The $14B Social Platform Your Competition Has Overlooked

These days, online marketing is about Facebook, Facebook, Facebook--but today, we're giving credit where credit is due: Pinterest.

This social channel made headlines recently when it went public on the stock market with ticker symbol PINS, but that's not the only reason we're bringing it up. Pinterest is one of the best social platforms for real estate, and that's without taking into consideration that on Pinterest, your posts don't have the instant irrelevance that they do on other social channels. If utilized correctly, your Pinterest content will stay relevant for months or years after you post it, allowing this under-utilized social platform to help you grow your social audience and drive quality buyers and sellers to your website.

Getting Started

First things first—to take advantage of Pinterest, you need to set up an account. Create a business profile and then identify any content you already have on your website that Pinterest users may find interesting. Divide your content into categories and make Pinterest boards to hold your content. Keep in mind that Pinterest is a very visual social platform, so high-quality images, flyers, and infographics will likely get the most mileage on your Pinterest account.

Some real estate topics Pinterest users may find interesting include house hunting tools, home renovation ideas, home decor, landscaping, and neighborhood hangouts. When creating this content, be sure to showcase how your real estate business fits into the lifestyle of buyers and sellers. For example, let Pinterest users looking at your renovation content know that you can find them a new home that fits their needs.

Building Your Presence

Try to incorporate more of these topics in your website's blog and pin the articles to your Pinterest board. Be sure to include a button on your blog and website that your visitors can use to share your content on Pinterest as well. This will help your content reach an ever broader audience.

Because your content may be shared by others, be sure your images include some form of branding so that as your images spread, people will know who the original source was and you can build brand recognition.

Advertising on Pinterest

You can also invest in Pinterest ads to reach a more targeted audience. To create an ad, visit ads.pinterest.com and select "Create ad." From there, the process is very similar to creating a Facebook ad. You start by choosing a campaign goal, such as website traffic or conversions, then you select your target group by determining what interests your audience has or keywords they search, as well as the locations and devices you want to include your ads in. From there, choose your budget and when you want your ad to run.

Once those details are taken care of, you can choose what pin you want to promote. Look for pins that were popular even without ads – they'll have a better chance of attracting the attention of the new people you reach. Also be sure the pin is linked back to a page on your website with lead capture capabilities. A landing page or lead capture form is ideal. Once you choose your pin, double check all the details, input your billing information, and wait for your ad to go live. It should be up within 24 hours, depending on when you set your ad to run.

For more help with the ins and outs of Pinterest for real estate, download the free eBook, Meeting the Challenge: Pinterest for Business. This guide will show you how to get started with Pinterest, offer ideas for engagement opportunities, and discuss how your brand can be present and gain followers.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.