You probably won’t need an actual tutorial on how to set up the account because it’s a simple matter of entering your email address, choosing a password, and then confirming your address through the email that Pinterest sends back to you. Once you do that, you can choose your interest and start looking for some inspiration! Since Pinterest works both as a search engine and a social media, the keywords you type into the search bar will produce much better results than Google image search ever could. You’ll get beautifully curated bathroom ideas, luxurious living room designs, modern color schemes, and all of those can be saved on Pinterest boards. Create your first board and then simply start pinning images that motivate you to get creative.
Following other designers
If you already know all the basic steps, one thing to remember is to follow the right people. While Pinterest itself often makes suggestions that you might find interesting, it’s important to search for famous designers that you know and love because this is an easy way to improve your craft and find excellent reference pictures. Profiles such as House & Garden, Kate La Vie, and Wild & Grizzly are some great examples of what you can find. To start, write down the name of all the people who’ve inspired your work, and then go through the list by searching through Pinterest. Chances are you’ll find that many of these people have their own profiles on there, and now you’ll be able to use them to your advantage.Once you start following enough people, your home page will be full of gorgeous pictures. Get into the habit of sitting down and opening Pinterest first thing in the morning, while you sip on your coffee. Browse through it leisurely, save the images that you like, and let your mind slowly conjure ideas.
Organizing things according to boards
Sometimes Pinterest tends to make us click and save almost mindlessly, and this kind of thing can end up looking very disorganized. After all, you don’t want to have to go through a thousand pictures to find that one bathroom design that you like and that you want to use. Prevent this by simply dividing your boards according to rooms, colors, or styles. Bear in mind that you can save a picture to more than one board, so those rustic towel racks that you liked can be saved both under “bathrooms” and “vintage chic.” You can also organize your boards according to your clients—discuss their tastes with them, and then make a special board that you can use as an inspiration just for their home.
Vision boards for clients
Of course, these client boards can be used with actual clients, too. Have you ever talked to a person and had trouble describing your vision to them? Well, making a Pinterest board that closely resembles your idea can help you show them exactly what you mean when you say you want to incorporate a new color scheme into their living room. Sit them down, show them your board, and let them add to it if they like where your vision is going.
Using Pinterest to increase traffic to your site
Another great way to use Pinterest is to increase traffic to your original site. So many people fail to grasp just how useful it can be to get you those clicks! To begin, start by switching your personal account to a business account, and add a keyword after your name. For example, “Sam Smith, interior designer.” Having a keyword after your name will make your pins pop up in search results for other people more frequently, and you’ll start topping the charts and becoming a more popular microblog. Of course, to increase traffic you must make your own custom posts, so make sure that everything you post has a functional link that can take people back to your site where they’ll be able to browse through your designs. It’s also okay to link back to your Facebook page or something similar if you don’t yet have a site.
Using your own images
One thing you need to make a Pinterest post is a picture to upload, so if you want to showcase your work, snap photographs of your design and upload them. Feel free to use filters and mood lighting to make it more flattering, and try sticking to high-definition images. Another tip is to use vertical instead of horizontal photos. They simply take up more Pinterest real estate and look better on the site, and they’re also much more attention-grabbing.
Adding text overlay
This can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s actually one of the most sure-fire ways to get people to click on your pin. A pretty picture can certainly catch the eye, but having a transparent overlay description with a catchy title will make you stand out from the rest. Something as simple as this can really make a huge difference because it tells the people what your post is about, and they’ll appreciate the info. Instead of just pinning your picture to their board and never looking at it again, they’ll want to click on the URL link that leads to your site and read through your text or blog post. You can make these kinds of overlays in CSS on your site, or you can use Photoshop or similar photo editing tools. It doesn’t require much skill to do it, so just fiddle around with it and see what you come up with.
Hashtags and keywords
Pinterest can pull information and labels from your site into theirs, so it’s important to use keywords for all your blog posts and on the captions underneath your photos. You should also use relevant keywords when making a Pinterest post, so try using simple words that present the post as it is. Don’t title a bathroom “an oasis of peace,” title it with something that uses the word “bathroom” in the title. That way people will actually be able to find it when they search for specific room designs.Hashtags are also pretty useful simply because they generate buzz and they’re a popular social media tool. It’s a good idea to link your social media profiles to your original site, so share all your posts through Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pinterest and purchases
Another way to use Pinterest is to find your next ideal purchase. When you’re browsing through images on your home page and something catches your eye, it’s very likely that clicking on the URL provided with the picture will take you to a site where you can buy it. Many stores have Pinterest pages and their pins link directly to a site that you can browse to make a purchase. Again, if you organize your boards according to specific clients, you’ll be able to immediately find that sofa that they really loved, or get them that beautiful framed mirror that caught their attention.Pinterest is a wonderful tool for a graphic designer. You can use it both as a source of inspiration, but also to promote your business and make it more profitable. It’s time to make an account and start benefiting from all those pins!