Why Pinterest Might Be the Best Marketing Tool You’ve Ever Used (and How to Use it)
Raise your hand if you’re addicted to Pinterest!
Yep, I see you. Me too.
I can’t tell you how many times I hear people say
“Pinterest is like my Google, but with pictures.”
And they’re right! From DIY projects to fashion and recipes...it’s so easy to get sucked into the visual world that is Pinterest because it has everything you are looking for.
But did you know you can use Pinterest as a marketing strategy too?
Well, hold on, because in this post we will take a deep dive into what Pinterest is, how it can dramatically increase your audience, and how you can start harnessing the power of this tool today!
So let’s get started!
What is Pinterest?
At first, Pinterest might similar to a social media platform. You can follow people you know, other creators, groups, and topics that you’re interested in. But what really happens when you start following people, groups, and topics is the sharing of information.
Because Pinterest is a visual search engine.
This means that every time you search for something, the results are images (pins). And each of those pins contains a link. And each of those links goes back to someone’s website. And the cool thing? You can create hundreds of pins leading back to your website!
And every time you find a pin that interests you, you can save it to a “board.”
The boards allow you to organize all of the information you’ve saved over time, but they also allow other people to see the information you’ve collected.
They can then pin this information to their boards. Then their followers see what they have been saving...and the chain of events can go on indefinitely.
Who uses Pinterest?
People come to Pinterest for all kinds of information and inspiration. Teachers, designers, artists, fitness enthusiasts, photographers, people looking for photographers, business owners who are looking for ways to set up their new office...I mean the list can really go on forever.
How does this apply to my business?
People who are on Pinterest are looking for solutions. They are ready to start something and they are in the research and inspiration phase. Just like Google, you have the opportunity to present yourself as the solution to their problem.
When they see a pin that you’ve created and they want to learn more, getting to your website is literally one click away. The ability to link directly back to any page on your website reduces the number of steps your potential customer has to take in order to find your product or service. This helps convert browsers into buyers!
By creating multiple pins for each product, page, or post, you are drastically increasing the number of views and therefore traffic to your site!
Even if someone isn’t ready to make a purchase, they will probably save the pin to their board. And just that one simple act increases your audience again. Now all of their followers can see your pin and save it.
This gives you access to an audience you may never have been able to reach before.
And it’s not just random people who will be seeing your pins either. That’s the beauty of keywords. When you create your pin, you not only link it to your website, you are able to create a title and description for that pin using keywords that your target audience would be searching for. So the people who will be viewing and clicking on your pins will be your target audience!
You can utilize the power of Pinterest analytics!
This allows you to see growth and track your progress! You will be able to see what is working, which pins are performing the best, and how many clicks and conversions you’re getting!
When you know what’s working and what’s not working in your marketing strategy, you’re able to make important changes in your sales funnel in order to retain your audience.
You can follow your followers. This is great because you’ll be able to get a perfect picture of the things your target audience is looking for and saving. And you can adjust your approach as trends change.
How do I start using Pinterest as a business?
Using Pinterest as a business is a lot easier than it might initially seem. Let’s take a minute for a brief overview of the process of utilizing Pinterest for your business.
Keyword Research
One of the first steps in deciding whether or not to start using Pinterest as a marketing strategy is to do your keyword research on Pinterest to find out what your ideal customer is searching for, and if there is a demand for your niche on this platform.
This can be as simple as going into the interest search bar and typing in some keywords related to your product or service. Pro tip: if suggestions pop up before you finish typing your search, this is a good indication that other people have searched for this thing before, so make sure to take note of the way those searches are phrased and use them to your advantage later.
Think about what you would search for if you were looking for this product or service. Sometimes we forget what it would be like if we didn't have the knowledge we already do, so try to approach it with a fresh perspective.
Create a business profile.
Using the keywords from your research, you can create a business profile. A business profile differs from a personal profile because it allows you to do the next few, very impactful things moving forward, like claiming your website, creating rich pins, and tracking your analytics.
When you create your profile, you can add a description using your keyword research so you appear in search results when people are looking for similar products or services.
Claim your website.
This is what is going to drive traffic back to your site. When you claim your website on your Pinterest profile, you are able to track your analytics and your profile will be visible anytime something is pinned from your website.
Create your boards.
Use keywords from your research to come up with your board titles. Just remember that although it’s super tempting to create boards with fun, creative titles, nobody will be able to search for your content if they don’t know those titles. So sticking to your keywords is the best bet here.
Create your pins.
Using a program like Canva will make designing your graphics easy! Canva has templates and images that will help you create beautiful graphics!
Once you have your graphics made, it's time to start pinning!
Schedule your graphics or manually pin them.
Pinning your graphics is fairly straightforward. After you add your image, you can link it to your website, and the specific page on your website you are hoping to direct your audience. Then it’s time to give your pin a title and description. Again, this is where your keyword research comes into play. It’s important to sound like a real person, but make sure you have a keyword-rich description as well.
Once you’ve done this, you can save the pin to your board. And just like that, you’re on your way!
You’re going to want to create lots of pins, and continue to pin new graphics over time. So this definitely isn’t a one-time thing.
A great way to keep up your consistency is to save time and schedule your pins. This allows you to batch create your pins and plan out your month with Pinterest itself or with programs like Tailwind. This way you aren’t manually pinning every single day.
Spend time keeping your profile active.
This means going in pinning the pins that you've already created and pinning pins from other creators to your boards. This also helps you stand out as an expert in your field because you've got all of this information ready and available to your audience!
You can also create and join groups that align with your content. This helps boost your visibility!
Following your followers is another really helpful tactic, as it allows you to see exactly what your target audience is searching for and pinning!
Track your progress.
Pinterest to the long game. This is an investment and there is no overnight change. Think of it more like exponential growth. It will happen (and it is so amazing when it does) but it takes time, so you need to be consistent and resilient to the changes along the way!
Use the analytics to learn what is working (and then do more of that thing). If a certain style of pin is performing well, make more pins of that style. If a certain paint is not doing well, you know you don’t need to spend your time creating more images in that style.
This also means that you have to be ready to make sure your offer/product/service is what your ideal customer wants. If you find that lots of people are coming to your site, but you’re still not making any sales, it may be time to refine parts of your website sales funnel or your presentation of your offer.
Ready to get started?
If you’re ready to start using Pinterest as part of your market strategy, you can get started today!
You can get started on your own, but if you’re ready to work with a professional, let’s chat! I can’t wait to hear about your vision for your business!
