How to NOT be an idiot on Pinterest - 5 facts, 5 do's & 5 don'ts

I admit, I am a Pinterestaholic.  I can clearly see this site as an amazing platform for Real Estate professionals.  I can also clearly see how real estate professionals (along with any other business / brand) could ruin the site.    

We teach web presence classes to agents and always preach, "go where the people are."  If you are investing time in growing your footprint on the web, don't talk to empty rooms.   Show up on sites where people are gathered and can find you. 

Pinterest is FULL of people and not only is it full of people but it directs people to link back to your site or your blog (easily).    I'm sure if you've heard people talk about Pinterest, they will mention how addictive it is.  People go to the site daily and some spend hours (upon hours) on it. 

Your followers can see you as well as people from all over the country.  If you are selling real estate in a beautiful or unique community you can create a board to promote this.  Create a desire to live in that community.  Create a desire to buy a home in that community. 

Before you roll your eyes and dig your feet in while saying, "I do not have the time for one more social media site!"  Check out some of these facts...

5 Pinterest Facts

1. Pinterest is now driving more referral traffic on the web than Google+, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn — combined.
2. In December 2011, the site entered the top 10 social networks according to Hitwise data with 11 million total visits per week. It had more traffic than social network giants like Linked In, You Tube and Google+ on January 2012
3. Time magazine published Pinterest in its "50 Best Websites of 2011"
4. Traffic grew by 40% in the second half of 2011.
5. As compared to other social networking sites, Pinterest’s users are more frequently from the Northwest and the Southeast.

5 Pinterest Do's

1. Foster the integrity of the site and only post beautiful photos. Do you have a listing with a unique feature?  Maybe you have a historic listing with beautiful knobs on the cabinets or doors... take a high quality close up photo of that feature and share that on your board.  (Post it on your website or blog first and pin it from there so you get a link back to your site.  OR include a link on your pin back to that listing.) People will click on that beautiful photo and viola, they land on your site and they can be the proud owner of those knobs.  People will also repin what they find beautiful and viola, your pin (your listing) has gone viral.  
2. After that listing has sold, move it to a different board - perhaps "Favorite Features of Homes I Have Sold." 
3. Create a board to promote all things good in your community (dining, recreation, schools, small business, etc.)  What makes your community a great place to live?  Pin it.
4. Pay attention to what people want.  You can learn a great deal about what is trending by watching the pins and repins. (Paint colors, home decor, staging tips, home design...)
5. Create boards that will interest potential home buyers.   Think outside the box on this... maybe somebody having a baby or getting married would need a new home.  Create boards that will create a following in these categories.  Home decor and design is also a very popular category that is an obvious tie to real estate.  Landscaping, gardening, what else...? 

Check out this ActiveRain blog by Steve Cantor about using Pinterest for your real estate business.

5 Pinterest Don'ts

1. Don't post ugly, nasty pictures.  For the love of humanity do not do this. 
2. Don't leave your boards empty.  Spend some time populating them.
3. Don't just have real estate boards.  This is a great place to share some of who you are.  That's what this social thing is all about, right?
4. Don't forget to give credit where credit is due.  Pinterest makes this easy when you are pinning but if you have a photo that requires a credit, be sure you take care of that. 
5. Don't ignore the potential power of this site.  It's not going away anytime soon.  

Also, be sure you are adhering to the real estate marketing guidelines for your state.  Consult your principal / managing broker. 

Want to learn more?  Here is a very comprehensive article about Pinterest by Kerri Jones.  Everything you Need to Know About Pinterest

"Brands that find the most success on Pinterest will be the ones that put aside self-promotion and add value to the community in a way that is unique to their business."

   <-------  Please!

Amerititle:  Creativity Junkie  Providing creative ideas to help you and your listings stand out.