Table of Contents
Authoritative, accessible, and specificthis guide is an invaluable resource.
Gretchen Rubin, Author, The Happiness Project
Karen Leland has one of the best grasps on branding Ive seen. Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business is more than just a book on using Pinterest for marketing, its a handbook for anyone who wants to understand how to approach branding and social media in todays complex online world.
Olivia Fox Cabane, Author,The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism
Karen is the behind-the-scenes secret for the success of many small business brands. Her take on Pinterest makes this a fascinating book with a roadmap on how to use this popular platform to increase community engagement, brand visibility, and sales.
Susan Harrow, Author, Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul
Leland shows you exactly how to use this wildly popular tool to pull in more customers and boost our brands visibility and credibility.
Kare Anderson, Author, Moving From Me to We, Quotable and Connected Columnist, Forbes and Huffington Post
If you havent figured out how to make Pinterest work to build your brand, business or platform, Karen Lelands book gives you the details you need to get results without wasting your time. Pinterest is a force to be reckoned with when you know what to do and how to do it, and Karen does both.
Mike Koenigs, CEO, Instant Customer
Can you make money using Pinterest? Absolutely! Karen Lelands new book shows you the exact steps to master the art of relationship marketing on Pinterest. Read this well-written, comprehensive book, and youll be attracting and converting leads into paying customers in no time!
Mari Smith, Social Media Thought Leader, Author, The New Relationship Marketing, Co-author, Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day
Every small business should read this booknot only because it will show you exactly how to use Pinterest to promote your business, but for the marketing and branding lessons Karen Leland has managed to weave throughout the book. Make Pinterest work as hard as you DO!
Berny Dohrmann, Founder, CEO Space, Bestselling Author, Redemption the Cooperation Revolution
Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business provides the reader with a step-by-step approach and a clear path for maximizing communication in their business or profession. Karens in-depth knowledge of social media, marketing, and branding are a bonus for anyone wanting to integrate Pinterest into their marketing mix.
Michelle Patterson, Executive Director, California Womens Conference
Karen Lelands Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business is a gem! She has provided the must-have, must-read playbook for pinning in business. Ive learned so many ideas, details and strategies that will impact and improve the Pinterest portion of my business and life.
Susan RoAne, Author, How To Work a Room and The Secrets of Savvy Networking
WOW. This book is AMAZING! If youre ready to learn everything you need to know about successfully using Pinterest, then read and absorb the strategies in this brilliant book by Karen Leland!
James Malinchak, The Worlds #1 Big Money Speaker Trainer & Coach featured on ABCs hit TV show, Secret Millionaire, Founder, www.BigMoneySpeaker.com
Dedications
To my first grandson, Oscar Leland. Welcome to the world. May the
changes brought about by technology in your lifetime enhance your
creativity and liberate your spirit.
And to Jon Leland, Oscars grandpa and my husband of the past 20 years.
The road has not always been easy, but its been a journey. I would not
be the person I am today without you. All my love.
Acknowledgments
As the saying goes, It takes a village, and thats as true for writing a book as it is for raising a child. This is the eighth book Ive had the privilege to write over the past 20 years, and its clearer to me than ever that without the love, support, and encouragement of my friends, family, clients, and support team, neither this book nor any other could happen. Special thanks to:
Jeff Herman, my literary agent and the one who sent me the email inquiry while I was visiting Vietnam to see if Id be interested in writing a book on Pinterest. He convinced me that, despite the tight timeline for turnaround, it would be worth the effort. He was right, and Im glad I took the plunge.
Caitlin Oliver, my research assistant, without whom I never could have achieved said timeline (see above for details). Her quick turnaround, courteous emails, can-do attitude, and research abilities helped make this book possible.
Nell McPherson. Where would any of us be without a good copyeditor? Fast, effective, and responsive, you catch the mistakes I miss. Thanks for keeping the grammatical gremlins at bay.
Andrew Simon Leland, my stepson, father of Oscar, and a star writer and editor. When I called desperate for a research assistant, he found me Caitlin within the week. Eternal gratitude.
Susan Harrow, for always being in my corner when I doubt myself, cheering me on when things get tough, lifting me up when Im down, and inspiring me with her own excellence, humanity, and work ethic to be the best that I can be.
Anne Christine Strugnell, my good friend and fellow writer. Many a day Anne Christine sat at one end of my dining room table working on her personal essays for such magazines as More and Self, while I sat at the other end working on this book. Her mere presence was a productivity enhancer and a true pleasure.
Sami Cohen, for his deep wisdom, guidance through a rough patch, and for really seeing who I was through it all.
My fabulous group of girlfriends, who sustained me with love, understanding, and chocolate during the writing of this bookKim Bromley, Liza Ingrasci, Dianne Morrison, Lynette Sheppard, Theresa Souers, Dr. Alyse Danis, Sheila Vasan Singla, Anne Christine Strugnell, Susan Harrow, and Randy Robertsyou are all the wind beneath my wings and I cant even conceive of what my life would be like without you.
Jon Leland, my husband, tech guru, and go-to guy whenever some technical point about Pinterest had me cocking my head to one side like a confused cocker spaniel. Thanks for saving me in so many ways more times than I can count, in life and in business.
My clients at Sterling Marketing Group. Most of my workdays are spent having interesting conversations with the smart people I am lucky enough to call my clients. They do me the honor of allowing me to contribute to their success and in return have taught me an immeasurable amount about what it takes to practice branding, marketing, and running a business in a wholehearted way. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
Jillian McTigue, Rose Ellen DAngelo, Ron Young, and Karen Billipp from Entrepreneur Press. Flexible, supportive, cooperative, nice to deal with. Can you really ask for more from your publisher?
Preface
What Is Pinterest, and Why Should You Care?
As someone who does marketing and branding strategy and implementation, its my job to stay on top of the latest and greatest in the world of would-be life-altering internet bells and whistles. Ironically, however, the last thing I wanted to do was learn yet another social media toolthat promised to transform my online life.
