Tag: Pinterest

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Think Outside the Box: Embracing Social Platforms

Social media platforms

Believe it or not, there actually are social media platforms other than Facebook and Instagram!

Whatever social media platforms you spend your time on doesn’t necessarily reflect the same alignment as social platforms your customers spend their time on.

Read on for a list of other social media platforms to check out, and what sort of content applies.

Social Platforms

  • Pinterest: Covered in an earlier post, Pinterest is the digital mood board to end all mood boards! What’s nice about this platform is users can be as engaged (following entire boards) or indifferent (repinning ideas to their boards) as they want.
  • TikTok: TikTok is easily the hottest social platform right now, and some of it may have to do with TikTok’s advanced algorithm. And what makes it so great? Essentially the algorithm does the hard work of putting your content in front of the right audiences.
  • YouTube: Everyone knows what YouTube is, but this platform has the second most users (after Facebook) for a reason. YouTube is a great place to organize long-form videos of recorded Zoom calls, how-to videos, or livestreamed Q&As.
  • Reddit: If your customers prefer text to visuals, Reddit is the place for them. You may be thinking none of your customers prefer text to visuals, but when it comes to AMAs (Ask Me Anythings), Reddit is a great way to consolidate those.
  • Spotify: Last but not least, companies have been getting incredibly creative with sharing music. If music is a big part of your life, consider sharing the playlists you create for the store and/or classes in your newsletter.

Inspiration for this post came from “Embracing Social Media Platforms,” by Sommer Leigh published in the February 2022 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Pinterest for Business: Part 2

Pinterest

In part two of Pinterest for Business, we start pinning! Read on for best practices and everything you need to know to start creating boards.

Pinterest Best Practices

Remember that Pinterest isn’t social media, but it does operate similarly. Pinterest also utilizes algorithms, and like social media, it changes all the time. While this post isn’t evergreen, it will provide a good foundation.

When you log into your business account of Pinterest, the user interface will take you to the business hub. To see your boards and pins, click on your logo in the right-hand corner. This will take you to your profile page.

To see your boards, click on Saved.

Creating Boards

Now that you’re in your boards, we can start building them (remember, boards are ways to store and organize individual pins).

To help you think of board ideas, think of your shop and the products you carry. When you’re ready, click on the + sign and select “Board”.

You’ll have two options. The first is “Name.” Although it’s tempting to come up with something cute, stick to three or four descriptive words so customers can have a clear search.

Second, is a “Keep this board secret” option. We recommend keeping the board secret until you have enough pins in the board to go live. Then click “Done”. (Note, if you want to go live, click “Create” before “Done”.)

Now, we can get to Editing. To access this, click on the three dots next to the board name.

  • Name: is already completed.
  • Description: Explain your board in a conversational structure. Pinterest uses this to help with search criteria also.
  • Collaborators: This is an option if you’re doing an event, class, or project with another company.
  • Settings: Here you can make the board public or keep it secret. Personal boards should always be kept secret. We also recommend boards that don’t have anything to do with your business (ie recipes) should be kept secret. Remember, the goal is for visitors to shop your product.
  • Personalization: This is more for Pinterest; it doesn’t help with searches so it’s fine if you want to skip it.
  • Action: Enables you to delete your board. This action can’t be undone.

There are three other dots while in your board, but we won’t get into the nitty gritty of those in this post.

Other Tips

If you need to the edit the details of the board, click on the pencil in the lower right-hand corner of the board in the “Saved” page we went through at the beginning.

You can also organize boards on your page so customers can find certain products easier.

Finally, you have an option to separate boards. For example, if you have a board on precuts, you can have a section for jelly rolls, and a section for precuts. Once these sections get too hefty however, consider creating separate boards.

Stay tuned next week for our final installment of Pinterest for Business.

Inspiration for this post came from “Are you Pinterested in Increased Sales?” by Kate Colleran, Joanne Hillestad, and Kris Poor.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Pinterest for Business

Pinterest logos

2021 was the year of social media, and we know keeping up with all of your options isn’t easy. Read on for everything you need to know to about Pinterest and if it’s a fit for your shop.

Pinterest lingo

The first thing to know about Pinterest is that it isn’t social media (just like Google isn’t social meda). But unlike Google, a quilter will search on Google when she knows what she wants, and alternatively, she will search on Pinterest when she’s searching for inspiration.

Pinterest is largely visual. Pinners can choose a topic they’re interested in, and Pinterest determines what appears in their feed. Below is Pinterest-specific jargon:

  • Feed: Collection of images based on user’s searches, pins collected, or term entered.
  • Search: Displays images on specific subjects based on terms entered in the search box.
  • Boards: Collections of pins arranged by subject matter and found on the user’s profile page.
  • Pins: Individual images saved on boards.
  • Pinners: Users who save pins.

Pinners create accounts to search for content that interests them and save pins to boards they create. Boards are typically arranged by subject (ie knitting, quilting, cooking, etc). Think of it as a virtual bulletin board.

Pinners can also save images from websites, so be sure to add a save button to your site so users can pin it.

Content, views, and benefits

A great time to make a pin is when you have something new in your store. The goal is for users to be inspired by your pins, click on them, and then shop your store in-person or online.

The more that people view your pins and save them, the more Pinterest will show those pins to even more users. Many factors go into this including the quality of the pin, the interests of the pinner, and how relevant your pin is to the search.

Last but not least, what is the benefit? Pins are essentially evergreen content that works for you around the clock.

Stay tuned; next week we’ll cover Pinterest best practices and how to create a boards.

Inspiration for this post came from “Are you Pinterested in Increased Sales?” by Kate Colleran, Joanne Hillestad, and Kris Poor published in the December 2021 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

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Become a Social Media Success Story

The internet has changed the way business is done. Today, McCall’s patterns can be found in books and on their blog.

Social media can be fun, confusing, rewarding, and frustrating.  In today’s business world, consumers expect an attractive social presence, but determining which platforms are worth your time can be a long process.

The top social platforms include Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, and each offer different opportunities for your business.

Facebook is the powerhouse of the social media sites, with 70% of active online adults a member of the tech giant. Despite the amount of users, Facebook also has the most engagement, but is the least appealing social site for younger adults. Other features include advertisement options for businesses, with filters to reach certain geographic regions.

The image-driven social sites include Pinterest and Instagram. Think of Pinterest and Instagram as a way to visually represent your company. They are both extremely popular among women, and can be used to express your company’s brand through images. If done correctly, these platforms can drive serious engagement.

A great networking tool for your company would be LinkedIn. Outside of connecting with other quilt retailers, it could also be beneficial in starting conversations on how to perfect your company’s brand (or social personality in other words).

Other platforms to explore include Snapchat and YouTube. If your business has tutorials, classes, or a variety of video options, a YouTube account might be beneficial. If your business has events, you might want to create a Snapchat account to showcase the fun time your customers are having.

Other options include Twitter and email campaign systems. If your business is focused on driving information, then Twitter is the platform for you. However, check into email campaign systems like MailChimp and Constant Contact to send newsletters and other information to customers who subscribe to your company’s email. Whatever you feel important enough to send in an email blast could definitely overlap in your social media.

It takes time, experimenting, and practice to find out what works best with your audience. Keep track of impressions and other social media data to see what works and what doesn’t, and be sure to tailor your social media schedule around that. Use polls on all your platforms to find out what your audience wants to see. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and remember that if you’re going to make an account, use it!

Social media is a great way to create conversations, offer giveaways, or grant discounts. With work and time, your social media can be optimized to drive more traffic and increase your business revenues.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.