By Heather Green

With women aged 25 to 34 being the majority of Pinterest users, it’s no wonder the senior care industry hasn’t exactly jumped on board as quickly as have Etsy shopkeepers or mom bloggers.

By Heather Green With women aged 25 to 34 being the majority of Pinterest users, it’s no wonder the senior care industry hasn’t exactly jumped on board as quickly as have Etsy shopkeepers or mom bloggers.

Pinners, however, have mothers, fathers, and grandparents who need care.  As shallow as it may sound, the tipping point between your business and an influx of new clients could come down to a single, beautifully shot photo she found on Pinterest.  Stay ahead of the curve and use this social media to help blaze a new trail from new clients to your company.

  1. Generate clever names for your boards.  The board gets shared along with each Pin, so a name that’s crafty but clear will attract other users.  Remember to keep the names short.
  2. Network using the “@” sign.  You can tag other Pinners in your descriptions by typing “@[username].”  This way, the Pinner in question (and their network) are invited into the Pin and the conversation that will ensue.
  3. Pin videos.  These are less common than pictures and blog posts on Pinterest, but businesses benefit from being ahead of the curve.  It also gives your audience a chance to meet the individuals behind the business in a more personable way than just static images.
  4. Make your blog posts Pinnable by taking high-quality, original photos and posting them with each blog post.  Remember that Pinterest users are mostly women looking for dreamy, crafty content.  Try to take compelling, emotive, beautiful images.  Free photo-editing software like Picasa can do the trick.
  5. Stay with and ahead of the season.  Post relevant material before holidays, a change from summer to fall, and the like.
  6. Type keywords in Pin descriptions.  Think of it as search engine optimization (SEO) and type in popular words relevant to the Pin so other users can find it via the search bar.
  7. Add a Pin It! button on your website, blog, and at the end of every blog post.  Sharing has to be easy for your readers/viewers to partake.
  8. Tell customers “thank you.”  With the permission of clients, try creating a board featuring happy customers.  Keep descriptions brief and the photograph bright and beautiful; link the Pin to a lengthier description on your website or blog.
  9. Show what goes on behind the scenes.  With the permission of your employees and co-workers, create a board featuring the people behind the business.  Even if they don’t have full bios on your website or blog, link the Pin to your “about” or “contact us” page.
  10. Become an authority on a subject.  In the case of senior care providers, Pin or re-Pin the latest news in relevant boards so that other Pinners can look to you for trustworthy information.
  11. Create boards for events, both upcoming and past.  A picture of a flyer will spread the word; an image of a group of happy senior residents—someone’s mother, someone’s grandfather—is sure to tug heartstrings and lead to page views and more clients.
  12. Be local and virtual.  Maintaining a physical presence by proudly announcing your city name on several posts keeps you reachable and relatable to real, local clients, not just virtual fan

Heather Green is a mom, freelance writer, pet lover and the resident blogger for OnlineNursingDegrees.org, a free informational website offering tips and advice about health care admin programsand online physical therapy assistant courses. You might also want to check out this article:  What Should Your Organization be Pinning? 

Reminder:  I will be presenting a webinar titled “5 semi-easy & Semi-Cheap things you can do to improve occupancy.”

Here are the details:

Date:  Wednesday, September 19 2pm ET. Cost:  Free Sponsor:  RetirementHomes.com Register Here

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Finally: If you know anyone who is looking at emergency call systems I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with them about Vigil Health Solutions.