Although Pinterest isn’t as big as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, it should be part of your marketing plan. With over 300 million active monthly users, Pinterest has the potential to complement your marketing efforts.
In fact, Pinterest is extremely popular among Millenials. About 1 in 2 U.S. Millenials use Pinterest and spend more time on it than any other social media platform.
If you don’t have a solid plan in place to use Pinterest, you might be missing out on key opportunities to reach new customers.
Why Use Pinterest for Your Business?
Pinterest is a visual search engine. Similar to Google, people search for inspiration, including ideas about new products to buy. Compared to other social networks — Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — people use Pinterest for different reasons.
While most social media platforms are predominantly used for socializing, Pinterest is about ideation and inspiration.
In the U.S., 55% of Pinners use Pinterest to shop, while 67% view saved content on Pinterest while shopping.
The more platforms a business can be discovered on the better it is for branding and potentially sales.
Basic Pinterest Terminology
Since Pinterest is a bit different from Google and other social media networks, there are three key terms to understand before proceeding.
Firstly, a Pin is a picture or a video that you want to share on Pinterest. For businesses, it’s important to link the picture to an original source page. This makes Pinterest a great source for referral traffic to your website.
Then, we have a Board, which brings some structure for over 200 billion Pins. These are collections of Pins that have a similarity. For example, a healthy food shop could have gluten-free foods, low sodium foods, healthy lifestyle, etc. boards. Note: Pinners can follow the whole account or simply one board.
Finally, we have a Feed. Similar to other social media networks, it’s a space where all saved images are displayed. These are from the accounts a user chooses to follow.
What Makes a Popular Pin?
A popular Pin will need to have two components — a great visual and SEO in its caption.
Focus on high-quality images
Pinterest, just like Instagram, is a heavily visual platform. Your visuals must be of high quality and appeal to your audience. Your photos should be well-lit, well-composed and be pleasant to look at. Interestingly, research has found that brighter photos perform better on Pinterest.
Avoid using Pinterest for direct selling. Most consumers use the platform for inspiration — they’re not looking for another post selling something. After studying the performance of 50K promoted Pins, Pinterest found that lifestyle pictures performed better than product images.
What does that mean?
Well, if you’re a fashion brand, don’t simply display your item, but snap a photo of a person wearing it. This helps users visualize how your product will look in real life and match their lifestyle.
Don’t neglect the copywriting
Since Pinterest is also a search engine, the same SEO rules apply as in your ordinary Google Search Engine Optimization. You should research who’d be interested in your product and have a certain list of keywords that your copywriting should include. My favorite tools to search for keywords are Google Keyword Planner and Keyword Tool.
Remember that the most important thing is to make your Pins searchable and discoverable. They should contribute to traffic to your website.
Use the description to tell users what they’ll get by clicking on the link. Use the most relevant keywords so your Pins appear in search results.
It’s important that your message is natural and engaging, and not robotic and stuffed with empty keywords.
Be Social and Pin Frequently
Remember that Pinterest is a social network, not a storage place for your pictures. In order for your boards and Pins to gain more attention, you need to engage with other users. You should like and engage with similar accounts within your target niche. Don’t engage with your competitors, of course, but look for people who share interests in what you do.
Be sure to comment under other users’ Pins and if someone comments under your Pins, make sure to respond.
You can also encourage and invite them to contribute to group boards.
In order to be successful on Pinterest, you should also Pin frequently. Be sure to Pin your own content, not only repining existing pictures and videos. Contrary to Instagram, you should aim to Pin at least ten photos per day. However, don’t Pin them all at once, this is a big no-no. Rather, spread your activity throughout the day. This way, you’re more likely to have a more organic reach.
Make Use of Pinterest Analytics
Pinterest Analytics is available for Pinterest Business accounts only.
Analytics provides you with plenty of marketing insights, such as impressions, engagement, link clicks, and saves, which are valuable in assessing your audience. These metrics will help you to determine how Pins are performing and to make adequate adjustments to improve.
Most importantly, you’ll be able to better understand where your consumers are. Pinterest Analytics will show where your Pins are saved (in which boards), as well as who your main audience is. This will help you understand what works and what should be improved in your marketing strategy. For example, maybe male models for your products gain more attention and engagement. This simple insight can drive more traffic to the website and increase sales.
Main Points About Using Pinterest for Your Business
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There are 300 million active users on Pinterest. The platform has a huge potential for brand exposure.
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Pinterest is extremely popular among Millenials. If they’re your target audience, you must be on Pinterest.
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Pinterest is a visual search engine. Your visual content is very important, but you should not neglect the copywriting.
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Pinterest is also a social network and you’re expected to engage with other users by repining, commenting, and following them.
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Use Pinterest Analytics to discover trends and act accordingly. Try to see what works and what doesn’t.
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Use Pinterest Analytics to enhance the image of your currently set buyer personas.
Happy Pinning!
