Thursday, February 16, 2012

Pinterest, Or Not to Pinterest...That is the Question.

Shakespeare fan or not, the question nowadays is where do you spend your social media time?  We may not have all the answers, but we thought we would share what we have learned.

The basic mechanics of Pinterest are simple: Add Pinterest to your Favorites bar and click it when you want to post an image to your Pinterest boards.  Then share with the world your visual treasures.



But how do we use it to improve our own photography or our business?  Some users are finicky in pinning only the finest images and articles, while others take the "spray and pray" method posting everything they see on the internet.  Let's take a look at some ideas in between these two areas.

1. Improving your Photography
What better use for a purely visual platform than to improve your own visuals?  Organize your Pinterest boards into categories such as photo lighting, posing, and (insert your speciality here - weddings, landscapes, wildlife, etc.).  Study patterns, styles, and techniques to establish the best of all in your own next photo shoot.

We have enjoyed looking at the following photography boards for inspiration: ImprovePhotography, For the Love of Photography, and Photojojo.

2.  Improving your Business

Pinterest is now roughly a third of the size of Twitter - roughly 11 million users.  Last month, these 11 million users spent an average of 100 minutes on the site, compared with 19 minutes on the professional social-networking site LinkedIn.  What businesses have stepped up to the plate and added Pinterest buttons on their site?  The likes of Neiman Marcus, Lands' End, and Etsy.com.

The easiest idea is to slowly (don't post all your images at once) place your artwork that's for sale in an online Pinterest Board.  You can include where to purchase, price, and even the inspiration behind your artwork. 

Post your blog articles on Pinterest to gain organic buzz.  Showcase and socialize your next gallery opening with Pinterest awareness.  Incorporate vital information like date, time, and place right into the image to ensure maximum exposure from 'repins'.



Post a "How To" video on Pinterest.  Post a fun video on how you do "Trash the Dress" photo shoots and let it virally take Pinterest by storm.  Pinterest can be a great brand strengthening tool. 

Pin personal stuff for your clients to get to know you.  When we sell a photography shoot, much of what we are selling is an experience - make it better by helping your clients get to know you.

Market research, inspiration, and identifying new trends are also great business uses of Pinterest. 

Hopefully today's article got you excited to try out this new social marketing tool.  But one last thing, it's by invitation only.  Stop by our Pinterest page and begin following our pins at Dakota VisionsPhotography or leave us a message on our Dakota Visions Photography, LLC website contact page to request an invitation (make sure you leave us your email address and mention it's for a Pinterest invitation).

We'll see you behind the lens...

2 comments:

  1. I've been wondering about this new system for the last little while, thank you for producing this informative article on it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Toad! Just hop (pardon the pun) onto our website and send us a note on the contact page if you would like to receive an invitation to try it. We have found it extremely helpful to do our research on future blog posts and gather inspiration from other photographers for ways to use light and perspective in future shots. Extremely visual social media.

      Delete

Feel free to comment on See You Behind the Lens... We will be reviewing your comment and post shortly. Thanks for joining in the conversation!

Dakota Visions Photography, LLC
www.dakotavisions.com