Pinterest, social media or search engine?
Most people think Pinterest is for social media, but it really is a beautiful search engine tool. At least that’s how I see it. When looking for a recipe, decorating idea, organizing tips, income generating tools, where do many go? Pinterest!
Google may be the first place you think of, but if you need pretty images, Pinterest is the place to go. On one of my commutes, listening to a podcast, I heard about the way business people use Pinterest and I was intrigued. The interviewee created a business on all things pinning, sharing tips and tricks, but also providing an awesome service for those who don’t have time to use Pinterest for marketing their business.
The woman
While Kate Ahl was working on her business, nine months after startup her daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She had just decided to turn the side business into a full time one and had to make quite some lifestyle adjustments. The following year, the family decided to become foster parents, welcoming a baby girl into their life. As they went through many emotions trying to adopt the baby, the court decided that at two years she should go live with her dad. Read more about Kate’s personal Foster story here. Have your hankies ready!
The Motivation
Before she started this business, life was not easy for Kate as she was trying to figure out how to supplement the family on $1000 a month government assistance. A friend encouraged her to start managing other people’s Pinterest accounts, like she had done for her. Kate launched Simple Pin Media as a side business in 2014, with just a few clients and not a lot of confidence that it would work. But when you’re good, you’re good, and so she grew from 3 clients, to 4 then 6 and so on.
The Opportunities
Besides managing Pinterest accounts for her clients, Kate is often invited to speak at events to teach others how to use Pinterest for marketing their business. She also started a podcast, one I often listen to! Before I heard her interview on a podcast, talking about the endless possibilities and opportunities of Pinterest, I had consciously steered away from Pinterest. People were raving about it, but I feared to get sucked in, like Facebook did with me sometimes. Because yes, I thought Pinterest was equal to Social Media. In this podcast episode, I learned what Pinterest really is: a beautiful search engine, with pretty pictures! Google with images? What could make life easier? That’s when I started exploring Pinterest. I’m by no means an expert, but I got some great tips from Kate’s blog and podcast, which took away the overwhelm any newbie must feel when diving into a new app, tool or community.
The Purpose
It all started with her friend Angela who needed help with her Pinterest account and blog. Kate took a Pinterest course and implemented what she learned as she went. Angela suggested to manage Pinterest for others too, but when she had six clients and more requests came in, Kate knew she couldn’t do this alone. She decided to go full time and made the decisions to turn her business into a marketing agency. She expanded the team to 40 members, who all eat, sleep, breathe, study, examine and talk Pinterest all day long.
The Present
Next to teaching people how to use Pinterest to benefit their business, Kate has successfully built her team and an influencer network, one of her big goals. Deeply grounded in her faith, her business has been growing consistently. Kate keeps up with changes in the Pinterest world and freely shares her findings and knowledge on her blog.
The Quote
I believe all business owners need to remain teachable and must be willing to be led by those who have gone before. “
The Source
Kate Ahl has a passion for helping bloggers and small business owners grow their business with Pinterest. Her teaching style includes actionable, simple steps to help business owners move forward without feeling overwhelmed. If you want to learn more about her services, jump on the Simple Pin Media website here.
I first heard of Kate and her Pinterest business on the Food Blogger Pro podcast.
Don’t be left out. Jump on the Pinterest wagon to join many others who have successfully used the search engine to market their business. We need all the help we can get in this crowded online world!
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