My Pinterest Experiment

Lately I’ve been getting into the newest social network on the block: Pinterest

I’ve been hearing all the hype and the buzz, but I had one question in my mind:

How can this be used for small businesses?

Not many people know, but in a previous life, way before running the popular Social Media Marketing Dashboard, MarketMeSuite, I ran a small family e-commerce businesses. We sold all sorts of collectibles from instruments to old books, but where we really focused our attention was figurines, namely Hummel Figurines.

My father still runs this fun business out of New York (you can view his store here) so I asked him if he was up for a little experimenting. The conversation went something like this:

“Dad, there’s this new network out there.”

“Another network?!? We’re just starting to understand Facebook…”

“I know, but this one seems really interesting. I’d like to see if it could drive you more potential leads.”

“Sure, go for it, show me the money.”

Ready, Set, Pin!

I quickly put together a small pin board:

I have allowed my father and one of his employees to contribute to it:

I’ve only pinned about 5 things so far. A few images from his eBay store and Hummel site, and some vintage Youtube videos I did for him many years ago.  I did a quick search to see if anyone else posted any Hummel pictures. I found a lady and quickly commented saying it’s nice to see another Hummel fan on here and linked her to my board.

The Results?

In just 72 hours we now have 18 followers of this pinboard, and 5 repins. This may not sound a lot to a big company, but in a small niche business, where you’re only as good as your next collection, amassing a targeted following so quickly is pretty much unheard of.  I know it can be done on Twitter, I’ve done it myself on Twitter many times, but for some industries, Twitter just isn’t where the customers are. In the case of Hummel Figurines, it seems we have tapped into just the right vein.

Lack Of Competition

It’s also worth noting the Hummel Figurine board I made is currently the only board of its type on the entire network. I’m not sure how long this will stay, but that in itself is an opportunity.

Has Your Site Been Pinned?

You may be surprised. My dad’s site “vintagerarestuff.com” had already debuted on the network when someone pinned a photo from the site. We’re working on something at MarketMeSuite to show you how many times your site has been pinned. The results may surprise you! Keep an eye on MarketMeSuite.com/pinme for more details.

Have You Pinned?

I will continue to watch my experiment and see how the followers translate into traffic, but the early results are very promising.  Have you pinned for your business? I’m really curious to hear stories of how SMBs are using Pinterest to capture leads.