Special offer

8 Pinterest tips you don't want to miss

By
Home Builder with The Flooring Girl

Hey guys.  As I've been learning more about affiliate marketing (a side passive income opportunity me), I've been learning more and more about how to use Pinterest better.  I thought I'd share some of the tips I've learned.

 

Please note that this article is NOT about whether to use pinterest nor how much time to spend on there.  It's simply about how to use Pinterest more effectively and more efficiently.  Also, this article really isn't about how to get more followers on Pinterest; it's about making your pins go further.  Also, this is not a basic Pinterest 101 article.  It assumes you already have the basics down.

 

Originally posted at:  8 Insider tips to drive more pinterest traffic to your website.

 

I wish I had learned some of this sooner.  It would have made my efforts more effective.

 

For what it's worth, with me fishing blindly, I've been getting over 1,900 clicks/month from pinterest.  (And, for what it's worth, I haven't spent that much time on it).  Outside of search traffic, it's my next highest source of traffic.  It brings in more traffic than all of my other social media channels combined (including Active Rain). 

 

I know there are several others in the real estate realm getting way more pinterest traffic than I am.  Bill Gassett is one of them and I believe Anita Clark and Lynn Pineda are 2 others.  And, they may be able to share others who are as well as more tips.

 

But, what astounded me is learning about all these bloggers out there with insane amounts of traffic to their site.  For many it is their #1 or #2 source of traffic and many are getting over 100,000 visitors/month.  And, they have been able to montetize this very well for their business - both because it's a LOT of traffic and because a lot of it is targeted.

 

So, I started to read and study and wanted to share a few pointers with you.  Please note that some of tips are here and the rest are on my new marketing blog - Floor it into high gear.

 

I Hope you don't mind that the rest of the info is there, but I'm trying to find more ways to give that site more authority (and more content coming soon).  I know that many of you focus on points here, but if you  are able to leave me a comment on my original post and/or socially share it, I would really appreciate it.

 

1. Pin to Group Boards

Group boards can often be the best and fastest way to spread your reach.  This may be the best kept secret of them all.  What is a group board?  As the name implies, it's a group of people that can share pins on a topic.  By participating in these, you see more pins, and more people see your pins...you are leveraging scale.  For example, on my pinterest profile, I only have around 1,600 followers.  But, I participate in several boards that have 10,000-30,000 followers, so every time I share a pin there, way more people can see it.  And, you have a much larger potential for them to share your pin.

 

Group boards all have a gray icon on the bottom right (w/ a couple of people to show they are group boards.  When you open the board, the first person listed is the group board owner.  You can usually reach out to that person to ask for an invite.  Or, very often the group owner will post instructions on how to join (or if they aren't accepting any more collaborators).

 

Generally, you would follow the board and the group owner and then email them a request.

 

IMPORTANT:  Don't spam the group boards (or you will get kicked out in a heart beat).  And, follow the instructions at the top of the board.  Some boards only allow 1 pin per day; they may not allow repeats or ads for products.  Just be sure to follow the guidelines and pin items that apply to the group board topic.  Share your best pins to these groups.

 

How do you find group boards?  One way is to check out pingroupie.  Here you can search for boards that relate to the topic of your blog and you can sort by # of followers.  You can also check out the boards of those doing well and look at their group boards.

 

Note:  You can also start your own group boards and invite others.  This can help you better establish your niche as well as expand your reach.

 

If you pin a bunch of home/decor images, you can join one my groups flooring ideas for your home or kitchen ideas for your home.  Just follow the board and me, and leave a comment below to be added.  If you're a realtor, I'd suggest Bill Gassett's Pinterest Real Estate Group board.

 

Also, once you've found some people that are doing well, you can check out the group boards that they particate in and then send a request to join those.  (Note: there are many real estate and mortgage groip boards.  I think I participate in 8-10 of them.

 

2. Pin Often - Ideally 20+ times per day.  And, use a scheduler!

I know, you're thinking, "What??"  or maybe even "WTH?" or some other expletive.  How the heck am I going to do that?  After all, I have a business to run, or a job, or a life.  I know...that's what I thought too.  And, isn't that overkill?

 

But let me first share why this is important and then let me share how you can do this efficiently.  This is one of my recent discoveries.  You can automate most of this.

 

Before I forget, I'll mention it again - don't spam.  And, don't over saturate.   And, don't just post your listings...instead post to your USEFUL blog posts (whether that's on here or your own site).   At the most do 3 pins at a time.  But, doing less at once and spacing out is way better for the pinterest algorithm.  It will help you rank better, and you are more likely to be seen by your followers (who may go on at all different times of day).  And, please check out the full article to see how Tips 1 and 2 work way better when you implement Tip 3.  (follow the link at the bottom of the article).

 

So how do you accomplish this?  Well, there are 2 tools out there that allow you to schedule you pins.  The first is Tailwind.  It allows you to schedule pins and it helps track repins so you know what's doing best.  They have a free trial, so give it a whirl.  (You have nothing to lose).

