Brand Strategy for Pinterest Marketing
An interview with Branding and Pinterest Strategist Christina Willis. This blog is about brand strategy and using your business’ brand identity in your Pinterest Marketing. I had the opportunity to ask Brand Strategist and Pinterest Consultant Christina Willis, of C. Willis & Co., a few questions about brand strategy, using branding in your Pinterest Marketing efforts and what her top tips for Pinterest Marketers are.
Let’s dive in to my questions and Christina’s expert tips!
What is brand strategy for business?
Branding is more than just a logo, a product, a promise or a sum of all that is described. Marty Neumeier says it best that a brand is not what you say it is - it's what they (your customers/clients/audience) say it is. A brand is a result of all your efforts to become well known to your ideal customer and involves their gut feeling about what you as a business can provide them through your product, service, or company. A big thing to also know is that your brand also is a large part of your reputation.
Why is branding important for a business?
What businesses need to understand is that in order to market anything that you want to sell, you need to understand your message in order to communicate it better to the right person.
The first thing many business owners should know is that when someone comes in contact with your business, they are actually coming into contact with your brand as well - it doesn't matter the stage of contact, whether that be through an email sign up, on Instagram, Facebook or even Pinterest. They are coming in contact with who you are and what you create and therefore, they are forming their opinion about you at that very point.
Why is branding important for Pinterest Marketers?
Branding is important for Pinterest Marketers because we have to remember that much of our audience who discovers us on the Pinterest platform have no idea who we are or what we're about. That can make it very challenging for us when we're looking to grow and scale our business!
Remember that Pinterest is the vehicle that brings attention and traffic to your marketing funnel, but the business or brand must do all the heavy work to convert that audience into a paying customer, email subscriber, or life-long fan. That's why it’s important to make sure to establish cohesive branding on all touch points of your business because this helps to attract your ideal customer, it shows your business' core values, it sets you apart and helps to further establish your credibility in your niche or industry.
Please share your top branding tips for a business that wants to incorporate Pinterest in their marketing plan?
Who is your ideal client or customer: Really think deeply of this person and give them a name or add details to your ideal person such as their buying habits, their reading choices, their circle of friends, etc.
Understand your brand voice: what kind of words do you use? are you an in-depth writer or communicator who loves to add so much detail so your audience just gets it? make sure to add in personality that is unique to you and your business
Figure out what keywords you want to be known for in your business: eg. gluten-free baking, Pinterest marketing tips, or Shopify e-commerce
Keep your colors and fonts consistent: don't add random colors just to 'stand out' from the rest.
Be consistent on your platform of choice (in this case Pinterest) and don't try to be in too many places at once. Consistency matters in marketing and will help with your brand recognition
For fun...tell us why you love working on branding for Pinterest Marketers?
I love the branding on Pinterest because it allows me to bring beauty to this world in a manner that allows me to tap into my creativity in a very unique way. I almost want to say that what I do is very artistic - I am able to create something that doesn't constrict someone's way of interpretation of my design. I want when someone comes in contact with anything I create (blog post, video, Instagram content), to give them something to really think about. And with that, I think that is something all artists strive for with their creations.
For more information from Christina, CLICK HERE to head to her website!
Interested in more Pinterest Marketing and business tips? Here are a few blogs that may be helpful!
Story Pins are a hot topic, learn all about them here: A Guide to Pinterest Story Pins
Content Repurposing is a HUGE time saver, learn more here: My 4 Step Content Repurposing Workflow
Ready to get started? Get access to my workshop (no charge, no fluff) here: The Pinterest Essentials Workshop