*Disclosure: In this post I mention a conference that I earn a commission from when tickets are purchased through links from this site. This adds no additional cost to you and I thank you for your support.**
It has been said that man cannot survive on bread alone. While not as spiritually profound, it can also be said that businesses cannot thrive by Pinterest alone when implementing a social media marketing strategy. I have been asked that given Pinterest’s power to generate traffic and sales, if it would be wise to focus on Pinterest rather than other social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
My response to this is no way! While I am a HUGE advocate for Pinterest, I don’t believe that other sites should be ignored or abandoned in most situations.
Sure, Pinterest is an incredible tool for businesses but if they have already established a following on another network there is no reason not to continue those online relationships.
Share the Love on Facebook
What I do recommend is to cross-promote social networks and be active on the ones that are best suited to your business. Leverage the audience you’ve already built.
You might have a casual Facebook or Twitter follower who happens to be a Pinterest super user so why not invite them to follow your Pinterest account too?
While you can’t share pins directly to your business’s Facebook page, you can post a link to a pin or a repin on a business page.
Simply copy the URL and paste it into a new Facebook post. You could also include something that says “Did you know we’re on Pinterest too? For more about_______ follow our _________ Pinterest board”
You can even upload a picture to Facebook that represents your business and invite your Facebook followers to follow your entire account on Pinterest. To do this, simply leave a link to your account with the image post.
Hispanic Kitchen does a great job of this. Occasionally, they will encourage their 65,000 facebook fans to follow them on Pinterest. People seem to appreciate this too. This single post was shared on Facebook 130 times.
Share the Love on Twitter
Sharing to Twitter is even easier. Just click on the share button in the top right hand corner of a pin then click the Twitter tab that appears.
If you are not logged in to your Twitter account you will be prompted to do so then a tweet with the pin’s description and link to the pin will be generated. You can always customize the message with hashtags and other text before tweeting.
Make Plans
Given the incredible number of people that are on multiple sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google+ and Linkedin, focusing only on one social network probably isn’t the best choice. Give you customers, clients or readers a choice and develop plan for each platform.
In the case of my business, I have a presence on all of those networks but focus on the ones I get the most engagement and return from. I use each one in a different way. For example, the Facebook account has evolved as a way for me to answer questions and engage with readers and customers outside of the blog.
Twitter has been great for me to connect with others in the social media world. I participate in and learn a lot from weekly Twitter chats.
Get Out, Interact and Learn
To effectively cross promote on other platforms, there is a bit of a learning curve for each one. One of the best ways I have found to getting a jump on learning these platforms is to attend events and conferences.
Through MeetUp.com, I have found groups that hold monthly meetings about different social networks in my local area. Attending these meetings has been great not only for me to build an understanding of the different networks but also to meet people in many different lines of work which has led new friendships, business contacts and sales. Good old-fashioned in person social networking is still important.
Conferences have also been incredible in helping me learning the in’s and out’s of some these platforms. The next one I’m attending is Social Results Summit (affiliate link). This one is unique in that it is focused on Facebook. As much as my heart belongs to Pinterest, I understand and appreciate the importance Facebook can have in marketing a business, even one based on Pinterest.
What drew me to the conference is the speaker line up. All 3 contributing authors to the book Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies along with Facebook pro, Isaac Wardell, will be presenting sessions there. Andrea Vahl, Phyllis Khare and Amy Porterfield literally wrote the book about Facebook marketing so why not learn from the best, right?
As with anything in life, balance is what is best. Whether it be in our diet or resources dedicated to social networks, including variety can lead to optimal results. It would be great to see you at the Social Results Summit. Let me know if you’ll be attending it would be fun to squeeze in a bit of time to talk about Pinterest too!
Do you cross promote your social networks? Which are you most active on?
