Issue: May/June 2012

Growing Pins


Three Northeast Ohio companies reveal their Pinterest secrets.
Consider it an online bulletin board. Find a tasty recipe, a DIY inspiration or a time-saving new product and “pin” it to your board for all to see and share. That’s the way Pinterest, with its highly visual content, has become the latest social media phenomenon, focusing more on interests than friends.

A growing number of companies are introducing their own pin-worthy content to engage customers. “It’s about raising the awareness of the Rock Hall,” says Todd Mesek, the museum’s vice president for marketing and communications. “[Our Pinterest followers] are steadily growing as people get the bug. You’ll hear terms like ‘addicted.’ ”

Here are three companies that are feeding the Pinterest addiction.

 Jo-Ann Stores | 7,457 followers  Davey Tree Expert Co. | 24 followers  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
| 78 followers
Pinterest’s predominantly female audience — some say 70 percent or more — makes Jo-Ann’s crafty inspirations a perfect fit for the medium. It’s home base for easy DIYs, fabric trends and cool craft tools. pinterest.com/joannstores Davey’s Pinterest page is a place for all varieties of tree love, from gardening inspiration and great nature photography to tree-inspired crafts and decor.
pinterest.com/daveytree 		 It’s a curator of rock artifacts. No, it’s an architectural wonder. No, it’s a top Cleveland tourist destination. On Pinterest, the Rock Hall gets to be all of these.
 pinterest.com/rockhall
WHY PINTEREST: When Jo-Ann Stores arrived on Pinterest nearly a year ago, “It was ‘Hey, this is fun, let’s try it,’ ” says Kimberly Cornuelle, Jo-Ann’s social media specialist. Now the company’s how-tos reinforce the Jo-Ann brand as crafting experts, with Cornuelle pinning three to four times a day.
 WHY PINTEREST: Words aren’t enough to appeal to the visually oriented landscaping industry. “Pinterest was a great way to create a visual representation of our business,” says Sandra Reid, Davey Tree manager, corporate communications and marketing. Plus: Clicking on a pin takes the user back to the content’s origin, which means more traffic for Davey Tree’s website and better SEO rankings.
 WHY PINTEREST: Not every music lover gets to visit. “But they’re hungry for what we have to say,” says the Rock Hall’s Todd Mesek. “The challenge and opportunity is to take [the Rock Hall experience] and give people a taste of it.”
GIVE AND TAKE: Inspiration goes both ways: Followers get craft ideas, while Jo-Ann Stores’ buyers watch re-pins to spot trends.   HOW IT’S UNIQUE: Pinterest doesn’t rely on friendship connections like other social media tools. “You don’t have to be friends first,” Reid says. “You just have to have similar interests.”
 SHARING THE LOVE: Mesek doesn’t just push out new content; he re-pins content from boards such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Travel Channel, as well as photos posted by Rock Hall visitors.
HER ADVICE: Cornuelle cautions businesses to avoid the sales pitch and instead offer inspiration. “Helpful hints will get you more engagement than just pinning products.”
 BE STRATEGIC: “Don’t just jump in because you think everyone else is there, so you should be too,” says Reid, whose every pin and re-pin is driven by a social media strategy that emphasizes the company’s position as the expert in its field. HIS ADVICE: Pinterest users want authenticity. “They know if you’re credible or not. They can sniff out a con job.” That means participating in the conversation, not just selling. 
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