subject: How Restaurants Can Benefit From A Pinterest Account [print this page] Pinterest is not only one of the newest social networks on the market, but its also one of the fastest growing. However, unlike sites such as Facebook and Twitter that primarily depend on textual status updates, Pinterest is for sharing pictures which members then compartmentalize into boards labeled with various themes. For instance, a typical casual users account might have boards organized for things like future vacation destinations, recipes, and fashion trends.
Pinterest as a Marketing Tool
Using social networks to market a corporation is nothing new. But unlike Facebook and Twitter that require members to follow their accounts, Pinterest permits users to choose the option of viewing Everything which shows the current pins from all members whether anyone follows them or not! Additionally, organizations can tag their pins with their company name to make it easier for users to search for them, eliminating the mandatory requirement to officially follow them on Pinterest.
Businesses are finding that sharing photos on Pinterest is a great way to build content, generate interest, and help solidify their brand. And when used correctly, Pinterest can help enhance sales on the products and services sold by your company. Matt Owen, Social Media Manager for the digital advertising site Econsultancy, set up a Pinterest board and saw a higher return on investment through Pinterest than with Facebook within a short amount of time.
Restaurants and Pinterest
Of all the businesses that benefit from using Pinterest, some of the highest potential exists for restaurants. Pictures of foods off the menu, staff members, and special events are the perfect content for creating themed boards on the site. Listed here are some other themes restaurants might want to consider for their Pinterest account.
Behind the Scenes Everyone wants to know whats going on behind the scenes. Posting work areas puts restaurateurs on a personal level with their customer base. It also lets individuals see for themselves without actually touring the kitchen that the work area is clean and uses quality ingredients.
Recipes Speaking of ingredients, while theres no need to share every recipe on your menu theres no harm in sharing a couple of them, or even suggesting ways to spruce up old standbys like things customers could add into pancakes or mashed potatoes they make in their own kitchens. Posting ingredient warnings beneath pictures can also let consumers know which foods on the menu contain common allergens like wheat, dairy, or eggs.
Promotions Contests and exclusive offers are becoming more and more preferred on Pinterest. For instance, a 10% coupon off the price of dinner on the restaurants slow night once a pin has been shared a certain amount of times both generates word-of-mouth advertising through sharing and increases revenue on that individual night of the week.
As you can see, Pinterest enables a more creative form of advertising and marketing than Twitter or Facebook. Unlike YouTube, theres no need to wait for a video to load. In fact, you can even use Pinterest to link pictures to your Facebook page, which creates a advertising and marketing double-whammy. The best part about using Pinterest is that theres no sacrifice of retaining the restaurants existing clients. If anything, its likely that the number of patrons will boost.
As with any social networking site, post continually and often. Most of what people see on Pinterest is content that someone else has re-pinned from another member even if its someone who they do not follow, and who does not follow them. And finally, dont be shy about commenting. Restaurants may even assign a designated person to reply to comments to help people believe engaged, which will in turn make them more likely to visit the restaurant for a meal.
