Pinterest is a network that allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by posting (known as ‘pinning’ on Pinterest) images or videos to their own or others’ boards (i.e. a collection of ‘pins,’ usually with a common theme) and browsing what other users have pinned. While most call Pinterest a “social” network – Pinterest is actually best known as a visual search engine!
Why should you consider Pinterest for your business? Well, according to eMarketer, only Facebook outranks Pinterest in terms of influencing U.S. social media users’ purchasing decisions. In fact, according to Sprout Social, 93% of active pinners said they use Pinterest to plan for purchases! Pinterest can drive tons of traffic to your website, which can turn into tons of sales for your business. If you have not yet set up a Pinterest account for your business, now is the time to start.
Today, we are sharing 7 tips to help you get started promoting your business on Pinterest!
Create stunning visuals
In order to get your pins noticed and re-pinned you need amazing images (and bright colors). Your images (including titles) are crucial on Pinterest! You can make images for free on Canva.com and select the “Pinterest” option. The suggested Pinterest image sizes are:
Pixel Dimensions
Square pins: 600 x 600 pixels
Long pins: 600 x 1560 pixels
Medium pins: 600 x 1260 (minimum)
Create Niche/Business related Boards
“Boards let people organize all of their Pins around different ideas, interests, and plans. They can also be an important part of your business’ identity on Pinterest. Boards show people what your business is all about, like what kinds of products you offer or what inspires you.” (Pinterest)
Use keywords in your board titles and board descriptions. Do not add any boards that do not relate to your industry or business.
Make at least the first board or two (more would be great) all about your business – where you can directly pin YOUR own content. Then add a few more for related articles, inspiration and more – from other sources (pin other peoples content).
For example, If you own an online women’s boutique you would want to add boards like:
- (your company) clothing, (your company) jewelry, (your company), (your company) outerwear
- (boards to pin your items and OTHER sources) Fall inspiration, gift guides, “get the look”, fashion inspiration
- Etc.
Allow Visitors to Pin Directly from your website
Add a “Pin to Pinterest” or “save” button on your website. This allows your visitors to pin your images and articles directly to Pinterest, where others will find it!
Pin Frequently
Schedule time, at least once a week (if not more) to pin your own content to Pinterest. Create boards on your business account and keep it nicely organized. You can re-pin your own content regularly. Also, don’t forget to pin other peoples content/pins that are related to your industry. Create separate boards for industry related topics. If you do not have time for this, you can use a pin scheduler like Tailwind. Keep in mind, Tailwind is the ONLY Pinterest approved 3rd party application.
Enable Rich Pins
Rich Pins use metadata from your website to let users know what to expect before clicking on a pin. You must enable this function, however. You can find the link here: https://business.pinterest.com/en/rich-pins
Promote
Generate more clicks to your website, more saves, re-pins and reach by running a promotional ad campaign on Pinterest.
Analytics
Pinterest business (free) provides analytics so that you can easily track results and identify which pins are doing well and which may need a few tweaks.
Setting up Pinterest is easy, but if you have not used the platform in the past you may get a little overwhelmed. Don’t stress out – Pinterest can actually be fun once you get started. If you need assistance in setting up your business profile, you can give us a call. Also, make sure you are signed up for our newsletters so you know when we post more Pinterest tips and tutorials!
Have you already started using Pinterest for your business? Let us know how far along you are in the comments below!