 

The second is Board Booster.  This program is super cool as it allows you to create a series of pins (or repins) to any board.  It will automatically space them out for you (e.g. 1 per day) and you can even set it to loop, so it will keep reposting them as it goes through the cycle.  They also offer a free trial for 100 pins to schedule.  After that, it's just $5/month which is totally worth it vs. the time it saves.

 

So give these a try - try them for free and see if they make a difference.

 

For more tips (including why should repin your own content...and how to do it), check out the full article here.  I'd really love if you could take moment to leave a comment on my new website and socially share my article. 

Comments(41)

Donna Foerster
HomeSmart Realty Group - Parker, CO
Metro Denver Real Estate Assistant

Thanks for suggesting I read this post. Very helpful!! I need to write more content so I have something to pin! I'm going to work on steps 1 and 2. I'm also going to read the full article on your Wordpress site and I'll get to work on the other steps!

Oct 12, 2016 08:06 AM
David Alan Baker | Laveen & South Phoenix Realtor
Keller Williams Realty Phoenix - Laveen, AZ
Your local Expert

Need to spend more time learning and working it, thanks for sharing.

Oct 12, 2016 08:24 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Kathy - glad to hear it. Now that I know more, I'm going to be spending more time there.

Katerina - Yes, indeed.  That has become more apparent to me over the last couple of months.

Margaret - Yes, you're right.  It's really fun.  How nice when that happens.

 

 

Oct 12, 2016 08:34 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

John - So glad to hear that.

MaryKay - Thx so much.  I appreciate the kind words and the reblog.

Donna  - Yes, you said it.  and, thank you so much!

 

 

Oct 12, 2016 08:36 AM
John Pusa
Glendale, CA

Debbie Gartner These are very helpful Pinterest recommendations to use.

Oct 12, 2016 08:41 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Hi Debbie Gartner  I always try to pin my posts to Pinterest as you say Bill Gassett  is a great group to follow . I am now going to follow you for flooring advice . I am sure my clients will find your advice Helpful

Oct 12, 2016 08:53 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

David - You're welcome.  Glad it's helpful.

John - Glad to hear that.

Hannah - Yes, Bill's group is great.  And, thank you.  I will follow you back.

 

Oct 12, 2016 09:09 AM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Debbie Gartner ,

Congrats on the feature! Great tips and your advice is so informative!

Oct 12, 2016 09:14 AM
Jan Sohlman
RE/MAX Integrity - Eugene, OR
RE/MAX Integrity

Hello Debbie Gartner for your savy advice on Pinterest. We have been thinking about adding a Pinterest Board to our social media. We usually use AR, Twitter, Linked In and Facebook. This year we are talking about Instagram and Pinterest as well. 

Thank you!

Oct 12, 2016 09:16 AM
Jennifer Fivelsdal
JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY
Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Debbie good advice, I do need to refocus my effort here.

Oct 12, 2016 09:55 AM
Eileen Begley
Coldwell Banker, DelMonte - Carmel, CA
Monterey Real Estate

I only started using Pinterest recently. It helps having an 18 yr old niece to help and get me interested!  Learned a lot! Had no clue Pinterest could be useful for many different business. Great tips. Had no idea there were group boards, ways to schedule pins and so so.  Thanks for the education!

Oct 12, 2016 02:35 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA
Metro Boston Homes For Sale

Debbie Gartner - I have to bookmark this post - and circle back to 'learn' from this post.

Oct 12, 2016 04:05 PM
Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

I will save your post to check it out. I haven't been doing any Pinterest but I have a young listing salesperson who does.

Oct 13, 2016 01:40 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Debbie I missed this blog earlier.  Pinterest is something I know little about, so your blog provided me with a better knowledge of it.

Oct 13, 2016 08:21 AM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

Great info Deb...trying to figure out how I switch from my personal to my business account...20 times a day my be advisable but not possible in my world.

Oct 13, 2016 12:18 PM
Melissa Spittel
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Westminster, MD
"Achieving Results Together "

Thanks for such detailed info. I know I don't use Pinterest as I should. Now I'm going to aim to do better.

Oct 17, 2016 11:27 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Melissa - God for you.  Glad this is helpful.

Oct 17, 2016 03:41 PM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Always looking for ways to improve my reach and experience in utilizing Pinterest (and other social media sites), Debbie Gartner ... and there are few I trust more than you to provide that help and insight.  So thank you ...

I'm guilty of not getting to Pinterest as often as I should .. certainly not spreading it out as you suggest.  Will definitely have to work on improving that ... and utilize the group boards I'm on more wisely too ...

Gene

Oct 18, 2016 03:31 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Gene - I need to improve, too!

Oct 18, 2016 08:43 AM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

This is another of your WOW posts, Debbie Gartner - now I have a project for next weekend!  The 20 posts a day is a bit daunting but, I will check out the sites you mentioned to utilize auto-posting!  Thanks for sharing and congrats on the feature.

Nov 19, 2016 12:27 AM