{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog","author_name":"Alexandra Gavril","author_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/author\/alexandra\/","title":"The beginner\u2019s guide to Pinterest for small businesses | 123 Reg Blog","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"B7fplvSaiE\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/social-media\/beginners-guide-pinterest-small-businesses\/\">The beginner\u2019s guide to Pinterest for small businesses<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/social-media\/beginners-guide-pinterest-small-businesses\/embed\/#?secret=B7fplvSaiE\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;The beginner\u2019s guide to Pinterest for small businesses&#8221; &#8212; 123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice\" data-secret=\"B7fplvSaiE\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/pinterest_feat.png","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"description":"When considering which social media channels to use to engage with customers and promote a business, Facebook and Twitter are usually the go-to choices. But platforms like Pinterest may be a worthwhile addition to your marketing mix. While it\u2019s been described as a \u201cguide for brides, cooking and fashion lovers\u201d, Pinterest has evolved into a hotbed for creativity, eager customers and anyone seeking ideas. With 100 million active users and with 93% of Pinners having used Pinterest to plan for or make purchases, having a presence on this platform may be a great marketing decision. In this guide we\u2019ll walk you through everything you need to know about Pinterest from how to set it up and what type of content to create, to how other brands are using it to promote their products and services. Pinning down Pinterest Pinterest, launched in 2010, is a site for sharing and discovering ideas. There are over 170 million users looking for information, advice and inspiration on this platform \u2013 a number you can\u2019t afford to ignore. And here are other numbers you can\u2019t ignore. According to Millward Brown, British multinational market research firm: 93% of Pinners have used Pinterest to plan for or make purchases 52% have seen something on Pinterest and made a purchase online 72% of Pinners have seen something on Pinterest and made a purchase offline 64% of Pinners look at items they\u2019ve Pinned while they\u2019re at a brick and mortar store But before you jump in and create an account on yet another social network and start mapping out a Pinterest strategy, we recommend you cross-compare your existing audience (or potentially the new audience you\u2019re trying to attract) with Pinterest users. Here are other statistics that might influence your decision whether to use Pinterest as part of your social media marketing: 71% of are female users and 29% male users 67% of Pinners are under the age of 40 So, while the majority of users are women, making it ideal for businesses marketing to women, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t still take advantage if your business targets men. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that the number of male users grew 120% in 2015. So, if you have a story to tell and want to reach a whole new audience, then Pinterest is for you. Let\u2019s look at how you can set up Pinterest for your business, and how you can make the most of it. Setting up Pinterest The first step is to create a business account. Add your email address, password, and business name. Then select your business type and add your website\u2019s URL. You will be asked to confirm your website to get access to analytics and logos from your site. To do this, click \u201cConfirm website\u201d in the website field from your settings. There are two ways to confirm: with a meta tag or by uploading an HTML file. This tutorial from Pinterest walks you through the steps to confirming your site. Once you\u2019ve done this, you should then receive a message that says your verification was successful and you\u2019ll know you\u2019re good to go! This is also a good time to add a Pin It button to your website and this step-by-step guide explains how to do that. Use this button to encourage your site or blog visitors to share your images with their followers. You can add the Pin It button from the Buttons and Widgets page or by using social sharing plugins like AddThis, ShareThis and Digg Digg (only for WordPress). Now, if you already have a personal account, you can convert it to a business accounts in a simple few steps: Log in to your account Go to Pinterest for Business Fill out the details and click \u201cConvert now\u201d By switching to a business account you\u2019ll have access to a bunch of awesome features including: Analytics Rich Pins (more on these later) Promoted Posts (more on these later) This next step is very important. If you didn\u2019t do it during the setup process, make sure to go back and complete your business profile to include the following: A great image that represents your business A short message about your business. (It can be similar to the one you use for your Twitter bio or your Facebook page\u2019s About section) Your URL Get your Pinterest terminology down If you\u2019re new to Pinterest, the terminology can be confusing. So, before anything else, you should familiarise yourself with the lingo. Pins: These are images that link back to any page on the web, like a recipe, a product or an article. Source Boards: Pins have to be pinned to a board, which means you can organise your pins into different boards. Users create boards for just about any topic, from super simple DIYs to recipes for coffee to hairstyles for a special event. Source Boards can also be set public for anyone to see, or private, for your eyes only. Pinterest also allows users to create group boards where several people can collaborate on creating and managing board. Categories: Categories are sets of pins organised across\u00a0all\u00a0of Pinterest by the predetermined groups chosen when creating boards. These range from photography to technology and travel. When creating your boards, make sure you include them in the categories where your content fits and where they apply to your business. Once you familiarise yourself with the categories and figure out which apply to your business, remember to categorise any Pin board you create to make it easier for users to discover your content. How to market your business on Pinterest Now that you know how Pinterest works, let\u2019s look at specific ways you can use it to make your business stand out, build engagement with your audience and turn pinners into customers. Set your boards up like window displays\u00a0 You can\u2019t expect to draw pinners to your site if your boards are a mess. Your boards need catchy visuals that help tell a story, that"}