In this episode of Adventures in Visibility, Joan Stewart aka The Publicity Hound shares how you can get new followers and traffic to your blog from Pinterest, even if you don’t have a business that lends itself to sexy images.

In fact, you don’t need stunning photos or a sexy topic to attract followers on Pinterest.  Joan goes through the steps she uses to create images of helpful how-to tips, even for the most boring topics, using nothing more than PowerPoint, and then cross-promotes each tip to her blog, website, or a social media site.

Joan Stewart’s Pinterest board of free publicity tips has had the number 1 ranking on Google search for her primary keyword phrase for several months. She explains what she does, how she does it, and how you can too.

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• 142 Pinterest Board Ideas for Your Business

Publicity expert Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound, works with business owners who want to use traditional and social media to establish their credibility, position themselves as experts, and build a loyal following.

Check out the comments and post-show Q&A on the Google+ Event page.

For your convenience, the mp3 is included below:

Stephan Hovnanian wrote up a great summary of the Hangout so I’m including it here to give you more insights to the terrific ideas Joan shared with you.

Be sure to visit Joan Stewart’s website, The Publicity Hound and follow her on Google+ and Pinterest! To get Joan’s step-by-step guide and cheat sheets for how she creates her Pins, click here.

 To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and follow me on Google+. Be sure to let me know you want to be added to my Adventures in Visibility Notification Circle so you get the invitation directly through Google+.

The post How to Use Pinterest for Dull, Academic or Yucky Topics – Adventures in Visibility with Joan Stewart appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

But what if you blog about a topic that’s not inherently visual (like food, art, interior design, travel, etc.)? 

What kind of Pinterest Boards can you create if you don’t have a visual business?

The infographic below gives you 142 Pinterest Board Ideas. There are easily dozens you could use in your business…

Infographic created by Launch Grow Joy.

 Still not sure what kind of boards to create for your business? Join me for Adventures In Visibility where I’ll be chatting with Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, about how she uses Pinterest to rank #1 on Google (and she doesn’t use pretty images) for one of her top keyword phrases.  Click here to RSVP (free).

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To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and follow me on Google+. Be sure to let me know you want to be added to my Adventures in Visibility Notification Circle so you get the invitation directly through Google+.

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In this Hangout, I experimented with the screen sharing tool to demonstrate a simple way to promote your events on Pinterest, and the one mistake you do not want to make with your images. There were also questions about using Google+ Hangouts which I answered in the second half of the video.

Sites mentioned:

• Pinstamatic
• List of sites for creating quote images
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What tips and topics would you like to see covered in future Adventures in Visibility Hangouts? Post them in the comments below. Thanks!

The post Adventures in Visibility Hangout – Pinterest Tip [video] appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

But what if you’re not particularly techie or you’re graphically challenged (like me)?

I’ve found and use four online apps that make creating quote graphics as easy as “copy, paste and click.”

Pinwords

Upload your own image or use one of the backgrounds provided by Pinwords. Choose your text style, type your text and click the Pin It button. If you want to save the image and use upload it to Facebook or use it on your blog, right click on the image and save it to your computer.

Pinstamatic

I use this site a lot. You can create images from websites, create quotes, sticky note reminders, a Twitter profile image, a date on a calendar, or upload your own image. I use it to create all these types of images. For quotes, you have six styles and fonts from which to choose. Again, to use it on your blog or Facebook, don’t forget to save it to your computer.

 Quozio

I recently discovered this quote graphic site. Again, it can’t get easier than this: type or paste your quote text, add the name of who said it and then choose the image or background you want for the quote. Pin and save to your computer. Quozio has a bit better selection of images than some of the other freebie sites.

Picmark

This site is great for branding, watermarking or adding a caption to your own images. Upload your image, choose the frame style you like (color and font), add your text, pin it, and save.

All of these quote graphic sites can be used to boost your visibility on Facebook and Pinterest. Not only can you create interesting quotes, you can use the sites to create images that promote your webinars, programs, books, and events. You’re only limited by your imagination. [I’ve linked to some of the ways I’ve used quote graphics throughout the post.]

UPDATE: I’ve created a list of sites on List.ly. Feel free to add your own favorites as well.

If there are other easy quote graphic sites you use, please post the URLs in the comments. And, share your ideas about how you use quotes on social networking sites and your blog.

