Originally known as the go-to app for recipe ideas and decor inspiration, Pinterest has now evolved into something far beyond that. For businesses, it represents a major opportunity to grow. The app has been seeing crazy spikes in adoption ever since the pandemic, growing by many millions of users every year. In fact, it now has 433 million active users. Not to mention 83% of users have made a purchase from content they’ve seen on Pinterest. So, how can you make the most of Pinterest marketing?
How does Pinterest work?
Pinterest often gets labelled as a social media app, but in fact, this is not true. It’s a visual search engine. That’s part of the reason why it’s so powerful. Keywords play a major role in the success of your Pinterest marketing, so if your content isn’t optimized for pinners’ searches, you may be missing out.
There are three vital components of Pinterest: Pins, Boards and Feed.
The Pin:
This is the main component and is usually an image, design or video visual. Each pin contains a link, which can direct a user to a website. You can also add a title and a description. Adding pins allows users to explore the products and services you offer.
The Board:
When you create multiple pins, you can then add them to a Pinterest board (which resembles a scrapbook or gallery). Usually, users will group similar pins together and create a theme. For example, you might have a board highlighting your latest arrivals or inspiration for a new product.
The Feed:
A Pinterest feed is similar to a Facebook or Instagram feed. It displays all the pinning activity from the people you follow, along with paid Pinterest ads, promoted pins and pins the algorithm thinks you will like. Users can either search for specific terms to discover content or just explore their home feeds which are auto-generated.
The basics of Pinterest Marketing:
1) Brand your profile
You first want to make sure you create a business Pinterest account so that you have access to analytics, rich pins and more.
Then you need to take the measures to brand your Pinterest profile so that it’s easily recognizable as belonging to your company. Each social media platform has its own customization features to allow you to add your own touch to it. Here are the main steps you should take to up your profile:
- Upload a cover board
- Upload a profile picture
- Optimise your description with your keywords
- Choose five boards to showcase at the top of your profile
- Brand your board covers
- Verify your website
2) Work on your keyword strategy
Just like any other search engine, Pinterest is all about keywords. Your goal is to make your pins show up in the feed when users use a relevant term. If your pins don’t have a relevant keyword in your description (or if you don’t even have one), they will never show up in the feed. It’s really important to think about how you can connect your content to the right keywords. Do some research on upcoming trends, and brainstorm what your target audience would be searching for on the platform. Once you’ve done that, you can use those keywords in your pin titles,
3) Create eye-catching visuals
Pinterest is a visual platform, so effectively using it for business means producing high-quality, engaging visual content to share. Pins on Pinterest are essentially links, so if you produce high-quality visuals, your potential followers can click through to your site, note your business and visit a sales page.
First of all, you want to make sure that your image is vertical and that it is high quality. You should also incorporate your logo in your Pins so your brand doesn’t get lost in the Repin shuffle. If appropriate, add text overlay on your design with the keywords you’ve identified. And finally, design it in such a way that it is thumb-scrolling and stands out from your competition.
4) Pin often and be active
To gain traction, you need to pin frequently and engage with your community. If you choose to pin only your newest product or service launches, it will dilute your message. There is no benefit in doing this. Instead, focus on producing high-quality content and using Pinterest for a range of topics including inspirational quotes, trending topics among shoppers, seasonal ideas and more. Get creative with it and stay active on the platform!
