Using Pinterest to Market Your Craft

If you have not yet heard of Pinterest it is time to join the craze!  I understand some of the hesitation.  I even thought, "Not another thing!" when I first heard about Pinterest.  Well, the reality is that it is making a difference for my personal blog traffic and it is doing wonders for crafters who rely upon word of mouth or sites like iCraftGifts.com to sell their products. 

(An example of one of my most recent popular pins.  Vivid picture with text.)

Pinterest works well because it can be very niche specific.  Pinners follow each other (friends from Facebook, Gmail, etc) and are generally like-minded.  Once you get your craft out there other people can find it by searching or by seeing it in a friend's stream.  This is where the fun starts!  Friends and followers can "repin" the item that they like to organized boards.  For instance, I have a board that is dedicated totally to recipes called "Get in My Belly".  I designate any yummy recipes to be filed onto that board.

(a screen shot of my recipe Pinterest board)

If you take a quick look you will see that Pinterest is full of fun craft ideas as well as recipes.  Actually, it seems that the majority of items being pinned are creative and fun!  So, Pinterest automatically becomes a wonderful place to promote your craft and what you are about.

Source: emmalinebride.com via petit_elefant on Pinterest

Here are a few tips for making Pinterest work for you:

1. Build your followers.  First things first.  You have to build followers.  Pinterest allows you to automatically follow Facebook friends, Gmail contacts and Yahoo! contacts.  Make sure to follow them and soon others will start to follow you back.  While you are at it, make sure to add the "Pin It" button to your site.
2. Start Organizing.  Make your boards work for you.  Organize items that make you happy!  Amongst those items start to add some of your product here and there.  Make sure to add the "Pin It" button to your browser bar so that you can pin directly from your website (you want it to link back).
3. Take Eye Catching Pictures.  Pinterest is all about the visual!  It is an absolute MUST that you take photos that are clear, bright and fun. 
4. Add Text.  Text can really make your pictures stand out when they are flowing through the Pinterest stream.  If you do not have Photoshop you can always use the free PicMonkey.com website to add text to your picture.
5. Be Relevant.  Pinterest is such an ever changing social media form that you really have to be relevant.  There is no time to post something about spring in the middle of the fall.  Pinterest users are generally searching for something that is current or coming up in the next month.
6. Find Like Minded "Pinners".  Not only will it make the experience more enjoyable, but you can ask to be invited to Pin to their boards.  This can broaden your own fan base and number of pins for crafts you have created.  If you have a few other fellow iCraft friends maybe you could create a board together?!

Source: tidymom.net via Amy on Pinterest

Looking for a few good places to start?

Here are a some great boards and groups to follow.  They offer fantastic ideas that are extremely popular.  You will notice that their images are striking and tips are easy to follow.

DIY Dozen.  This is a group board of 12 of the most influential bloggers in the DIY/Crafting world!  Make sure to follow along and see the way they use Pinterest.

Amy Locurto's Gift and Craft Ideas for Holidays.  She has everything from printables to craft ideas that are fun for the entire family.

petit_elephant's Holiday Ideas. I love her blog and absolutely adore this board!  There are so many cute craft ideas and excellent pictures.

Amanda Padgett's Holiday Recipes and Crafts.  Amanda includes everything from Christmas to Easter in this gorgeous, crafty board.  Not to mention, the recipes look delicious!

Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I am curious to see how many of you are using Pinterest and how well it is working for you.  Please leave your thoughts, questions and comments below.  Make sure to follow along with iCraft on Pinterest as well!

Image Credits: Pinterest