Instead of your refrigerator or a corkboard, you \u201cpin\u201d your findings, called \u201cpins\u201d, onto virtual boards, called \u201cpinboards\u201d. You can categorize these however you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n
Who Uses Pinterest?<\/h2>\n
Most Pinterest users, or \u201cpinners\u201d, are women; as of March 2012, 83% of American users were women, and the average age cohort of the typical American pinner is 35-44. According to comScore, there are now 48.7 million pinners worldwide.<\/p>\n
Why Do People \u201cPin\u201d?<\/h2>\n
According to a study by Engauge, 90% of pinners look to Pinterest as a source of ideas. Here are some other ways that Engauge identified in which Pinterest benefits pinners:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Get inspiration for their careers or hobbies (57%)<\/li>\n
- Store images of things they dream of having (53%)<\/li>\n
- Keep their thoughts and ideas organized (47%)<\/li>\n
- Share their ideas with others (32%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As of January 2013, some of the\u00a0most popular categories of pins and boards<\/a>\u00a0include:<\/p>\n
Popular Pins<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Food and Drink<\/li>\n
- DIY and Crafts<\/li>\n
- Other<\/li>\n
- Home Decor<\/li>\n
- Hair and Beauty<\/li>\n
- Women\u2019s Fashion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Popular Boards<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Home Decor<\/li>\n
- Other<\/li>\n
- Art<\/li>\n
- Design<\/li>\n
- Women\u2019s Fashion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Should My Nonprofit Use Pinterest?<\/h2>\n
At this point, you may wonder what place your nonprofit would have in a space that seems more suited to the likes of Martha Stewart magazine or Etsy.<\/p>\n
My first foray into Pinterest had me feeling like Alice when she first stumbled into the rabbit hole to Wonderland. It was remarkable how easily three hours would pass meandering through myriad images of DIY ideas, delicious recipes, decorating tips, motivational quotes, and wedding dresses.<\/p>\n
I shared that to acknowledge the potential of Pinterest being a black-hole of time, which, along with money perhaps, your nonprofit doesn\u2019t have enough of; however, the use of any social medium carries this risk.<\/p>\n
And based on the Nielsen Company\u2019s report on social media trends for 2012, social media is becoming increasingly indispensible storytelling tool for businesses and nonprofits, writes Aine Creedon for\u00a0Nonprofit Quarterly<\/i>:<\/p>\n
It has been about a decade since social media became an influential force on the Internet, and although many thought it would merely be a fad, report after report shows us that social media isn\u2019t going away anytime soon. Nielsen\u2019s report links the consistent trend of social media growth to the emergence of new and innovative social networks\u2026<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Is Pinterest for You?<\/h2>\n
So how can you know whether Pinterest suits your nonprofit? Ask yourself:<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s following our stories?<\/h3>\n
If most of your audience and supporters are women \u2013 especially those in their mid-thirties to mid-forties \u2013 being present on Pinterest is strongly encouraged. And as more millenials (Generation Y) \u2013 arguably the most tech-savvy, social media oriented sector of the population \u2013 join your support base, it\u2019ll get harder to ignore Pinterest.<\/p>\n
How are we telling our stories?<\/h3>\n
If your nonprofit uses photos and videos to tell stories, Pinterest is a great way to share them.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve got a YouTube channel or Flickr page where you upload & share your videos and photos, respectively, pinning these moving and static images to your Pinterest page would expand your exposure.<\/p>\n
Even if your stories are told primarily through words, whether they\u2019re updates on your website or entries on your blog, as long as you\u2019re including images in these posts (per good blogging practice), they\u2019re pinnable. Infographics and inspirational pithy quotes lend themselves to repinnability.<\/p>\n
For example, the screenshot is of my pin of a post from Guy Kawasaki\u2019s blog; the post consisted of an infographic breaking down the components of a blog post. First pinned about two years ago, it\u2019s my most repinned (454) and liked (124) pin.<\/p>\n
Are our stories being shared?<\/h3>\n
