Pinterest Tips For Photographers and Other Visual People.

Of all the Social Media I’m into, Pinterest has become my absolute undeniable favorite. Maybe it’s be cause I’m a visual person, I don’t know- but nothing can kill my free time and put a smile on my face like Pinterest can.

But am I really wasting my time?

There’s been a lot of talk online about the value of Pinterest, and the influence it is having on web traffic. Blog posts about the value of this new social sharing platform are popping up everywhere. I’ve read claims that  it is  driving more traffic for some types of sites than Facebook.  So, yes I’ve got my personal pin boards, but I am also lightly pinning my work in design and photography as well.

I think if your work is visual, then you will love Pinterest and should certainly be using it and having as much fun as me.  But since Pinterest is having such an impact, I’m noticing some things related to marketing that you should be aware of.

Tip #1

You can’t Pin from a Flash website.  If you are STILL running a flash website, then please, now is the time to move on.  Your visual content can’t be shared directly from your site, so your never going to benefit from Pinterest’s ability to drive traffic to your website.

Tip #2

WATERMARK YOUR IMAGES (If they are yours, of course).  People may Pin your work, so make sure if you’ve put it online , you’ve watermarked it. Brand your work, so that when it’s shared you are immediately credited, regardless if someone makes it to your website or not.

Tip #3

You can’t Pin from Vimeo.  No matter how much Vimeo is touted for being a better outlet for creatives and good filmography- you need a You Tube account.

Tip #4

Keep your marketing Pinboards at minimum.  Over selling yourself and your work is not bringing value to your followers.  Participate and Pin with care.  Contribute regularly, don’t just repin and like Twitter, Follow what you love.

Tip #5

Add Pinterest Social Media links to your website now. Encourage people to connect, share your work and see what you love.

Kevin Knebl Vancouver: Learning with Camera In Hand

Boy, am I spoiled.  I just photographed speaker and author  Kevin Knebl ‘s book signing and speaking event, part of a series/workshop by We Make Stuff Happen at the Sheraton in Guildford this week.   Between setting up my shots (which I shot like the last social media event, my 55-250, and 17-40 , using bounce flash and Neil Van Neikerk’s concept of the  “Black Foamie Thingy”), I learned some seriously valuable Linked IN info.  I use Linked In (connect with me here), but- I must admit that it’s kinda, well, last on my list of SM tools and I don’t really have that much time left over after all this photo editing and website building.  But because of Kevin and his natural ability to make you feel like you know him on a first name basis, his (funny) NJ style, and his SERIOUS SMARTS about Linked In (and any other way you connect with people) I’ve seen the light, so to speak.

Anyway, here’s some teasers- and a link to the Flickr Set. Oh, and Kevin starts the real training  session tomorrow as part of this really cool event- and there are still spaces available.