When I was thinking about who our target market was going to be when I launched my Pinterest Management plans, I didn't really consider other Virtual Assistants, but I did think about coaches, course creators, bloggers, and other online service providers. Why was that? Why did I not consider my own people?
As I was thinking about it this morning, the most inquiries I've had so far have been from Virtual Assistants/Executive Assistants wanting to know how it could work for them. I think I hadn't really considered them because I thought, well, won't they just do it themselves?
But of course, most of us like to stay in our lane and stick to the speciality we have chosen and so it makes sense that, like outsourcing bookkeeping, why can't a Virtual Assistant not outsource Pinterest if it's not their area of expertise? Or their entire digital marketing plan for that matter!
So, with that in mind, I wrote an article about it! If you're not a VA but you are in the online space in another way, keep reading - this is still completely relevant to you!
8 Reasons Why Virtual Assistants NEED To Be On Pinterest
Reach an international audience: Within New Zealand where I am based, while Virtual Assistants are not a new thing, the awareness of what we do is still pretty limited. The amount of people I have met who do not know what a VA is or does, is amazing. Since 2020 we are definitely getting to be a more well-known industry, but in the meantime - reaching an international audience who are more aware of who we are and what we do is an advantage. Being... virtual (I promise we are real people, but we work online!) depending on our area of expertise, we can often work with anybody, anywhere in the world, and those people can be hard to reach on traditional social media platforms, whereas Pinterest is much easier to reach the right people wherever in the world they may be.
Reach a whole NEW audience: Let's be honest. It can be hard to reach even a local audience on Facebook and Instagram these days. It can be done (I wouldn't have a job if it couldn't!), but it takes a lot of work. That's not to say Pinterest is easy, but it's a completely different audience, searching for specific things in a hugely untapped (in New Zealand at least) market. They WANT to see what services you have to offer.
Increase traffic to your website: Come on, who doesn't want more website traffic? Where other platforms want to keep you on their site and make it hard to send you anywhere else, think of Pinterest more like a really pretty Google search. It's a search engine and it WANTS to show you other stuff, and each "pin" is carefully created to be aesthetically pleasing and draw "pinners" in, then direct them to your website. So that blog you wrote on bookkeeping or whatever your niche may be, will catch their eye, and once they click on that pretty image you made, they are instantly whisked off to your website to read in more detail.
It's amazing for lead generation: Got a lead magnet or other freebie you need to get more eyes on? Pin it on Pinterest!! Using the right keywords and imagery you can get more people finding you and requesting your lead magnet, and (provided you've set it up right) jumping into your flow from freebie to your email list and one day maybe even a client!
Encourage people to get in touch: The same goes for links to your Discovery Calls - pin it, use the right words, and link potential new clients to your booking page.
Increase your own knowledge: Us VAs are pretty knowledgeable, right? But there is a huge wealth of experience and knowledge on Pinterest. You don't know what you don't know, and it's a great way to upskill and find new tricks and ways to do tasks within your own business. Not everything is about selling, learning is good, too!
Showcase your niche and expertise: Creating attractive pins with the right keywords is everything on Pinterest. But do it right, show off what services you offer, and make it easy for your ideal client to find you.
Reach an audience who understands what a Virtual Assistant is: Like I said, Virtual Assistants aren't super well known here in New Zealand. It's growing, and it's growing fast, but overseas we are much better understood, and those people are likely to be on Pinterest, as again, Pinterest is much better utilised overseas. Even within New Zealand, on Pinterest, you will see a lot more about virtual services, and you will find Pinners are much more aware of what we do and how we can help them.
What do you think? I'd highly recommend you look into it, but I say that with one warning (actually, two).
One: Pinterest is most effective when you are posting regular, fresh content. Daily, if you can. This is where hiring someone to keep it running is ideal. There's a lot to know, it's very different to Facebook and Instagram, and it can be a real time sucker. An effective, lucrative time sucker, but if you don't have the time and know-how to get it right - hire someone who does. ie, Nota Bene - Virtual Assistant 🤣
Two: Pinterest is ADDICTIVE!! I first learned about Pinterest when I worked nights in a Call Centre after my first baby was born. I could sit there for hours with no calls, scrolling and pinning up a storm with baby play ideas, dream holidays, and dream house renovation ideas. It is so easy to be sucked into the rabbit hole and spend hours looking up cool things and making fun boards. But I'm here to talk about Pinterest as a BUSINESS tool, and that's completely different. Again, it might be better to hire someone to set it all up and manage it for you, rather than you get busy pinning up your bucket list holiday instead of working or spending time with your family!
To learn more about our Pinterest Management services, visit the main page.