Nailing Pinterest: It's Not All Wedding Dresses and Desserts

PINTEREST:it’s not all wedding dresses and desserts

JACKIE VETRANO

social media coordinator

skidmore college@jackievetrano

#mcs1

HELLO!

I’m Jackie.∎ Daily social media manager/content creator∎ Creative support for the marketing team∎ Envelope pusher, outside-the-box thinker∎ Token millennial∎ Other duties as assigned

@jackievetrano #mcs1

MY TEAMAT SKIDMORE

∎ The Office of Communications and Marketing reports to its own VP∎ Photo, video, graphic design, news writing∎ Web team∎ 3 student workers∎ Skidmore blog….coming soon!


DEPARTMENT GOALS

∎ Engage prospective students and turn them into applicants∎ Drive alumni to give to Skidmore outside of peak ask-times


FIND

Consider your team and other resources on campus. Who can help you move forward on your project?

SUPPORT@jackievetrano #mcs1

YOUR PINTEREST NOWDo a quick audit of your institution’s Pinterest account


I forgot the

password

My intern uses it

I pin… kinda

Lookin’ good!

YAAAS KWEEN


I forgot the

password

My intern uses it

I pin… kinda

Lookin’ good!

YAAAS KWEEN

Determine where you want to be on the line, and commit to it.


TRIVIATIMEIt’s never too early for audience participation.


The main demographic of Pinterest users is middle-aged women.


FALSE.Pinterest has over 150 million monthly active users, growing faster over the past 3 years than Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

The number of male users doubled in 2014, and now 40% of new signups are men.

Over 50% of millennials in the US are on Pinterest to plan their future.


You should delete pins if they don’t see engagement over the first three months.


FALSE.Pins could take weeks, months, or years (ouch) to gain ground.

Those who delete multiple pins see lower repin and follower growth rates.

Delete pins only if they head to a broken link or have a low-quality image.


Pinterest success is best measured by the number of followers you have.


FALSE...ISH.A successful account has a high number of engaged followers.

Success can be better measured by number of repins, pins from your domain, or traffic to your domain.

Choose a means of measuring analytics with Google Analytics or Pinterest Analytics and measure consistently.


PINTERESTBUZZWORDSBefore we move on, there’s some lingo you should know.


SMARTFEED∎ Home base∎ No longer “everything” chronologically∎ Optimized based on user interests



BUSINESS ACCOUNT∎ Opposite of a personal account∎ Allows access to analytic reporting∎ Can promote pins (ca-ching)




PROMOTED PINS∎ Synonym for advertisement∎ Pin is more likely to be seen based on

pre-selected keywords




PROMOTED PINS∎ Synonym for advertisement∎ Pin is more likely to be seen based on

pre-selected keywords

RICH PINS∎ Pin provides more information than only a

caption∎ Seen most often with recipes and articles.∎ Requires additional metadata to activate


THE

Step 1: Attend #mcs1 presentationStep 2: ?Step 3: PROFIT!

PROCESS@jackievetrano

#mcs1

WHAT DO WE HAVE?


∎ Created without an initial strategy∎ Many boards with few pins, or ones that

did not resonate with the audience□ Notable alumni: all headshots with

no links□ Athletics: individual action shots

lacking a story□ Commencement: should have been

a photo gallery∎ Wasn’t included in the weekly content

planning as a platform∎ Usually given to the intern

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

∎ Does this board have a purpose? Does it tell a story?∎ Are these pins quality - the image, caption, and link it directs to?∎ Can these pins be combined with another board?

Here’s where you’ll start to get inspired. Write it down!


USING SEARCH TERMS


∎ Google Search on skidmore.edu∎ Analyzed roughly 700 search terms∎ Used as inspiration for boards that will

resonate with our audience: □ Employment, student employment,

jobs, internships□ Visit, campus visit, campus map□ Study abroad, spring break□ Dining hall, dining, food

QUALITY IDEAS FOR BOARDS


NEW IDEAS


SKIDMORE DINING HALL RECIPES

Collaborate with award-winning dining services and pin recipes that someone can do at home.

SKIDMORE AROUND THE WORLD

Combine images taken by Skidmore community and photos of locations for study abroad and alumni travel program in one board.

LIVING AT SKIDMORE

Show off award-winning residence halls and combine with “lifehacks” for living on campus.

NEW IDEAS


SKIDMORE SQUIRRELS

Because every campus thinks they have the crazy ones.

GETTING A JOB AFTER SKIDMORE

Collaborate with the Career Development Center to provide helpful resources to panicked seniors.

GET FIT WITH SKIDS

Infographics of Skids the Thoroughbred demonstrating workout routines, developed by Skidmore coaches.

