Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site in the world, growing from 600 thousand monthly visitors in 2011 to 70 million users by the summer of 2013. Pinterest is a visual sharing tool where “boards” are divided by topics that include everything from specialties and interests to humor and DIY ideas. Searching for a topic like “dental humor”, for example, reveals a stream of pictures, called “pins”. Pinterest has been expanding to attract local businesses and even includes the option to join as a business. As you look around and familiarize yourself with Pinterest, you should start by having a plan for your account. Here are a few guidelines that serve as “Pinterest 101 for dentists”.
Who do you want your audience to be?
As a dental office, you will want to appeal to patients, fellow dentists and those who work in the dental field. In turn, they will likely have content that you will want to pin onto your boards.
Who do you hope to inspire?
Not everything you pin has to be dental related. Spreading the word about oral health, flossing, dietary habits, and cavity prevention as part of your mission can involve appealing to your target audience by focusing on what they are interested in. Create boards that fit your business image in a creative way. For example, start a recipes board that includes foods that are friendly to those with braces or a craft board incorporating crafts with a dental theme.
Are you going to allow your staff to have their own board?
Your Pinterest account is going to be a reflection of your practice, so feel free to have boards that are created by your staff, or one board completely dedicated to pictures of your practice, so your followers can take a look around and feel a part of the “inner circle”.
Make sure your pins link to where you want them to.
Pins are generally taken from websites, and each pin will normally link to the website of its origin. Make sure the link leads to a credible site.
Take pins from many sources, not just one.
It’s great to have followers or accounts that you’re inspired by, but make sure to pin from a variety of people, and a variety of websites.
Pay attention to the details.
Pay attention to photo and caption quality. Remember, people are immediately drawn to the picture, so make sure the photo is good quality, not too busy, interesting and relevant! If you can get your audience to stop on your pin, you are more likely to gain a re-pin or a follower. The same rules go for captions. Keep them short, relevant, and full of keywords, including your practice name and website whenever possible.
Engage with your audience.
You will want to stay active with your boards by following other users back, replying to comments and watching the activity of your boards. Again, put someone you trust in charge of this task. Pinterest etiquette includes liking, pinning, or following someone elses board that has shown interest in your pins.
Use keywords.
In your account summary, board title, description and pins be sure to use terms that relate to your practice. Include your practice name, dental specialty, city/state, website and any relevant hashtags.
Stay current.
Holidays and events are a booster for Pinterest. Consider a Holiday and event board with recipes, crafts and ideas relevant to dentistry.
Your involvement with Pinterest gives your practice an edge above your competition. It helps you to reach out to prospective patients and communicate with current ones. If you are interested in learning more about how Smile Savvy can help you develop a comprehensive Social Media strategy, including Pinterest, please visit our website.