Do you want to know how to use Pinterest to market your business? If so, you’re in the right place.
Pinterest is a unique social media marketing platform. In fact, technically speaking, it’s not a social media channel at all. It’s a digital scrapbook, or social bookmarking, site.
It’s also a search engine much like Google, only with beautiful images.
These two things make it an incredibly powerful tool to market your business.
Who is on Pinterest?
Pinterest users are in a purchase mindset. They’re more receptive to product posts than Facebook users. In fact, they want to see business posts. More than 86% of Pinterest users have purchased products due to pins they find.
Because Pinterest is a “niche” platform, it has fewer users than other channels. But don’t let the lower numbers fool you! Pinterest users have an intent to buy.
Here’s who is on Pinterest:
- 250 million active users
- 125 million users from the US
- 80% of users are female
Even though 250 million may sound like a small number, the organic reach on Pinterest far exceeds that of Facebook.
Think of it like this:
Facebook works hard to squash organic posts from businesses. Pinterest works hard to get them found.
What types of businesses do well on Pinterest?
Most business owners still think Pinterest is a place to find recipe and fashion inspiration.
But Pinterest’s algorithm has changed quite a bit since it first launched. Users today search for loads of different topics and ideas, which makes it a goldmine for marketers.
Pinterest works for many different niches and industries, including home services, real estate, fashion, beauty, nutrition, health, fitness, home decor, entrepreneurship, art, photography and more. The list goes on…
Bottom line, if you can create visual content around your products and services, you will likely see an increase in traffic and sales with Pinterest.
Should I use Pinterest to market my business?
Yes! In fact, not leveraging Pinterest for business would be a huge mistake. If you follow this Pinterest marketing guide, you’ll learn how to drive more organic traffic to your website than Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram combined.
Don’t believe me? Get this…
Pinterest is the second largest driver of social media traffic (behind Facebook). And if you forget about paid traffic and just look at organic social media traffic, Pinterest is the #1 source for many businesses.
Here are a few other reasons to use Pinterest for business marketing:
1. Pinterest drives traffic
Pinterest marketing will help you increase your traffic, make more sales and grow your business.
All you have to do is set up relevant boards, share content regularly, and optimize your account so that your pins show up in search results, and in the feed.
2) Pinterest loves content creators
It knows that without us, there would be no Pinterest!
Unlike Facebook or even Instagram, the algorithm is designed to help marketers reach a huge audience. Pinterest wants business posts to reach as many people as possible and provides educational materials to help.
3) Pinterest users want to see your content
People use Pinterest to research ideas about topics they’re interested in. So as long as you share high-quality content that’s relevant, they’ll likely find your pins and click over to your blog.
Just make sure your graphics stand out and are easy to read on desktop and mobile.
There are billions of pins on Pinterest. In any given niche, thousands of pins will be clamoring for the attention of your audience. You want your pins to jump out and grab their attention above the others.
Here are some strategies to help you reach your audience on Pinterest:
Pinterest Business Marketing Tips
1. Learn the lingo.
Pinterest has its own vocabulary. Here are important terms to understand:
- Pinners: Pinterest users who creates and share content
- Pins: Any image or graphic you share on Pinterest is known as a pin
- Boards: These are collections of pins created around topics. When you share pins, you share them to boards.
- Personal Boards: Boards created and populated by an account owner
- Group Boards: Collaborative boards owned by one person with multiple contributors
- Tribes: Similar to boards; pinners in related niches and with similar interests share each other’s content
- SmartFeed: Pinterest’s feed displays pins from people you follow and topics you’ve shown an interest in
- Keywords: Important terms people would use to find your profile, boards and pins
- Hashtags: Similar to keywords; another way for people to find your pins
- Tagging: Using the @ symbol, you can tag other pinners and they’ll be notified
2) Create images that stand out.
Pinterest is a visual social platform, much like Instagram. Businesses who do best on the platform share eye-catching pins that make people want to swerve over and click on them.
