You must remain ahead of the competition if you want to get your message in front of the right people, generate leads, increase conversions, and raise brand awareness. Pinterest marketing is fast becoming one of the most profitable ways to do just that, with over 450 million monthly users and a 100 million increase in the last year alone. 

Pinterest is not like other websites. It enables the user to discover inspirational visual content that they can explore, share, and save. To be effective with Pinterest marketing, you must first understand how the platform functions. 

In this guide, we’ll take you through how Pinterest works and why it’s valuable to market on this social media platform.   

How Pinterest works?    

Consider Pinterest to be a visual content search engine. The audience can search for content using the platform’s search bar, and they will be presented with a list of related images to explore, almost like a search engine. Users discover and save – or “pin” – content to different boards according to a theme, category or idea, the way you would on a real-life pinboard. It helps the user keep their content organised and makes it easy for other users to see and discover their “pinned” content.   

Perhaps you’re wondering how else your content will be seen if it’s not searched directly? The user is exposed to new content on the home page based on their interests, previous actions, top picks or previous searches, opening a range of marketing opportunities for many businesses. If that’s still not enough for the user, they can click on the “more ideas” tab which will reveal even more magical content to delve into. 

Now that you’ve got an idea of how Pinterest works, let’s dive into the many reasons why Pinterest marketing is a great idea for many businesses.   

Why it’s valuable to market on Pinterest?   

To begin, let us look at some statistics that should not be overlooked. According to the most recent Sprout Social data, 89 percent of users use Pinterest for purchase inspiration, and 85 percent have purchased something based on pins they’ve seen. If you’re thinking about using the platform for marketing your product-based company, those are some really healthy-looking statistics! 

If you still need more convincing, then the following advantages might give you more food for thought.   

Drives traffic – Unlike similar sites like Instagram, Pinterest encourages users to share links that guide traffic to your website. This means that when a user discovers a visually appealing pin, Pinterest prioritises content with links embedded in the description and favours backlinking. This is excellent for increasing brand recognition. 

It’s great for SEO – You can easily add keywords to your boards, explanations, names, and profile, making it easier for Google to locate your pins. To improve organic traffic and rating, include your goal keywords in your Pinterest boards and descriptions. 

Increases sales – According to the statistics, Pinterest users have high commercial motive, and this product-focused social media site outperforms Facebook in terms of driving sales. 

It lets your brand be seen – The Pinterest app is designed to run seamlessly on both desktop and mobile platforms, with no features restricted on either. This provides an undeniably seamless user interface and allows users to get lost in the app for hours. If you’ve used the app before, you’ll understand exactly what we’re talking about. The more time a consumer spends on Pinterest, the more likely it is that your brand will be seen.   

Now that we’ve covered all the advantages of marketing on Pinterest, let’s see if this is the correct platform for your business.   

Is Pinterest right for your business?   

Before you create a Pinterest account, consider whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Who is your target audience, and what are you selling? If you’re selling investment policies, Pinterest might not be the right forum for you. For your kind of industry, consider a platform like LinkedIn or get some advice from your trusted marketing team.   

Product-based B2C (business to consumer) businesses will have a higher success rate using Pinterest than B2B (business to business).  We’re not suggesting that B2B companies don’t use Pinterest, but the average Pinterest user comes to the site to be amused, learn something new, find a particular product, or be motivated by a look or concept. 

So, is it worth the effort? Definitely. The platform has a slighter older audience compared to other visual social networks such as Instagram and TikTok. This means that, on average, Pinterest users have a higher disposable income and are willing to invest their hard-earned cash on investment pieces such as furniture or art. So you’re appealing to a more affluent audience with high buying intent, which is a huge advantage when deciding if Pinterest is the right forum for your company. 

Setting up  

Now is the time to make the switch and build your account! To begin, make sure it’s a business account so you can run ads and take advantage of Pinterest analytics. Analytics are valuable insights that you can use to determine how well your page or pin is doing. 

Setting up a business account is free and simple to do! Follow these steps to create a Pinterest business account.   

Our top tips when setting up your business account:   

• Maintaining consistency in your branding, sound, and voice across all of your social media channels and website. This makes it simple for your audience to identify your brand across all platforms. 
• Help people to find you by matching usernames as consistently as possible on all platforms. This makes it easier for your brand to be found and followed across the web!   
• Make sure you follow Pinterest’s terms and conditions and privacy policy to avoid any of your content being reported or deleted. You don’t want all your hard work to be for nothing!   
• Connect your other social media platforms to your account to leverage those existing followers.   
• Use separate boards according to products, catalogues and capsules.   

   

How to get noticed     

You’ve set up your business account, and you’re ready to dive into the world of Pinterest marketing to get your pins noticed. So, where is the best place to begin? There are many ways to accomplish this, and we have mentioned the simplest ones for a novice (business) pinner. 

Engagement is key – Engaging with other accounts is the perfect way to get your pins and profile noticed. Follow, pin, comment, like, and share, and others would do the same. Establish and sustain partnerships with other brands. 

Add value – People use Pinterest as a platform to be educated, inspired and entertained. Make sure your brand falls into these categories by creating some content that includes:  

• Inspiring photography   
• Tutorials  

• “How-to” videos  
• Printable PDF downloads  
• Infographics   

Add keywords – Do some keyword analysis to ensure you have a thorough list of strong keywords, and optimise your copywriting wherever possible. We’re referring to including them in your bio, account profile, explanations, names, and image alt text. The more, the better! As previously mentioned in this article, the more Google favours your content, the more likely it is that your brand will be seen. 

Share the content – Share the content on boards to increase the likelihood of it being discovered by users. The more your boards are organised into themes and groups, the easier it is for followers to find them. You should also think about inviting and appointing contributors to your team. This would increase participation and promote new user interaction. 

Hashtags – Consider adding hashtags to your copy. Having hashtags allows your content to be found by a user who is searching for a specific theme or topic. While hashtags are not as important on Pinterest as they are on other platforms, a few hashtags won’t hurt! Never use more than 20 though. Having more than 20 flags your pin as spam and will most likely be removed.   

Consider promoting your pins – Every platform prefers paying content, and Pinterest is no exception. Consider paying to get your pins shown. You can set targets and identify your target audience in great detail by promoting your pins, right down to the type of computer you want to advertise on. Promoted pins operate in an auction-style bidding system similar to PPC (pay-per-click) ads, and your promotion will appear in both a user’s feed and on their profile. 

Pinterest is not only an extremely impactful, user-friendly, and flexible site, but its exponential growth over the last year is a strong indicator that you should include it in your business marketing strategy. You now have all the information you need to go from being a novice to a winner (business) pinner, thanks to our beginner’s handbook to Pinterest marketing! 

Get in contact with FBS Digital today to find out more about our Social Media services: 0204 526 5195 or hello@finchleybusiness.co.uk