The post Four Super Easy Ways to Create Quote Graphics for Facebook, Pinterest and Your Blog appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

We all know everyone’s been talking about Pinterest – that it’s the fastest growing site on the Internet, that it sends more referral traffic to websites than Twitter now, and, of course, how it’s been storming the social media world. Are there good reasons why you as business bloggers should be paying attention? Below are 5 great reasons why

1. #3 Is Not The Loneliest Number

As of March, Pinterest is the number 3 social media website, right after Facebook and then Twitter. What does it mean to be #3? It means that in the month of March, Pinterest received 104 million visits (not unique visitors) – right after Twitter’s 182 million and Facebook’s 7 billion. (Yes, that says 7 billion! But that’s another story.) So if you’re investing tons of time on LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, or anything else, perhaps it’s time to shift a little effort in the direction of Pinterest. 

Maybe you’re thinking that if everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, it doesn’t mean you should do it too. Well, when it comes to popular social media channels, yes, it does! You should go where the audience goes. If your audience is on Pinterest, get to steppin’! Set up an account on Pinterest and go through the process of creating a keyword-friendly profile. Then look through the pins and get started! Denise has a great article in her archives on how to get started.

2. Traffic To Your Posts

When you share your blog posts on Pinterest, you can get some crazy boosts to your website traffic. Why? Each of your pins from your blog leads back to your website, so Pinterest users can read the articles.  Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which depend on the user to see your article in their news feed, Pinterest encourages users to search by category, and also to follow BOARDS by category, not just follow users only. So your article topic will be found faster, and by a more engaged audience.

It doesn’t mean EVERYTHING you post should be from your own site – just like all other social media sites, you need to interact with others and share other content throughout the web besides your own. But creating a board with your own content is a great way for people to share your stuff – and when you’re interacting with others, they’ll check out YOUR boards and hopefully share and repin!

3. A Whole New Audience

Pinning your content isn’t enough. Much like when you started on Twitter, you’re going to want to follow people with similar interests, or interesting boards and comment on their pins, and get to know them a little. Many Pinterest users aren’t going to be people who already know you on Twitter and Facebook, thus giving you a new opportunity to reach a more visual crowd. Yes, you can connect with those Facebook and Twitter people – but the real gem of expansion here is to start following and commenting on people you’ve never heard of – do a search on your topic and check out the individual pins that pop up and then start sharing and commenting on them. Your audience will grow before you know it!

4. Amazing Market Research

You can really learn a lot by seeing what people are pinning from your site. If one article is being pinned like crazy, and other things aren’t getting as much attention, perhaps that’s a subject you should spend more time on. You can put your website address into this link and see what’s been pinned from your website – it can be very telling. http://pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite.com

When you use this link, Pinterest will pull all the images that have ever been pinned from your website. You’ll get to see what people are moved by – and what they aren’t. Take note and change accordingly – it’s visual proof that the track you’re traveling down is the right one.

5. A Much More Well-Rounded Branding Experience

I’ve been saying for years that people should marry more the personal with the professional online. I personally get way more business when I reveal more personal things about myself through my blog, or when I admit I got a run in my pantyhose, or showed a recipe that I DIDN’T ruin, or whatever. People are then invested in YOU – your successes and failures – business or otherwise. Your audiences on social media channels can be more interested in the personal aspects of what’s going on with you and your business, and Pinterest is a great way to show them the personal – maybe more so than Facebook.

A board on Pinterest can be a collection of your favorite things – your favorite entrepreneurs, your favorite products, your wishlists – and often times, those are the things that get the most attention, shares and repins. I personally have boards showing products I can’t live without, famous quotes, pictures of personal heroes, and so on. They help the audience really feel invested in you – and in turn, it creates a more loyal readership and customer base.

Want more in-depth info? Jessica and her partner in Badass Biz, Sammi Johnson will be sharing the nitty gritty on how to use Pinterest for Business Blogs April 25 during a FREE 1 hour training! This webinar will fill up fast. Get details and register here now.

About the Author:
Jessica Kupferman is the Founder and Technotherapist of Badass Biz – a design, marketing and tech firm that helps small biz owners implement low cost and easy solutions to market their digital badassery. Always plugged into the latest in social media and design technology, Jessica is a creative and engaging expert web designer, branding specialist, speaker, and gifted social media strategist.
 

The post Top 5 Reasons You Need To Use Pinterest With Your Blog appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.