OTHER IDEASUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

UMich outwardly cross-promoted its social channels, and it’s working.The pins are not only images, but link directly to the UMich social media blog.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR

UMHB leveraged their blog content on Pinterest on the “College Tips and Hacks” board - a common search term on Pinterest.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Not only does each board include “UNH” or “Wildcat,” but it is a great showcase of the culture of the campus.


CREATING A CALENDAR


NEXT MONTH∎ What will the trends be?

Consider holidays, fads, and events on campus.

∎ Pins take some time to gain traction, which requires some planning.

HOW TO THINKIN THE FUTURE

∎ Pinterest content takes some time to create.

∎ What’s coming up in the next few months?


CALENDAR IDEASSEPTEMBERPins to Promote

∎ Organization for school/notesTrending Topics

∎ Campus photography: fall∎ Halloween∎ High school juniors: PSAT testing tips

Keep in Mind∎ Thanksgiving∎ Study tips (midterms)∎ Holiday gifts

OCTOBERPins to Promote

∎ Halloween∎ Fall recipes

Trending Topics∎ Campus photography: fall/winter∎ Thanksgiving∎ Skidmore apparel

Keep in Mind∎ Holiday gifts∎ Winter opportunities abroad


A PIN-FRIENDLY WEBSITE


∎ Will add your profile photo to anything pinned from your website

∎ Access to analytics∎ How to: help.pinterest.com/en/articles/confirm-your-

website□ Or, visit help.pinterest.com and search “confirm your

website.”

CONFIRM YOUR WEBSITE


Place your screenshot here

Rich Pins add extra details to pin descriptions from the website.

∎ Movie∎ Recipe∎ Article∎ Product∎ Place

ENABLE RICH PINS


Place your screenshot here

Rich Pins add extra details to pin descriptions from the website.

∎ Movie∎ Recipe∎ Article∎ Product∎ Place

ENABLE RICH PINS


STEP BY STEPADD METADATA

∎ Determine the type of pin you will be creating □ article, movie, place, product, recipe

∎ Use Open Graph or Schema.org to input required fields in <body>

∎ Help: developers.pinterest.com/docs/rich-pins/overview/

APPLY FOR RICH PINS∎ Enter your metadata-rich URL into the validator:

developers.pinterest.com/tools/url-debugger/∎ Sit and wait


MANEUVERING CONTENT


STARTAfter you find inspiration, talk with your team and collaborators, and build your calendar, get started.

CREATING@jackievetrano

#mcs1

IMAGES∎ Portrait instead of

landscape∎ Use quick-and-

dirty design apps to save time:

□ Canva□ Adobe Spark

∎ Collaborate with your team and outside of it for consistent pins @jackievetrano

#mcs1

PIN CAPTIONSSKIP THE HASHTAGPinterest is a search engine, and doesn’t need hashtags to categorize content.

HAVE A VOICEFocus on the feel of your campus. Academic tips and hacks will do well, but a focus on community and culture will speak to your audience.

LONG, BUT SHORTA recommended length is 300 characters. Make this descriptive, and don’t forget your institution’s name.


WHEN TO PIN∎ Pinning more often will lead to a larger following∎ Experts say to pin 10-20 pins each day, upwards of 30 results in

repin numbers dipping∎ Have a realistic understanding of daily workload∎ Start with 5 pins each day, and grow when you can∎ Use a scheduling tool to help carry the load


PROMOTED PINS

Put your money where your brand is.


WHAT IT TAKESPERFECT TIMINGLook back at your Pinterest content calendar and think, “what is on trend right now?” These are the pins you should be promoting, or the ones on the horizon.

SPECIFIC KEYWORDSPick “interest(s)” your pin falls under, such as art, outdoors, or technology and pair it with unlimited keywords you provide.

A GOOD REASONMaybe you want to see what happens, or maybe your blog has some amazing content you want to get out there. Either way, set a goal before you start promotion.


∎ Pinterest provides analytics including CTR, CPM, CPC, pins, impressions, etc.

∎ Combine with effective use of Google Analytics’ Campaign Builder for a clear idea of traffic

□ Include a conversion goal, where possible

ASSESSING SUCCESS


WHAT COMES NOW?

This is the “takeaway” part. Get your phones ready.


NEXT STEPSNEXT SEMESTERCalendar implemented as collaborative opportunities between departments grow. Keep checking analytics and adjust accordingly.

NEXT MONTHIdeas for new Pinterest boards created, considering campus culture and tradition, as well as analytics found on Pinterest. These ideas are shaped into a calendar, with upcoming events and fads in mind.

NEXT WEEKPinterest account audited: What should stay, be edited or combined, or deleted completely?


PINTEREST:it’s not all wedding dresses and desserts

JACKIE VETRANO

social media coordinator

skidmore college@jackievetrano

#mcs1