No doubt you’ve heard a lot about Pinterest lately — from what it is and how it works to which brands are really rocking it. If you’re still confused about how to use Pinterest for your restaurant or business, take a look at Whole Foods Market, which has really led the way with using the platform to best suit its customers and community.
Whole Foods and Pinterest
The best thing Whole Foods has done with its Pinterest page is stick with its motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” Whole Foods “emphasizes that our vision reaches far beyond just being a food retailer.” The people at Whole Foods determine their success by measuring customer satisfaction, the state of the environment and support of the local and larger community.
Whole Foods accomplishes these goals with its Pinterest page by pinning all sorts of things that its customers would enjoy. Its boards are incredibly diverse, but still reach out to the consumer who likes wholesome, healthy food; green and sustainable living; and generally unique, progressive items.
These boards cover topics including food (dinner ideas, vegetable dishes, desserts, vegan cooking, cheese, strawberry-inspired dishes), technology (gadgets used in the kitchen and latest high-tech, green devices), holidays (New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Earth Day and Mother’s Day menus and dishes) and domestics (gardening ideas and dream kitchens). Not to mention that Whole Foods pinners are extremely active. The account has 41 boards, almost 850 pins and more than 30,000 followers.
Whole Foods rarely promotes its products; instead it shows customers all the things they can do with the groceries they buy from its stores. This gives Whole Foods great opportunities to interact with customers. Customers are being informed without hearing a sales pitch, just gentle encouragement to visit Whole Foods.
In your restaurant
Remember, Pinterest is more about being an active member in your local and online community and less of shameless promotion. As a restaurant, you should have a feel for what your customers are interested in. If your restaurant is in a tourist town, have special boards that have various pins of the sites, shops and attractions the town has to offer, the history of the town, your dishes and special events that you host. If you’re in a small town, become active in the community events, local schools’ sporting events, community theater showings and city events. If your restaurant serves food from a specific country or culture, pin images of that place and its traditions.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to pin things from a competitor or a neighboring restaurant. Your restaurant may have great ideas and delicious food, but another restaurant may have the same things, and they’ll most likely return the favor.
Sara Petersen is the content and marketing manager at Punch Mobile Marketing. Punch’s mission is to produce the best mobile-marketing content and solutions for foodservice providers to succeed at the mobile level. Read the company’s blog, follow it on Twitter and like its Facebook page.