Another thing to remember is that most people will see your pins on a phone. Use bright colors and make sure your headline is short and easy to read on mobile.
Pin sizes should be a 2:3 ratio, with a minimum width of 600px (max 800px). Most design tools have a preset size somewhere in the middle. If you use Canva, the preset size is 735x1102px.
3) Link pins to your website.
This is where Pinterest has a leg up on Instagram in terms of traffic. Every pin you share can, and should, link to your website.
If you share a pin directly from your website, the link will auto-populate. Many pinners forget though, when you upload a pin from your computer, you need to manually enter the link.
What links should you include?
Most pinners link to blog posts. Then they follow up and introduce their products and services through email.
You can also link to landing pages, sales pages and affiliate product pages. Best practice is to create multiple pins with different links and compare the traffic and engagement.
Keep in mind that many group boards and tribes prefer blog post links, which means you’ll get more exposure for those pins.
Either way, never miss an opportunity to drive traffic to your website – even if your pin has no specific sales goal.
Common mistakes with Pinterest business marketing
If you don’t see results from Pinterest marketing, it may be because you’re not using the platform the way it is intended. Here are some things to avoid on Pinterest:
Don’t share pins here and there.
Pinterest is one of those platforms where consistency and frequency pay off.
When you share every day, you’ll likely see a steady increase in traffic, impressions and engagement. Similarly, when you drop off, those numbers will drop too.
Here’s the thing:
The real power of Pinterest lies in how long pins can last. The average half life of a pin is three to six months. Many pinners get traffic for years longer.
Compare that to the few minutes you get on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Are you starting to see the magic of Pinterest?
That said…
At some point pins will lose their “virality”. The more people see the same pin, the less likely they’ll be to click on it. Odds are, they’ll have clicked or chosen not to already.
To get consistent traffic from Pinterest, you need to keep feeding the machine with fresh content.
Don’t completely ignore SEO.
Pinterest is a search engine much like Google, only with beautiful images.
Most people think of Pinterest as “Google of the DIY world”.
Search engine optimization (SEO), and keywords in particular, play a huge role in Pinterest success.
Before you pin, it’s crucial that you understand your audience and know what they’re looking for. You can use standard keyword research tools to find keywords (Moz Keyword Explorer, SEMrush, SEMscoop, KWfinder).
You can also use the Pinterest guided search to find topics that your audience is actively searching for within the platform.
It’s a good idea to keep a spreadsheet of common Pinterest keywords related to your niche. This way, you’ll always have keywords handy for new pins.
Now, you may be wondering where to place keywords.
Great question! Here where you need them:
- Your profile name
- Profile description
- Board titles
- Board descriptions
- Pin description
- Image file names
There’s an art to Pinterest optimization. And creating high-quality pins and researching keywords takes time. If you’re serious about Pinterest marketing, you may want to consider hiring an SEO expert or virtual assistant to help.
Don’t join the wrong boards
There was a time when all you needed to do was join group boards to see explosive traffic.
Everybody knew it. Marketers went a little crazy. They’d spam groups with their pins without repinning or engaging.
So today, Pinterest keeps a close eye and squashes group pins with low engagement.
Whatever you do, don’t join loads of group boards and leave it at that.
Join a few to start, share your pins, and repin others from the group. Then check your Pinterest analytics every month. Stop sharing to groups with low engagement and join new groups. Rinse and repeat until you find high performers.
The same holds true for tribes…
While tribes have share-for-share rules and more accountability than groups, members can share any pins from the tribe. There’s no guarantee they’ll pick yours. Aim for tribes with a 10% or higher reshare rate on your pins.
Wrapping it up
Pinterest is still the internet’s best-kept “secret traffic weapon”. Businesses who use it effectively understand that it’s a search engine and much different than other social channels. They know how to use that difference to their advantage.
As with any social channel, algorithms can change. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket with Pinterest. Make sure you have two traffic sources (either paid or organic) and share your content on other social platforms as well.
For any types of queries, you can contact us on info[at]namasteui.com.