Illustration by Sam D'Orazio
You may be thinking, “So how could a visual site like
Pinterest work for a retirement plan adviser?” By exercising some creativity
and developing a sense of your target audience’s interests, you can use the
site to prospect clients and grow your business. And because Pinterest is new
and not many plan advisers are using it, why not start now before the masses
catch on? In March, Pinterest was third-most popular social network in the
country, according to Experian Marketing Services.
As always, it is important to check with your company’s
compliance department before using social media for your business.
Getting Started
To get started on Pinterest, you must first request an
invitation, found on the website, at the top of the home page. Once you receive
an invite, you can register via Facebook Connect or Twitter. Then you create a
bio and start “pinning” information.
A pin is an image added to Pinterest and can come from any
website by inserting the URL and clicking the “Pin It” button. Pinterest then
pulls images from the website for you to choose from. These types of pins link
back to the original sites. Another option is to upload images from your
computer.
A board, on the other hand, is a set of pins—the number is
unlimited—that can be created on any topic. For instance, if you type
“retirement” in the top-left search bar and click “boards” below that, you will
see a plethora of boards related to retirement, ranging from vacation hotspots
to home décor to crafts and projects.