichever social media channel you’re going to share it and make sure you tag them. Tagging them sends a notification to them in a different platform, further reinforcing your giving-ness… is that even a word?

Heck, you should even follow their social media accounts too… you’re trying to build friendships, so why wouldn’t you?

The Sociable Marketing Benefit of Step 3 – Other Social Media Sharing

If you choose to socially share blog posts behind the original Pinterest pins you started out with, you’re further amplifying it. The pin owner did not ask you to do so. You’ve done it freely and in a sociable and friendly way.

I won’t promise you that anything will come of this every time you share links to content in this way. However, some people will see you’ve done so (assuming you tag them) and they may retweet, reshare, like or add a comment. They may even follow you back.

Over time you’ll amass a heap of engagement this way, which is a good thing for your social media accounts. Adhering to this step will contribute to your growth in these channels too… and you haven’t asked anyone for anything. No link requests. No follow back requests. No resharing requests.

You’ve heard this biblical maxim: ask and you shall receive? This is a social media marketing reappraisal of that: give and you shall receive!

Summary

So… time to circle back to the main points of my sociable Pinterest marketing strategy. Here’s how it works:

• Find 5 Pinterest pins that link to great blog post content that also have commenting enabled.
• Repin those pins to relevant boards in your Pinterest account.
• Follow the original pinner.
• Add a review type comment to the original pin that will be useful to people who see it. Remember… just writing “Great post man!” is spam.
• Write a comment on the blog post linked to from the pin and make sure it adds value to the discussion. “I enjoyed this!” is not good enough.
• (Optional) Share the blog post in your social media accounts… and tag the blog owner.
• Follow the blogger in their social media accounts.

The above steps result in at least 5 engagements with the original pinner across different platforms… more if you end up sharing it in more than one of your social media accounts in step 3.

That’s a pretty hefty gift to give to someone who never asked you to do so and it may result in some engagement coming back your way.

If you carry out my sociable Pinterest marketing strategy over the course of 30 days, you’ll have:

• Followed 150 people on Pinterest.
• Commented on 150 pins.
• Commented on up to 150 blog posts.
• Potentially followed up to 150 people per social media platform (excluding Pinterest).

What you’ll receive in return is hard to quantify, but I guarantee it won’t be nothing. At the very least you’ll:

• Show Pinterest you’re engaged on the platform.
• Leave breadcrumbs that link to your blog all over the blogosphere.
• Learn things from the content you’ve read.
• Build a reputation as being someone worth taking notice of or someone who’s helpful.
• Build relationships with other bloggers.
• Identify content to share in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or wherever.

And all because you’ve given your engagement sociably and freely.

Why not try it out and make the world a better place… but do not spam anyone… EVER!

Thanks for reading.

Paul

I’d welcome your feedback on my sociable Pinterest marketing strategy. Please drop your thoughts or ask me any questions in the comments section below.