Pinterest is now the third largest social networking sites among adults.
By recently passing Twitter, Pinterest has risen to become a popular online destination.
The concept is simple – collect your favorite images from around the web so you can show people your style, find inspiration and just have fun collecting things that make you smile.
Individuals are enjoying Pinterest. They might build a board where they pin images of homes so they can come back and find inspiration when they remodel.
But it’s not just individuals using Pinterest.
Businesses are using the social networking site too. It’s a great way to communicate who you are and what you stand for to your target customer.
The Trouble With Pinterest
The trouble for most businesses, however, is keeping up with Pinterest.
For small businesses it’s especially difficult to maintain social media accounts. There are Facebook pages, Twitter pages and Pinterest boards. And that doesn’t even count your own website and blog.
If you’re struggling to keep up with Pinterest you’re not alone.
And there is a secret a few others are using to get a little help with their Pinterest boards.
You can do the same for your travel business.
Inviting Guest Pinners To Your Pinterest Travel Boards
Some businesses and organizations are having their fans, followers and even customers join in on the Pinterest fun.
It’s a type of crowdsourcing in a way if you’ve heard that technical term.
But really all you’re doing is allowing people to share their love for your area with your audience. They could do it on their own and some will do that too, but organizations often have larger audiences than individuals.
So your guest pinners can feel like they’re really contributing to something that’s being followed and watched.
How To Find Guest Pinners
There are a few sources of pinners for your Pinterest boards.
Friends And Family: Do you have friends and family that live in your town and that use Pinterest? Chances are that at least one or two might be willing to help you out. Ask them if they’d be interested in helping you pin fun things relating to your travel business.
Past Customers: Did you have regular customers or past customers that you still keep in touch with? Ask them if they use Pinterest and if they’d like to share a few pins on your boards.
Residents: You’re probably networked with others in your area. Ask if they use Pinterest. Chances are that some do all the time and they’d love to add a few pins to one of your boards.
Search On Pinterest: Search on Pinterest for people that already love your area. There are probably people sharing all kinds of things from your town or city. Reach out to them and ask if they’d be interested in being an official contributor to your board.
How To Add Guest Pinners
The first step is to go to Pinterest.
Go to your profile page:
Click on the board that will have a guest pinner:
Add the email address of the guest pinner to invite them:
And that’s it!
Give Guest Pinners Credit And Moderating
It’s important to make your guest pinners feel like they are appreciated.
Include a thank you to them in your monthly email newsletter. Mention to your followers that you have guest pinners. Mention their names and top pins they’ve shared from the past month.
As for moderating the pins that are shared – give your guest pinners some freedom to pin, but set a few groundrules such as making sure they don’t post anything that might offend a grandmother. Tell them to keep it clean and to use common sense.
Hopefully that’s all you have to do and if things get out of hand simply delete pins and remove the guest pinner from the board.
Conclusion
There is a lot of work that goes into Pinterest. It’s often too much for an individual, small business or organization to keep up with.
Get a guest pinner or two to help you with your Pinterest page.
There are a lot of people out there that love travel and I’m sure at least a few would love to be part of your Pinterest boards.
