First of all – what is Pinterest?
It’s another social media site and it’s growing in popularity around the world. It’s basically a social photo sharing “pinboard” – just liked you’d pin up Polaroids to a cork-board.
Why should contractors and home pros care about Pinterest?
Probably more so than any other social media site – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. – Pinterest may be the perfect one for you.
If you install products, remodel rooms, do any design or decorating work then you should set up a Pinterest brand page right now.
Nearly every remodeler takes Before & After photos to showcase their work, using them on brochures and websites. And on Pinterest, the users would eat this up! Not only do people look at the pictures you “pin” up, they share them. And then their followers share them on their page.
By putting great images of a new kitchen or renovated bathroom, you’re increasing the chances you’ll be discovered (and HIRED!) as people pin and pass around the photos.
If you poke around the site, you might see funny pictures and food recipes and assume that it’s not right for you. But consider that 2 of the top 10 Pinterest brand pages are HGTV…
And, Better Homes & Gardens:
So, there’s a strong interest from people using the social media site when it comes to getting ideas and finding products they’d like to have installed.
Here are some interesting stats:
- Pinterest accounts for 40% of social media driven purchases (Facebook accounts for the other 60%)
- Buyers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy something than visitors referred from other social networks
- Those buyers spend 10% more on average as well
- Pinterest tops Twitter when it comes to getting info about products, finding out about new merchandise, and seeking advice and recommendations (Source: Mashable)
- 81% of women trust blogs and Pinterest; 73% trust Twitter; 67% trust Facebook (Source: AdWeek)
- Online U.S. consumers report that they follow an average of 9.3 retail companies on the site, compared to the average 6.9 retailers they follow on Facebook and the 8.5 retailers they track via Twitter (Source: National Retail Federation)
So, it makes sense for you to devote some of your social media time to putting up quality pictures of your quality work. Homeowners are using it and they’re looking for products, for ideas, for inspiration, and quite possibly someone to install what you have to offer.
Tip: don’t use it to sell anything – use it to showcase your jobs and your products but don’t tell people to call you for quotes. Provide photos and let them do all the selling for you. Social media is always about sharing, conversing, giving advice, and helping others. It’s never about selling.
