If you haven’t heard by now, Pinterest is a visually stunning, cool image repository where you can create boards and “pin” images to your wall. It’s fun and, dare I say, addicting! 

Well, nowadays, with a small business, we have to use all tools necessary and available to us to grow and Pinterest is one of them.

At first, I held out on joining because I thought: who has time for another tool? Aren’t Facebook and Twitter enough?

Well, it depends on your business and who your audience is. However, I’ll venture to say that even if you don’t think it’s best for you yet, go ahead and get invited (if you need an invite, let me know!) and at least get your branded URL – even if you don’t start pinning much yet.

If you are new to Pinterest, just Google “beginner’s guide to using Pinterest” and you’ll find enough resources to get you started and finding a strategy that works for your business.

The Big Why

Pinterest is here to stay! Last I heard (May 2012), it has over 13 million active users and growing quickly. In addition, according to a traffic study by Mashable, Pinterest sends more traffic to external sites than YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+ COMBINED! Wow! Now that’s enough reason for me to jump in and play

For the more advanced user, here are 5 tools, mostly free, that can help you even more in the Pinterest game brought to you by Brianne.

5 Useful Tools you Can Use with Your Pinterest

If you are a keen Internet user, you may have heard of Pinterest recently. This social website used for sharing images made its appearance two years ago and has gained immense popularity over these two years. Pinterest makes it easy to collect images online and share it on different boards on the website for others with similar interests to see. Here is a list of 5 tools that can add to your experience of using Pinterest.

1. Spinpicks

Though Spinpicks is still in its beta version, many Pinterest users find it useful to find new pin boards and new people to follow. It also gives you the option to include other sites like Instagram and Twitpic in your search. There is also a feature to repin the Pinterest images directly through this application.

2. Pinreach

Pinreach, as the name indicates is a tool to measure your influence through Pinterest. You just need to sign up on this website using your Pinterest username and you can get access to Pinterest specific analytic data. Pinreach can be compared to the popular website Klout. It gives you a score and tells you the top influencers in your group of followers. Of course, it has the basic analytic features like number of likes, repins, total number of followers etc. It also shows you other popular pins on the website.

3. Share As Image (formerly Pin A Quote)

Quotes never go out of style. We love them, we need them and we share them. Other tools like Pinstamatic also allow you to do so. What makes Share As Image special is that it helps you highlight any text from anywhere on the web and pin it. We just need to select the text that we want to pin from any website and click on the Share As Image bookmarklet to fill a short form and submit.

The free version of Share As Image will let you post without color and using only a single font. The PRO version is $2.99 and allows unlimited color options, tons of font options and LIVE previewing!

4. Pin Search

This tool is a Google chrome extension that helps you in finding relevant images from across the world on Pinterest. This extension will display a search button next to the repin, like and comment buttons on any Pinterest image. Clicking on this button will lead you to Google search results page related to this image. The Google search results may surprise you. Get ready for a whole new level of discovery.

5. Recent Activity Expander

If you are one of those people who want to keep a track of Pinterest activity, this is an excellent tool for you. This is a great tool for businesses  who want to keep an eye on Pinterest activity. You can add a column on the left displaying all the recent activity related to you. It shows all repins, likes and comments since the time of your last login. This is also a Chrome extension so you need the Google Chrome browser to use this tool.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more free and paid Pinterest tools in the market and more are being introduced every day. Pinterest looked like just another image sharing site but it has gained immense popularity in a very small time. And using these tools adds more value to the entire experience.

Brianne is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on Samsung Galaxy R attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on Etios Liva price.

More Pinterest Goodies

Pinterest Video – Great video from Matthew Loop about using Pinterest in marketing your business.

Kesha’s on Pinterest

But of course I am! Click the button below to follow me!

eBook – Pinterest For Business

Finally, here’s an awesomely created ebook resource from Kim Castleberry entitled Pinterest For Business Made Easy (affiliate link). 

Over to you…

So now you have lots of resources to market your business using Pinterest! How are you using Pinterest? Don’t forget to connect with me

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And voila!

After Google and some of the social media sites I promote my posts on like Facebook, Twitter, and Stumbleupon, I found that there were several sites that sent me good traffic!

See the images below regarding what I found in my Referrals section.

(Here is how you access Referrals in Google Analytics) 

(CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW FOR FULL SIZE)

Why Should You Know Who’s Referring Visitors to Your Site?

Sites that send you traffic are friends indeed. Think about it like this: with an online business, traffic is lifeblood – and the referring sites are your veins. They pump life into your business and allow you to make more money or just get more eyes on your content. Don’t underestimate the power of your referring sites and the inbound links they use to send traffic your way. As you’ll see below, you should adjust regularly to optimize the opportunities already in front of you.