Your nonprofit doesn\u2019t have to be on Pinterest profile to have a presence on Pinterest. For example, the\u00a0Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation<\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t have a Pinterest profile (yet) but\u00a0plenty of pinners are sharing their content<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Tip: Check if your nonprofit\u2019s being talked about on Pinterest simply by substituting your website\u2019s URL (https:\/\/pinterest.com\/source\/gatesfoundation.org\/) for \u201cgatesfoundation.org\u201d and enter the URL in your browser to see.<\/p>\n
Pinning Like a Pro<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019ve identified your core audience and the key ways you\u2019re telling stories and determined that Pinterest fits your nonprofit, you\u2019re almost ready to start the pinning party!<\/p>\n
Why Businesses Pin: Set Goals<\/h3>\n
First, you\u2019ll need to determine why you\u2019re pinning and what you hope to accomplish through Pinterest. If you glance through the\u00a0success stories of different businesses using Pinterest<\/a>, you may notice they share goals that apply to nonprofits also.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Branding<\/b>: Businesses use Pinterest as a megaphone and a stethoscope; that is, they\u2019ve used it to grow and build their brands and to monitor and take the pulse of their brand. Pinterest offers\u00a0web analytics<\/a>\u00a0for businesses; you\u2019ll need to\u00a0verify your website<\/a>\u00a0to access them, but it\u2019s a simple process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Sales and\/or Web Traffic<\/b>: For retail businesses, if these two aren\u2019t the same thing, they\u2019re very similar. According to the U.S. Census, 80% of household discretionary spending is controlled by women. While fundraising would be the nonprofit\u2019s equivalent to sales \u2013 you certainly could pin a campaign onto Pinterest \u2013 I would focus a nonprofit\u2019s Pinterest plan on driving web traffic and reserve pinning for specific campaigns and\/or certain seasons rather than long-term fundraising strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Content Strategy<\/b>: Pinterest analytics inform businesses which of their content resonates most with their customers, like with wikiHow, or the best ways to share their content, like with Etsy. Companies will adjust their approach to content accordingly. The overarching theme(s) of your stories may not change but the reasons you share the stories may shift. Sometimes we tell stories to educate; other times, we tell stories to inspire; a lot of times, to propel ourselves to act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Community<\/b>: For businesses, fostering camaraderie ties well with building brand loyalty; for your nonprofit, your community drives progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Get started with Pinterest<\/h2>\n
It would be wise to proceed with creating a Pinterest page even if you won\u2019t be populating it right away. Like with Twitter, you might run into\u00a0brand squatting<\/a>, so go ahead and set up your page. Then download\u00a0Pinterest\u2019s how-to guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Be complete and specific<\/h2>\n
Some\u00a0tips from HelloSociety<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019d highlight as you hit the ground: provide as much information in your profile about your nonprofit, including where you\u2019re based and your website (which you should verify with Pinterest). Some people might first discover your nonprofit on Pinterest than your website, so your profile will serve as an introduction.<\/p>\n
![\"charity](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/charity-water-pinterest.png\")
<\/p>\nStart with 5-10 pinboards with specific categories \u2013 e.g., \u201ccreative fundraising ideas\u201d, \u201cchildren\u2019s home in kenya\u201d \u2013 and have at least 5 pins for each pinboard.<\/p>\n
This will at least give the first impression of having stories to sift through. As you continue sharing your stories on Pinterest, your existing boards will get fuller and you may create new boards.<\/p>\n
Make your stories \u201cpinnable\u201d<\/h2>\n
If your videos are on YouTube and your photos are on Flickr, they\u2019re already pinnable \u2013 YouTube and Flickr have enabled sharing via Pinterest. Including images in your posts and the Pin It button on your blog makes it that much easier, too.<\/p>\n
Levo League<\/a>\u00a0does this quite well.<\/p>\n
Note how the articles\u2019 titles are worked into the image. At first, it seems overwhelming to populate an entire pinboard of career advice, but this actually makes Levo League\u2019s content digestible \u2013 it\u2019s easy for pinners to peruse then pick which one(s) they want to read.<\/p>\n
