Pinterest isn’t just a social network , it’s also a visual search engine and a productivity tool. Find out how to use Pinterest for business.
Are you currently using Pinterest just to plan your dream vacation or find delicious pastries to try – or are you using Pinterest for business? If you haven’t done the latter yet, maybe it’s time to consider placing your brand on this visual platform.
Pinterest gives businesses of all sizes a unique way to market themselves. As a visual search engine, Pinterest is great for exposing new potential customers to your brand.
This is because the Pinners come to the platform for inspiration. They want to try new things , discover new ideas, find great recipes, and often get inspired to make their next purchase.
This article will cover all the basics of Pinterest marketing to get you started, including:
- What is Pinterest marketing?
- How to use Pinterest for business
- How to create a Pinterest business account
- Important lingo you need to know that will help your Pinterest marketing strategy
- How to use Pinterest with Hootsuite
What is Pinterest marketing?
Pinterest Marketing is a set of tactics that integrate Pinterest into your company’s larger social media marketing strategy to reach new audiences and increase awareness of your brands and products.
According to Pinterest Business , social media marketers are looking to the platform to: Use Pinterest.
- Reach a new audience and grow your online presence.
- Drive more traffic to the company’s website or online store.
- Encourage conversions like newsletter signups, ticket sales or purchases.
In other words, using Pinterest for business can help your brand reach a large number of people and earn money . In 2021, Pinterest is the 14th largest social network in the world with 459 million active users each month. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
In fact, 80% of Weekly Pinners discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest. And Pinterest stats show that the number of Pinners and boards created is increasing year on year. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
This platform can be especially beneficial if your business is targeting the same demographic that likes and uses Pinterest. The platform has historically attracted women and people who want to go shopping or start a new project . From 2021, it becomes more and more popular with men and Gen Z.
Pinterest is also popular among people looking for positive inspiration. Now that you know what Pinterest marketing is, it’s time to move on to how you can market your business on Pinterest. Read on for 8 handy tips.
How to Use Pinterest for Business: 8 Tips and Tricks
1. Create a Pinterest marketing strategy
As you would with any other social media channel, start by crafting a social media strategy for Pinterest – don’t just jump right in.
Creating a Pinterest marketing strategy means: Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
- Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). Besides gaining an audience on Pinterest , are you hoping that the platform will drive traffic to your website, increase sales of a specific product, or generate event registrations?
- Learn more about the general Pinterest audience and the demographic that is most likely to use this channel.
- Learn more about your brand’s specific Pinterest target audience.
- Considering what your competition is doing on this social media platform.
- Schedule and incorporate branded content for Pinterest into your social media content calendar .
Once you have defined a clear strategy, you can start working towards your goals.
2. Pin engaging and engaging content
Pinterest is a visual platform, so using it effectively for business means producing compelling, high-quality visual content to share. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
So what makes a pin captivating?
Vertical imaging. Data shows that 82% of users browse Pinterest on mobile. Take photos in a 2: 3 aspect ratio to avoid ending up with poorly cropped images.
Consider the quality of your image and video. You want to avoid pixelation, so aim for the highest quality images and videos recommended by Pinterest.
- Descriptive copy. Good descriptions can help you improve SEO, add context to your images, and encourage users to click on links.
- Text overlay. Consider including a headline that reinforces your visual message.
- Brand of good taste. If that makes sense for your brand and fits with your Pinterest marketing strategy, embed your logo in your Pins so your brand doesn’t get lost in the Repin overhaul.
- Make sure your links are working. Broken links won’t help your brand! Make sure the link with your pin won’t go to a 404 and that it loads quickly to give users the best user experience.
Finally, be consistent! Consistent, daily pinning is more efficient than creating a table and filling it all in one go. And pinning regularly ensures that your content will reach a larger audience. Using Hootsuite to schedule Pins will help your brand stay on top of your content calendar. (Learn more about using Pinterest with Hootsuite below.)
3. Try different pin formats
Pinterest is an image sharing platform, but it’s not all about photos. To mix together ! Pin a video encouraging people to shop from your online store, or try adding multiple photos to a Pin to create a carousel . Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
But even if 80% of Pinners discover a new brand or product on Pinterest, think beyond shopping and explicitly promoting your brand.
Pinners also come to the platform for inspiration, with 85% of them stating that they come to Pinterest to start a new project. Also, consider posting handy pins or inspiration boards to provide your audience with fun and valuable content. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
For example, Nespresso pins content step by step to engage Pinners with its brand:
4. Plan your boards carefully
Since 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded, your brand’s boards can help reach new users who are interested in specific topics or learning specific things.
