[10 on Tuesday] 10 Ways to Use Pinterest for Preservation

Social Media & Preservation10 Ways to Use Pinterest for Preservation

It’s where the corkboard on your wall meets your web favorites and becomes social -- bookmarking, with pictures, that you can share.

1. What is Pinterest, exactly? 

Photo Courtesy Sarah Heffern

Visit www.pinterest.com to sign up for an account, and use the built-in tools to identify your interests and find people to follow.

Tip: Take a moment to install the “Pin It” button that makes pinning fast and easy.

2. How do I use it? 

Photo Courtesy Sarah Heffern

Pinterest is a great way to show visually what your site, museum, or community is about. So when you’re planning your boards, think about what story you want to tell. Are you into “neato architecture”? Or maybe about “finding your cool”?

3. Create some boards. 

Once you've decided on what your story is, pin items -- from your website, partners (see item #9), or other sites -- that support the story you want to tell.

4. Pin. 

A big part of the culture of Pinterest is sharing, so be sure to watch the feed of the pinners you follow. If you have picked folks with similar interests and/or organizations within your community, you’ll find lots of pins to share -- or re-pin, as it's called.

5. And re-pin. 

Photo courtesy Sarah Heffern

Pinterest is a hub for wedding and event planning. So if your site, museum, or Main Streets hosts weddings and other social events, post as many pictures of it as you can, with links back to the related info on your website.

6. Say “I do.” 

Photos courtesy Lovestruck Images (www.lovestruckimages.com) via Woodlawn Plantation

Food is another popular topic on Pinterest, so use recipes to tell the story of your site or community.

7. Cook up interest in your site.

Photo Courtesy Sarah Heffern

If you don’t have wedding photos to share or your own tasty food, do you work with photographers and caterers when you’re hosting events? Of course you do! Coordinate with them to cross-promote their service at your site.

8. Think about your partners.

Courtesy of the Maravilla Historical Society. Photo by Steve Saldivar.

A great way to find more great things to pin is to use the search -- you'll find pins from people who have visited, or want to visit, your sites. Click through on their pins, and you may even make your way to blog posts or online reviews that say nice things. Re-pin those too!

9. Use the search function. 

Photo Courtesy Jeffrey Beall (denverjeffrey on Flickr)

Does your historic site or Main Street shop sell things online? Share them on Pinterest to give them additional visibility.

10. Expand your online store.

Photo courtesy Sarah Heffern

Ten on Tuesday features ten preservation tips each week. For more tips, visit blog.PreservationNation.org.