You could argue that the Gates Foundation, who we highlighted in a previous post, gets by perfectly well without fussing with Pinterest and by simply focusing on the quality of their content.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d agree that even the best graphics won\u2019t make up a deficit of substance \u2013- but it could only help!<\/p>\n
Share others\u2019 stories<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re thinking, \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough stories to fill our boards!\u201d, be assured it\u2019s okay; over time, you\u2019ll have stories to share.<\/p>\n
But you can also create collaborative boards whereby you invite other pinners to pin to it. This is a great way to let your supporters help tell your story and help them connect with one another.<\/p>\n
Also, feel free to repin other like-minded nonprofits\u2019 stories, too. If one of your goals in setting up shop on Pinterest is to raise awareness and educate, don\u2019t be afraid to share that really good infographic on human trafficking that came from another nonprofit.<\/p>\n
Being focused solely on self-promotion gets exhausting and who knows what opportunities to network and collaborate with other nonprofits you might discover because you showed some Pinterest love? Install the\u00a0Pin It button onto your browser<\/a>\u00a0to help share content and follow some other nonprofits, too.<\/p>\n
Pace your pins<\/h2>\n
When you do pin, set the total number of pins (across boards) to 15; pinning more than that in one sitting might be leave your followers feeling innundated.<\/p>\n
Spacing those 15 pins across a work week would suffice and wouldn\u2019t add much time to your social media schedule. Or you could just devote a chunk of time once a week to do your pinning.<\/p>\n
While Engauge\u2019s study found that about two thirds of pinners are most active at night (between 8 p.m. and midnight), don\u2019t feel pressured to be pinning at that time. The same study found that a number of pinners are on Pinterest multiple times a day.<\/p>\n
\nWe hope this series of posts helps you better broadcast your story and advance your mission. Here are a few links for more information and ideas:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Pinterest for Business (where you can find tools like the Pin It button for your website\/blog)<\/a><\/li>\n
- UpCity\u2019s Top 20 Blogs to Help You Become a Pinterest Expert<\/a><\/li>\n
- CMSWire.com\u2019s Case Study on Pinterest and Lowes<\/a><\/li>\n
- Nonprofit Quarterly\u2019s Fundraising Tips for Pinterest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Happy Pinning!<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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- UpCity\u2019s Top 20 Blogs to Help You Become a Pinterest Expert<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pinterest for Business (where you can find tools like the Pin It button for your website\/blog)<\/a><\/li>\n
- Community<\/b>: For businesses, fostering camaraderie ties well with building brand loyalty; for your nonprofit, your community drives progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Content Strategy<\/b>: Pinterest analytics inform businesses which of their content resonates most with their customers, like with wikiHow, or the best ways to share their content, like with Etsy. Companies will adjust their approach to content accordingly. The overarching theme(s) of your stories may not change but the reasons you share the stories may shift. Sometimes we tell stories to educate; other times, we tell stories to inspire; a lot of times, to propel ourselves to act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Sales and\/or Web Traffic<\/b>: For retail businesses, if these two aren\u2019t the same thing, they\u2019re very similar. According to the U.S. Census, 80% of household discretionary spending is controlled by women. While fundraising would be the nonprofit\u2019s equivalent to sales \u2013 you certainly could pin a campaign onto Pinterest \u2013 I would focus a nonprofit\u2019s Pinterest plan on driving web traffic and reserve pinning for specific campaigns and\/or certain seasons rather than long-term fundraising strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Branding<\/b>: Businesses use Pinterest as a megaphone and a stethoscope; that is, they\u2019ve used it to grow and build their brands and to monitor and take the pulse of their brand. Pinterest offers\u00a0web analytics<\/a>\u00a0for businesses; you\u2019ll need to\u00a0verify your website<\/a>\u00a0to access them, but it\u2019s a simple process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n