Guide To Marketing On Pinterest
Did you know that Pinterest has more than 433 million users? Or that more than 80% of Pinterest users have purchased a product or service solely based on content they have seen on the platform?
So, if you’re not already thinking about how you can leverage the power of Pinterest within your marketing strategy, now is definitely the time to start exploring the wealth of possibilities that you could unlock for your business.
But it’s all very well saying that Pinterest is the place to be, however, it is critical to create the right strategy in order to drive the best possible outcomes as efficiently as possible. So, let’s run through some of our top tips for getting started.
What Exactly is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a popular social media platform that allows its users to store, share and search for inspiring, insightful or entertaining content. Users can pin content to different boards, allowing them to organise the content they want to save within clear categories that relate to their interests.
So, you might have a food board where you pin different recipes you want to try, an interiors board where you pin home decor ideas, and an entertainment board where you pin films or TV shows you want to watch.
In addition to supporting personal accounts, Pinterest also offers business accounts which provide additional analytics and insights information, extended features such as a native video player, and the opportunity to run ads within the platform itself.
Marketing Your Business Using Pinterest
As with all social platforms, there are a number of different strategies and approaches you can choose to pursue.
1. Share Your Content
Like Instagram, Pinterest is a highly visual platform. However, Pinterest is also significantly more versatile as it supports many different types of content and allows users to use click-through links.
I recommend creating a selection of different boards, each populated with relevant content and strong imagery. It is also possible to create group boards and invite other contributors to share content that relates to the theme or idea of that board.
2. Establish a Sense of Community
One of the best ways for businesses to get the most from their social media platforms is to work hard to create a real sense of community. Millions of people use Pinterest on a monthly basis, which presents myriad opportunities to build an audience of people who will interact with your boards, re-pin your posts, and click through to engage with your content.
To do this effectively, you will need to dedicate time to interacting with other users’ boards and content, as this interaction may help you boost traffic to your website and convert your Pinterest followers into loyal customers.
We also recommend promoting your Pinterest account on other social platforms, considering running ads on the platform, and following users who fall into your audience demographics and are, therefore, more likely to follow back.
3. Provide Relevant and Engaging Information
Many Pinterest users turn to the platform to learn something new, which is why tutorials, educational content and infographics perform so well. To ensure that you are sharing content that will help you secure the results you want to see, it is important to keep your ideal audience in mind at all times.
We recommend deep diving into your buyer personas, asking your existing audience what they want to see more (or less!) of, look at your followers’ Pinterest boards to determine the types of content that they are particularly interested in, and take a look at some of your competitor brands to see which strategies are working well (and not so well!) for them.
4. Leverage Clickable Links
Every piece of content shared on Pinterest can contain a click-through link, which makes it an ideal platform for driving traffic to your website. Many businesses use Pinterest to showcase images of their products, each of which also links directly to the product page on their website. For example, a fashion brand might create a summer adventure Pinterest board and pin images featuring items from their summer clothing collection that promote a covetable lifestyle or emotion.
5. Create a Business Account
Pinterest business accounts automatically gain access to valuable analytics information, amongst other features. It is important to note that Pinterest’s Ads Manager is not available to free account holders, so you will need to factor in the cost of upgrading your account further if you want to access this feature.
6. Categorise Your Content
There are a number of different categories that users can search for via the Pinterest platform, so it is critical that every piece of content you share is tagged with the correct category.
In addition to searching for specific keywords, many Pinterest users like to browse categories when looking for inspiration or ideas. Some of the platform’s most popular categories include Beauty, Travel, and DIY and Crafts, however, other categories include Design, Event Planning, Animals, and Art.
7. Share Eye-Catching Imagery
There are a lot of images and videos on Pinterest, so you need to determine how you are going to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of your target audience.
While clean product images with a crisp white background might work well on your website, images that don’t contain much blank space are pinned more often on Pinterest. So, this is something to keep in mind when putting together the content you plan to share.
8. Utilise Keywords
Strategically incorporating keywords throughout your posts, profile, boards, and image alt-text will help you boost your organic presence in the feeds of other users. Thankfully, Pinterest makes it incredibly easy to perform keyword research on its platform. Simply enter a keyword into the search bar, and the results page will be topped with a selection of related keywords that you can easily start to incorporate into your content.
9. Leverage Analytics Data
Pinterest Analytics provides users with a variety of important information, including your most popular pins and how many people are saving and/or re-pinning your content. We recommend keeping a close eye on how many leads your Pinterest strategy is generating, as well as how much engagement your content is receiving and how much traffic your website is receiving from your Pinterest presence.
10. Showcase Your Brand’s Story
Ultimately, Pinterest is an excellent social platform for showcasing the story and values of your brand. From sharing a behind-the-scenes look at your business to showing your audience how much you value their presence, Pinterest can be used in a variety of different ways to increase brand awareness, illustrate your expertise, nurture a sense of community, and drive conversions.
So, what are you waiting for? There’s never been a better time to start sharing engaging content with an attentive audience that thrives on eye-catching imagery.