Pinterest may be the greatest social media site ever created for residential plumbing service contractors. Not only is it the fastest growing social media site, it’s the most female centric, with a lot of women searching for home improvement ideas.
Consider the following:
-Depending on source, Pinterest is 70% to 80% women.
-The number one pinboard is the home (17%), according to R J Metrics.
-The most popular names for boards are “For the Home,” “My Style” and “Products I Love” (also according to R J Metrics).
-It is considered one of the best sources of traffic to women’s magazines. Retailers also consider it a major source of traffic.
How it works
Pinterest is organized by boards. Each board is a topic. Users pin pictures on the boards that they find on the Internet or upload from their computers. Each picture is complemented by a 500 character description and a website URL. As a business, it’s important that you include your company name, phone number and URL in your descriptions. You can even include Twitter hashtags, such as #plumbing.
Users who like the picture can repin it onto one of their boards. In this way, a pin can become viral. Users can also “like” a picture and, depending on the settings, comment on it. This helps create interaction for a sense of community. Users can also follow other users or boards.
Local, business boards
As a service contractor, you are interested in local followers. That makes your Pinterest strategy two-fold. You must create boards to attract local followers and boards to drive those local users to your website when interested in the products or services you offer.
Some of the options for local boards are area attractions, events, school related, restaurants, articles from local newspapers, and so on. To find them, search for the town name, school name, etc., on Pinterest. By repining, you will help build your following. Make sure you include the town name in your board titles and pin descriptions.
Show images of products you have installed, but show the products as décor. Before and after shots are especially popular. The more focused you can make each board, the better. Create separate boards for faucets, kitchens, bathrooms, water heaters, disposals, handicap accessible products, etc.
How to and educational boards are popular. You can take images of a video and link to the video. Don’t worry about teaching someone how to DIY. Homeowners who really want to DIY are going to find a way. If your how to board looks too complicated, skilled or requires special equipment, the homeowner is not going to tackle the job, though she will consider you an expert. Let people see why a camera can help. Show them how a jetter works. Show all of the wrong ways to braze as well as the right one. Homeowners are not going to buy a torch because of your video.
Show a sequence of the steps involved in a kitchen or bath remodel. Homeowners worry about the mess and time required. Show how you can transform a kitchen rapidly and painlessly.
Show pictures of your employees with descriptions about them. Show pictures of your company in action. Create a savings board with coupons and special offers.
Create a board with FAQs. These can be FAQs about your company, about a service, about a product, about anything.
Create topic-centric boards, such as water quality, solar thermal, rainwater collection systems, radiant heating, radon, etc. Pin images from government sites with informational pamphlets that people can download.
Getting started
Social media is ultimately social. That means human. Be human. Don’t be afraid to share something about yourself. Personal boards can include motivational or inspirational quotes, photography, things to do with kids, practical household tips, recipes and so on. Be creative.
Like any form of social media, spend some time on Pinterest. Check out other users’ boards. Learn the nuances. Then, dive in. It helps you show the right audience how you can make their lives better and their homes more attractive.
Matt Michel is CEO of the Service Roundtable, which is the website for cutting edge plumbing ideas from the leaders in the industry. Visit www.ServiceRoundtable.com or call 877.262.3341 for a free tour.