Episode 30: Going Beyond the Basics with Pinterest for Your Yarn-Related Business with Cynthia Sanchez

This Week's Episode Back in February, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Cynthia Sanchez at the We All Grow Summit by Latina Bloggers Connect. Cynthia is a Pinterest marketing expert, so in this interview, we talked about taking your Pinterest use to the next level for your yarn-related business. (If you're just getting started on Pinterest, you may find Episode 2: 10 Ways to Use Pinterest to Grow Your Business helpful.) About Cynthia Sanchez Cynthia Sanchez has a background in healthcare as a nurse navigator. In 2011, she was interested in using social media to get the word out to patients, but since she didn't have an established online presence or a background in marketing, she decided to start up a personal blog first. Cynthia had recently begun using Pinterest and was finding that it was transforming her life, so it seemed like the perfect topic for her to explore through blogging. Cynthia soon became a recognized Pinterest marketing expert. In addition to hosting the Oh So Pinteresting podcast, she also speaks regularly at national conferences social media events. You can also subscribe to the Oh So Pinteresting podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.  About the Interview In this interview, Cynthia shared her advice for going beyond the basics in using Pinterest for reaching your target audience. Here are some of her suggestions. Take the time to develop a Pinterest strategy. Consider who you want to reach (your target audience), and then create boards populated with the types of images they want to see. Once you have established your overall strategy, you can think about the posting frequency/schedule that works for you. Consider different approaches to Pinterest boards based on your business's size and brand. Solopreneurs/micro business owners might share more personal interest boards than larger businesses, since the owner's personality may be considered part of the brand. Owners who have a business serving both B2B and B2C audiences might consider creating separate accounts to focus on different audiences. Businesses of all sizes may want to consider using more secret boards for interests that may divert attention from their core business activities. If you have multiple accounts, establish group boards to share crossover interests with both audiences. I do this with my Crochet Business Tips board, which is shared through my Underground Crafter and my Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show business accounts. Browse boards and pins in categories unrelated to your business. Yarn-related busienss owners may want to check out sports or history to see Pinterest with fresh eyes. Discover what appeals to you visually, and incorporate that into your own boards as well as into the images you share online. Cynthia also shared several recommendations. The Pinterest for Business blog is Cynthia's favorite resource for staying on top of Pinterest changes. Tailwind is the Pinterest scheduler and analytics tool Cynthia recommends for small businesses and bloggers. It is an approved Pinterest third party app and it has affordable pricing options. If you enjoyed this episode The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in March, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated. If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).