For example, Oreo boards include inspirational pins for upcoming seasonal holidays, like his Spooky Sweet Halloween board and Holidays with Oreo board, as well as recipe ideas, like his Oreo Cupcakes board and Oreo Cookie Balls.
Simply put, the brand skillfully blends boards of useful, engaging, and inspiring content with more promotional boards: But the brand has other boards as well, like the Earth Day board which includes pins that indirectly showcase the brand while showing understanding. of what their audience appreciates and supports.
5. Optimize your pins for SEO
Pinterest is a search engine, so make sure your business Pins are easy to find in a search! Include keywords in your Pin descriptions, on boards, and in hashtags.
The pins rich , designed to pin the new content of your company website while avoiding duplicate content, SEO Pinterest also stimulate your brand.
Find more SEO tips – and the top 100 best Pinterest keywords – Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
6. Try different Pinterest ads
The commercials are another effective way to promote your business on Pinterest . Pinterest allows advertisers to target ads around keywords, interests, location, age, and other metrics and categories.
And detailed audience targeting allows advertisers to reach specific groups of Pinterest users, including: Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
- People who have visited your website.
- People who have interacted with your Pins.
- People who have engaged with similar content on the platform.
- A personalized list, such as your newsletter subscribers.
From video ads to collections to promoted pins, there are a range of ad types available on Pinterest. Learn everything you need to know about Pinterest advertising here.
7. Track metrics
A successful Pinterest marketing strategy is data driven. In other words, tracking, measuring, and analyzing key Pinterest metrics and audience behavior help social media managers see which content is performing better and which content is a little less engaging. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Here we tell you what metrics you need to track and the tools you can use to monitor them.
8. Promote your Pinterest profile
Finally, make sure your loyal followers from other platforms know that you are active on Pinterest as well. Promote your Pinterest profile:
- By linking to your Pinterest profile on your business website.
- Include the link in your electronic signature.
- Cross-promote your Pinterest business account on other social channels in your business.
- Share the latest Pinterest profile news in a corporate newsletter.
How to create a Pinterest business account
When using Pinterest for business, you want to make sure that you’ve created a Pinterest business account, and that you’re not just using a personal account. Indeed, a professional account allows your brand to: Continue reading our article on: use Pinterest.
- Access analytics to monitor and measure your Pinterest marketing strategy.
- Show a variety of Pinterest ads.
- Configure a Shop tab.
Here, we walk you through the steps to set up your brand’s Pinterest business account.
How to create an account if you’ve never used Pinterest before
Step 1: Start by creating a new account
Step 2: Navigate to the bottom of the pop-up window
Step 3: Fill in your details
Add your work email and age, and create a secure password. Make sure the email you’re adding isn’t connected to any other Pinterest account. Then click on Create an account. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Step 4: Fill in the fields to create your company profile
You will be asked to add your business name, language and location. Then click on Next.
Step 5: Describe your business Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
Choose the description that best matches what your business does and add a link to your website.
How to create an account if you have a private Pinterest profile
Step 1: Log into your personal Pinterest account and go to Settings
Access here by clicking the last button (a simple arrow icon) in the menu at the top right. This opens a drop-down menu. Then click on Settings.
Step 2: Select Account Settings from the left menu Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
Step 3: Scroll down to Account Changes
And click Convert Account in the Convert to Business Account section.
Step 4: Fill in your business information
You will be asked to add your business name, language and location. You’ll also choose the description that best matches what your business does and add a link to your website.
Another option is to link a Pinterest business account to your already existing personal account. To do this, simply click on Add Account after navigating through settings while logged into your personal account: Continue reading our article on:
Using Pintreest.
Click Create under Create a free business account:
After creating a linked Pinterest business account, follow the same steps as above: add your business name, language, location, business description, and a link to your website. Whichever method works for your brand, once you’ve created a Pinterest business account, you’re ready to start marketing on Pinterest! Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Pinterest important for business terms you need to know
Like all social media sites, Pinterest has its own lingo that you need to familiarize yourself with in order to set yourself up for success. To help you, here is a glossary.
Pins and pin formats
Pinner
LinkedIn has members. Snapchat users are Snapchatters. And Pinterest has Pinners. In other words, a Pinner is the brand term for someone who uses Pinterest. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Pins
A Pin is a primary post posted on Pinterest. Pins include images or videos and can link to an original source, much like a website bookmark.
