The marketing game has changed, with more and more brands harnessing the power that digital marketing offers. But when one thinks of marketing, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok are some of the more obvious choices.
However, if one thinks a little outside the box and gets creative, there is a seriously underrated platform known as Pinterest. One could easily call Pinterest a dark horse because it is a platform that tends to quietly and consistently over deliver.
No social media marketing plan is complete without incorporating plans for Pinterest marketing in it. Pinterest’s current growth projection puts it right behind TikTok, and the impact cannot be understated considering it currently has over 400 million monthly users.
And with new features to better facilitate e-commerce, improved analytics, and a rapidly growing user base, Pinterest marketing is essential for any digital marketing strategy.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the things we tried and show you what worked and why it worked when it comes to Pinterest marketing. So let’s begin with how you can use Pinterest effectively for your business.
Understanding Pinterest
Pinterest is essentially a social network that started as a place where people went for inspiration and ideas for interests and hobbies, but it has grown to include so much more. It is more than a social network. It is a visual search engine that allows people to search through a visual feed of ideas, products, recipes, and anything and everything in between.
There are fundamental differences that set Pinterest apart from other platforms, which reflects in the content marketing that forms the core of how content is propagated on Pinterest.
First Impressions and Starting the Right Way
Your goal should be to start your Pinterest marketing journey with the right foot forward. First impressions are important. Have your brand description with relevant keywords ready to go along with your profile and banner image. Additionally, pre-plan your first five boards for Pinterest so that your audience doesn’t discover an empty profile. Nothing turns away people like finding a relevant profile but without any creative content to make them stay.
Having a Plan with Pinterest
Have a plan! You could have the most interesting content geared towards Pinterest marketing for your brand, but if it is not in relevant boards and appears random, you’ve ultimately missed the mark. Use the secret board feature to curate all your future content and then make it public at the right time to stay relevant and top of your Pinterest marketing game.
Having a calendar for your content means that you won’t find yourself scrambling to create or curate content last minute. Instead, plan in advance, develop the relevant content writing, and use Pinterest marketing to generate traffic and link back to your website.
Know Your Buttons and Pins
As the name, Pinterest implies you “Pin” things to save them for future perusal. The pin button is the most basic and allows the users to save your product to their boards. Having a pin button on your own website will enable them to save it on their boards directly. This will be seen by other users and is essentially free crowd-sourced Pinterest marketing.
The follow button simply tells people that you have a presence on Pinterest and diverts them to your profile. Use this button everywhere you connect with your audience.
Now on to the pins. First, the Rich Pin is similar to a normal pin but comes loaded with extra details like pricing, availability, and your brand identity. In terms of Pinterest marketing, this increases your chances of discovery and recognition. Additionally, it can serve as a soft call to action.
Buyable Pins are a relatively recent addition to the features available to business accounts. As the name suggests, it allows users to purchase products without leaving the app or website. In addition, these pins allow you to incorporate a more seamless CTA into your Pinterest marketing strategy.
The Importance of Visuals
Pinterest marketing, due to the nature of the platform itself, requires a visually appealing approach. We called Pinterest a visual search engine, and having the correct graphic designing strategy is important. Certain things seem obvious but still, need to be kept at the forefront of any design.
Always use high-quality visuals. Never compromise on the quality of your visuals. There is no restriction on just using images. Videos, infographics, typographic visuals are all usable and done right can generate a lot of traffic and interest. Pinterest marketing at its core is understanding how best to use visual elements to tell a story that brings the audience to you.
Building a Narrative
Build a narrative to tell a story. It captures the attention by forging an emotional connection. The audience takes action and comes back when there is an emotional component. The visual nature of Pinterest makes it perfect for storytelling.
Create boards that share that narrative with your audience. For example, you are a food company. You can create a board that crafts a story of how your products can be used to create the perfect autumn snacks. Pinterest marketing is all about creativity and thinking outside the box a lot of times.
Don’t Forget SEO
We’ve already established that Pinterest is a search engine in many ways. And it has its algorithm and SEO rules. So, like any other form of digital marketing, Pinterest marketing requires you to keep those rules in mind when optimizing your content as you would for any other web content.
So, don’t forget to add the relevant keywords to your profile, pins, and boards!
Consistency is the Name of the Game
Like any other social media platform, regular posting is important for it maximizes exposure and audience engagement. In addition, the importance of having a plan makes it easier to be consistent with your Pinterest marketing endeavors. One way of helping remain consistent is taking advantage of third-party scheduling apps, and they will ensure that you can plan your posting schedule weeks and months ahead.
The Power of Ads and Analytics
Any strategy that you make for Pinterest marketing should take full advantage of the ads available to you by Pinterest. Currently, they offer five different kinds of ads based upon certain parameters.
- Traffic is pay per click and diverts people to your website via ads
- Awareness is pay per 1000 impressions and is a way to reach more people on Pinterest. It also has a video variant.
- Engagement is pay per click, save or close up, and increases engagements on your pins.
- And lastly, App is pay per click or install to encourage app installations.
Adverts work when used smartly. Additionally, Pinterest offers a suite of analytical tools which you can use for analysis and adjust your Pinterest marketing strategy accordingly.
Use the Network
Don’t forget to take advantage of your existing network on other platforms to support your Pinterest marketing efforts. You can easily post or tweet about your new pin/board on other platforms where you have a presence. The digital sphere is all interconnected; use it effectively to take advantage of each platform’s strengths.
What Makes Pinterest Different
One of the biggest differences between Pinterest and other social platforms is the shelf life and how content can be viewed. Because of the search engine aspect of Pinterest, your posts will be discoverable for a longer period of time. And saved pins on other boards also divert back to your profile or website, thus creating a more sustainable engagement model. It’s slow-burn but effective.
Final Thoughts
Pinterest marketing is similar yet different to marketing on other platforms. The goal is to create a visually appealing narrative that is relevant and has a longer shelf life in terms of impact. It is an untapped resource that you and your brand should be utilizing to the fullest.