Tips for How to Use The Referring Site Report 

• Visit the Sites – Go visit the site and make sure you are using the traffic and exposure you are currently getting to your maximum advantage. If the site is a blog, comment to further solidify your presence there. If the site published an article of yours, contact the owner to see if you can post more or become a regular contributor. If the site is an article directory, add more articles.
• Look for Patterns – Is there a certain type of site that you get more traffic from? Are you getting a lot of people coming from your social media marketing? Look at what efforts you’re currently making to see if they’re paying off. For example, if you contribute weekly to a blog in your niche but you’re getting little or no traffic, then it may be time to trim non-productive activities.
• Look for Additional Opportunities – While you’re visiting referring sites, take note of any opportunities for additional traffic from related sites. See who else they’re linking to and check them out. You never know when you’ll find another great source of traffic.
• Contact the Site Owners – If you have not yet been in contact with the owners of the sites that are sending you traffic, send an introductory message. Introduce yourself and let them know they’re a top referrer for you. Say thank you and leave the discussion open. Ask what you can do to help them achieve their site goals; by extending a helping hand, you’re making contact and opening up for a business relationship.

There are sites on the Internet with tons of traffic. Why not take advantage of a win-win situation by getting yourself found on these sites? Tracking with Google Analytics will help you successfully do so!

Your turn…

Do you know who’s referring visitors to your site? If not, it’s fine time to get into your Analytics and thank those who have been so good to you!

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However, building backlinks can be a time-consuming, boring process. You can outsource the process to an agency and pay a lot of money OR you can do it yourself with SocialMonkee! SocialMonkee is an instant backlink builder allowing you to build 25 unique backlinks, every day, FREE! All links are on unique C-Class IP addresses and domains. Imagine being able to create 25 unique backlinks every day, with the click of a button, FREE! Well, you can stop imagining…

So, 25 unique backlinks every day… That’s a total of 175 backlinks every week, 750 every month. If you upgrade, you will be able to build 100 unique backlinks, 3 times a day! That’s a total of 2,100 backlinks every week, 9,000 every month! The good news is… you can get a Premium Account, FREE! All you need to do is to refer 12 members, and your account will automatically be upgraded. If you’re not really into referral marketing, you may upgrade right now for a low one-time fee.

Submitting a page to SocialMonkee via the members area takes under two minutes, but there’s an even faster way! They created a Firefox plugin that allows you to submit your page to up to 100 sites in just a few clicks, using nothing else than Firefox! If you have a Premium Account you will also get access to link reports and RSS feeds, which are great to keep track of your backlinks and get them indexed fast. Submitting your RSS feeds to RSS submitters is actually a very important step in link building.

Your turn…

So what are you waiting for? Join SocialMonkee now while it’s still free!

Also, let me know what other backlinking solutions you’ve found useful.

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Well, there are several reasons people use URL shorteners including prettying up links, fixing links, and link tracking.

In addition, the introduction of micro-blogging sites, like Twitter, created the demand for URL shorteners because, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, URLs take up a lot of space and we only have 140 characters!

The most popular choices I see most often include bit.ly, owl.ly, ht.ly, budurl, and tinyurl (my old favorite when I first learned about URL shorteners years ago!).

But because I see the use of Hootsuite’s URL shortener – ht.ly – increasing, I want to warn people that ht.ly isn’t your friend!

Hy.ly doesn’t pass you any link juice (meaning it does not do a 301 permanent redirect to your website) and we’re in this game for link juice, right? Right!

Here’s a brief video showing you the results of using a ht.ly link.

So What Should I Use?

Bit.ly is my favorite shortener! Firstly, it isn’t dependent on a tool or other service. It’s a standalone service and has great tracking flexibility that reveals related link traffic, conversations, and history. It has an easy to use dashboard where you can quickly view analytics. Finally, it has a browser extension or sidebar bookmarklet that makes it easy to shorten URLs on any webpage!

Your turn…

What is your favorite URL shortener and why? Don’t forget to share and provide your feedback in the comments!

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Ever wonder why it feels you’re spinning your wheels? Not moving as fast as you wanted? Not where you want to be in your business by now?

Well, never fear because I will show you the 5 fatal mistakes service professionals make so you won’t have to (or stop making them if you’ve already fell into the trap)!

I like stats so let me show you a few…

In an interview of approximately 1,400 self employed professionals in a nationwide survey to discover the characteristics of the top earners, here’s what was  found:*

• 73% of all self employed professionals earn less than $10,000 their first year
• Only 11% of them make more than $50,000 by their 2nd year
• Less than 60% have 10 paying clients
• And only 9% ultimately earn more than $100,000 a year

*Survey conducted by Suzanne Falter-Barns and team; actual date unknown

Wow, I think this is pretty indicative of business in general – not many make it to the top. I know most people are hoping to not end up a statistic. Well, I’m here to tell you that hoping is the last thing you should be doing. : – )

Mistake 1. Not Properly Identifying Your Ideal Client

Not until I clearly identified who made up my target market was I able to speed up my client acquisition process and gain momentum in my business. First of all, I’m a firm believer that visualization techniques, regardless of industry or occasion used, works wonders. I have vision boards in my office and electronic photos reminding me of my (current and impending) success : – )

There is beaucoup information today about visualization techniques so just do a Google search if you are unfamiliar with what I mean.

