From Blogger to Blogger: Pinterest Tips

Usually I post about DIY projects, home decor and other topics.  Today I wanted to post something a little different that I think you all will find useful.

I'm sure you've at some point in your life heard of a target market/audience.  As a business person this is vital.  Bloggers also need to know who their target audience is because what they post should be appealing to that audience and bring in more.  Moreover, bloggers may also be interested in who their blog actually is attracting.  After reading many articles and blog posts on how to find and connect to your target audience, I still feel stumped at times because I encounter pretty much the same tips over and over.

I haven't seen the tips that I'm sharing today anywhere (only the first one), so hopefully they will be fresh to your eyes!  Lately Pinterest has been a useful tool for me because I have been discovering who has an interest in things that I post here on the blog.  Here are four ways that you can use Pinterest to your advantage and find out who your blog is attracting.

I. Check your source page

You may already know that you can see the images that are pinned from your site by checking the source page.  If you didn't know this, just type into your web address bar the following http://www.pinterest.com/source/your blog url not including the http://www.

Let's use my blog as an example: http://www.pinterest.com/source/MyersMaison.blogspot.com

This is what will come up-

Everything that was pinned from your site will appear.  This is great because you can see which of your posts is most popular based on the number of times the images were pinned.

II. Create a board for your blog

This is very important.  We already know that people are addicted to pinterest and can stay on all day.  Use this to your advantage.  Post images from your blog to get more exposure.  If you have a fashion blog, pin images of your outfits.  If you have a food blog, pin images of your recipes.  If you are a DIYer, pin images of your projects.  I suggest only pinning images that you have taken yourself to your blog board because you will be adding fresh/new images to pinterest.  This is free marketing!  People that like your pins will repin and/or like them so it's a direct connection to your audience.  Also, add hashtags to the image description to boost pinterest SEO.


III. Sign up for email notifications then check out your repinners

I opted in to receive email notifications when someone repins or likes something that I have pinned (you can choose this option in your account settings).  Once I receive the notification, I check the email to see if it's something of mine that I pinned.  If it is I check out the pinners page to see if they have a blog or website listed in their profile.  If they do, I head over to their page and If I see something that I like I leave a comment on the post.  I don't recommend spamming people though, ha!  In fact, don't even tell them how you found them, just leave a comment and they will probably check out your blog because of that.  You can also check to see if they have a twitter or facebook link and follow them on either one.  Once again, do not spam them.  Only tweet at them when you have something applicable to contribute to their tweet.

IV. The repin family tree

I call it a family tree because it spreads and spreads and keeps branching out.  I'm talking about the people that repin something that someone else has pinned of yours.  Here's an example.  This was pinned by someone from my blog

Further down, all of the people that have repinned or liked this item appear.

 

You would then repeat tip three for each person that appears, then check their repinners.  Make sure that you check this more often that not because only 10 pinners show here.  Sure it may be a lot of work, but it will be helpful in determining the audience that you are reaching. Who knows, you may even find some new blog friends that you share the same interests with!

Hopefully some of these tips will work out for you!  If you have any other pinterest tips please share them in the comments!