Promoted Pins
Sponsored Pins are a kind of Pinterest advertisement . These are Pins that businesses paid to promote so that more Pins are likely to see them. These Pins appear in the Home Feed, Category Feed, and Search Results , and include the label “Promised”.
Sponsored Video Pins, Carousels, and App Pins are also available. Learn more about Pinterest advertising options here.
Repins
Think of a Repin as a share on Facebook or a Retweet on Twitter. A repin is when someone pins a post they like (but didn’t create) to one of their boards. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Rich pins
Rich Pins automatically pull more information from your website to the Pin. The aim is to provide more information, such as product availability and up-to-date prices. Rich pins are available in three formats: pins rich products , pins rich recipes and pins rich items .
Video pins
These look a lot like regular pins, but instead of a static photo, they feature a looping video.
Carousel pins
Instead of a single image, Carousel Pins have multiple images. Up to five images can be added to a carousel pin. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Collector pins
This pin format allows épingleurs to buy more easily similar products. When a Pinner clicks the magnifying glass in the lower right corner of a Collections pin, white dots appear.
Idea pins
This is a new pin format that is not yet widely available. Idea Pins can be used to promote your brand in a new way, by customizing your Pin colors and fonts, creating step-by-step guides, or organizing collections. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Try the product pins
This is another new pin format that is not yet widely available. Test Pins use augmented reality (AR filters), allowing users to virtually “try out” the products they see on Pinterest using the Pinterest lens.
Tables and types of tables
Boards
Think of Pinterest boards as digital moodboards. Use boards to save, collect, and organize your Pins . Many use boards to group Pins based on a certain theme or topic. For example, you can create a board around planning a product launch event, for seasonal content, or for wedding inspiration. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Group paintings
Group boards are the same as regular boards, except multiple people can add content. This format is ideal for marketers who want to share ideas or plans with their team because anyone can contribute.
Secret tables
A secret painting can only be seen by its creator and guest collaborators. When you create one, you will see a padlock symbol next to the board name. These are useful for planning that you don’t want to be public – secret boards won’t show up in the home feed, in search, or anywhere publicly on Pinterest. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Protected boards
Similar to Secret Boards, Protected Boards live at the bottom of your Pinterest profile and only you can see them. However, Pins on these protected boards can be seen on Pinterest if a Pinner has a direct link.
Pinterest terms and conditions
Audience information
Pinterest business accounts have access to important metrics and analytics through Audience Insights. Learn more about using Pinterest analytics and what platform-specific metrics you need to track. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Pinterest Goal
This augmented reality tool is only available on mobile devices. Pinterest Lens is a photo tool that allows users to take a photo of something, like a product or PIN, and then find related content on Pinterest.
PIN codes
PIN codes are basically QR codes. These codes can be placed on hard copies of marketing materials (like a business card or press release) and scanned using Pinterest Lens – the codes then link to a Pinterest board or profile. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
How to use Pinterest with Hootsuite
Hootsuite lets you streamline your Pinterest marketing efforts, work as a team on social media marketing, and manage all of your social accounts (across all platforms) from a single dashboard.
Here’s how Hootsuite’s with Pinterest can help you save time and effortlessly add Pinterest to your social media strategy.
How Hootsuite Can Help You With Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy
Using Pinterest will help you and your business by:
Win time. Hootsuite lets you create and schedule Pins. You can also post the content to multiple accounts at the same time.
Improve teamwork. With Hootsuite, you can make sure content is created consistently, regardless of which team member is doing the work. To do this, set up an approval workflow in Hootsuite and use the dashboard collaboration tools.
Facilitates the management of multiple. The scheduling feature ensures that your Pinterest marketing strategy aligns perfectly with all the other social platforms your brand uses, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.
How to start using Pinterest with Hootsuite
Step 1: Connect your Pinterest business account to Hootsuite
Make sure you’re signed in to your Pinterest business account. Then click on Add a social network:
Select Pinterest as the network you want to add to Hootsuite: Continue reading our article on: Using Pinterest.
And authorize it by clicking on Grant access.
Step 2: Create your first message
Hover over the Composer icon and select Pin. Continue reading our article on: using Pinterest.
Step 3: select a board for your pin
You don’t have to choose just one: you post the Pin on multiple boards.
Step 4: Download your media files
Upload your image (and edit it, if you want), add a website link, and type any text for additional context on your Pin.