Exercise: Close your eyes for 10 seconds and quickly visualize your perfect, ideal client. Go! ……………………………………………………………….

Did you see him/her? Is he smiling and ready to work with you, money in hand (or ready to click submit on your PayPal button)? If you cannot see who your ideal client is in a matter of a few seconds, EVERY other effort and step you take in your business is for naught. You will just be spinning your wheels going nowhere. At Six Flags theme parks, maybe the spinning rides are fun rides, but not for your business! LOL

Mistake 2. Not Having a Marketing Plan or System in Place

So now you have your ideal client permeating throughout your brain.  How do you get them? Where do they hang out? How will you fill that funnel of prospecting?

I know, I know. Sometimes it can be a bit confusing about which marketing tactics are the most effective.  My advice is find a marketing system that resonates with you and just do it. Your system should be comprised of that set of consistent actions that will keep you motivated and moving forward daily. If you find your system isn’t working for you anymore, guess what? Change it! Seek advice from others and revise the system. Be sure to give proper testing before changing it though. You don’t want to do one thing this week and do something completely different the next and back and forth. Consistency is key here.

Find your rhythm and stick with it for at least 3 months (or whatever works best for you and your industry) before revising your strategy. Even then, maybe you only need to tweak one thing which could cause a spiral upward momentum.

Mistake 3. Not Having a Follow Up Strategy

Have you heard these overused yet clearly correct statements before?

• The fortune is in the follow up
• People do business with people they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST!

I’ve found that so many small businesses do not have a follow up strategy and don’t really understand how to create the “know, like, and trust” feeling with their clients and prospects.

Here are some more stats for you (I told you I like stats!)

• 48% of service professionals give up after the first contact*
• 25% give up after the second contact*
• 12% give up after the third contact*
• 5% give up after the fourth contact*
• Meaning that 9 out of 10 people are never followed up with more 4 times
• Statistics also show that it takes an average of 7 contacts to make a sale or attract a new client

*Survey conducted by Suzanne Falter-Barns and team; actual date unknown

So, what’s the Solution? It’s about creating a system for follow up which will be used with every new client, prospect, or referral source. Fortunately, these days there are automated systems that can help you connect frequently and consistently with your prospects.

For instance, for newsletter and email management, I use Aweber (there are many on the market) and schedule automated messages that your prospects will receive over a period of time. Each new prospect that comes into your system starts at message number 1. So until they opt out, everybody will get the same messages (can you say consistency!).

Of course, the longer they stay in the pipeline, the more they will most likely know, like, and trust you and ultimately become a client!

Mistake 4. Spending Too Much Money Acquiring New Business

We all know it can get very expensive to acquire a new clients. Yes, you will spend money marketing your business and even need to have a budget so you can do so effectively. However, I’ve run my website design business on at least 80% referrals (maybe even as high as 90% if I cared to look back at my numbers to verify) since I started back in 2005, no kidding! I don’t spend much money at all on marketing. I’m too busy with the referral business. That’s a place I love to be in! The more referrals you get, the less resources spent on acquiring new clients. That’s my motto!

I also created a referral program, XD 5 Star Referral Program, as a further incentive to obtain referrals from friends and clients alike.

Check out one of the best books I’ve ever read on referral marketing – The Referral Engine by John Jantsch. You can pretty much get it anywhere. It has soooo many techniques and strategies on obtaining referrals. Just one tip from this book will (yes, I said will) substantially increase your referral base. That’s how confident I am with the principles John has provided : – )

Set the expectation up front by letting clients know that if you provide  excellent service, you expect referrals. I haven’t had a problem to date with this method.

Mistake 5. Not Soliciting Testimonials

Can you say social proof?!! Testimonials, reviews, and positive statements about you are one of the fastest ways to gain new business. Think about it. Do you look for testimonials or reviews when seeking a service professional (plumber, local mechanic, web designer, consultant, etc.)? Customer reviews are essential for any brand doing business these days.

You can even have testimonials on Facebook and LinkedIn, not just your website. Having multiple options available where people can leave you feedback is a huge advantage of social media.

Don’t wait too late to ask for testimonials either. Like referrals, express the expectation up front. If you have really provided a satisfactory experience, they usually won’t have a problem providing.

Okay, your turn…

What service professional lessons have you learned along the way? Share your tips and advice in the comments. Please share!

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