If your business isn’t on Pinterest yet, now’s the time!
In this blog, Mady Lewellyn, a Social Media Manager at Ignite Visibility, will explain why so many brands are discovering success by posting content on the popular visual discovery engine and how you can use Pinterest for business, too!
What We’ll Cover:
- What is Pinterest for Business?
- How to Set Up a Pinterest Account for Business
- Best Practices: How to Use Pinterest for Business
- Should You Run Ads on Pinterest?
My Expert Insight on Using Pinterest for Business
Pinterest has been around since 2010, but lately, it’s been more successful than ever for brands, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
While social media marketing is still incredibly important, more and more people are turning to Pinterest to find new products, brands, and information. Everyone from Ikea to McDonald’s is tapping into the power of this one-of-a-kind social media/search engine hybrid.
With a strong focus on visual storytelling, a detailed algorithm, and users who are searching for solutions, Pinterest is a great place to grow your audience and find organic traffic.
I recommend checking out how your competitors are using Pinterest, exploring what your audience is searching for there, and finding a way to include this powerhouse platform in your content marketing strategy moving forward.
What is Pinterest for Business?
Pinterest for business involves using the platform to increase brand awareness, engage with your audience, and make it easier for people to discover your product or service.
Setting up your Pinterest business account will give you access to a ton of tools and resources, such as content analytics and the ability to run ads. It also gives you access to custom audience insights to help you tailor your content to the specific audience you would like to reach.
Why Should You Have a Business Account on Pinterest?
Contrary to popular belief, Pinterest isn’t your average social media site. It’s more of a visual discovery platform. People all over the world are turning to Pinterest as a search engine to discover new products, brands, and information.
- Reach Over 500 Million Users – According to Pinterest itself, it has over 518 million monthly active users. If you aren’t using Pinterest to advertise, that’s 518 million people who could be missing out on your message!
- Users Want to Buy – 80% of weekly Pinterest users say that their shopping habits are influenced by their experience on the platform.
Pinterest for business could result in more sales and traffic - It’s Popular With All Ages – Pinterest prides itself on its fastest-growing demographic, Gen Z, claiming that the sought-after generation makes up 42% of its total user base. Even if Gen Z isn’t your audience, don’t rule out Pinterest yet. The platform is still popular with people ages 25-44, with 70% of users being women and 30% being men.
- Reach High-Income Earners – Its roster of active users includes 40% of all US households with an average income over $150,000.
How to Set Up a Pinterest Account for Business
A good thing about Pinterest is that it makes setting up a business account easy! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started:
Step 1: Create a Business Account
Start by going to Pinterest.com. Click on Create a free business account and follow the prompts to set up your account.
Step 2: Complete Your Profile
Once your account is set up, you can set up your profile.
- Upload a photo and a banner
- Write an About Me using targeted keywords
- Add your website
- Choose your username
- And more.
Step 3: Link Your Website, Instagram and Shopify Sites
The next step is to link your website, Instagram, and Shopify sites to your Pinterest profile.
Under Settings, click on Claimed Accounts. This will walk you through the steps of connecting the appropriate platforms with your new Pinterest account. This screen will also give you the option to change your social permissions, monitor your messages and comments, and more.
Step 4: Explore the Business Hub
Now that your profile is up and running, it’s time to explore the Pinterest Business Hub. On the top navigation bar, click the “Settings” drop-down menu. This will bring up your options.
In the Business Hub, you can see your metrics, analyze your performance, and see your top pins. This will come in handy later when you start to actively use the platform.
If you decide to run Pinterest Ads, the Business Hub is also where you’ll go to set up your billing account, establish your budget, decide on your targeted audience, and create your ad pins.
Best Practices: How to Use Pinterest for Business
Once your profile is set up, it’s time to start thinking about the specifics of using Pinterest for business. Use the following best practices to help you create Pins that will get you the traffic you want.
Use Eye-Catching Imagery and Engaging Videos
This Pin from Acme is an excellent example of using eye-catching imagery to stop the viewer’s scroll. Better yet, it’s an engaging video! (Click here to see the video in action!)
Link Back to Your Company Website
The point of Pinterest is to generate website traffic, right? Be sure your Pins always link back to your website, like this example from PetSmart.
Pin Engaging Content
Create content that will engage and resonate with your audience. Whether it’s user-generated content or professionally designed content, make it with your audience in mind.
Take this example from Zenni.com. If someone who suffers from migraines is scrolling through their Pinterest feed, this heading is going to grab their attention and make them want to learn more.
Try Different Pin Formats
Pinterest allows you to post in various formats. Don’t be afraid to experiment to see which resonates best with your audience.
You can choose from:
- Static Pins – Single image pins
- Video Pins – Short-form video content
- Product Pins – Pins that feature products to be purchased
- Rich Pins – Three types of pins that automatically sync information from your website
- Recipe Pins
- Article Pins
- Product Pins
- Carousel Pins – Multiple images in a carousel
- Promoted Pins – Pins that are boosted through an ad campaign
Plan and Organize Your Boards
Within your account, you can organize your Pins into individual boards, keeping your content organized by topic.
The more organized your boards are, the easier it will be for your followers to find and engage with content that resonates with them. Be sure to properly name your boards and optimize each board’s About section like the one below to target the right audiences.
Optimize Captions and Pins
Keep in mind that Pinterest is a visual search engine. As much as you focus on SEO for your website, don’t forget to optimize your content here, too.
Be sure to use keywords in your captions and Pin titles, along with captivating images.
Lean Into Community Engagement
Just like any other social media site, you’ll want to engage with your community. Keep track of and reply to any comments they may leave. You can also encourage engagement with strong CTAs that will inspire action.
Should You Run Ads on Pinterest?
Like other social media platforms, Pinterest gives businesses the option to implement paid ads in order to increase reach, engagement, or website traffic.
The first step is to determine your goals, and then decide which ad objective can help you achieve them. Pinterest’s Audience Insights tool offers very detailed analytics of your fans, including interests and their corresponding affinities, age, gender, location, and device used. This information is highly useful when developing your ads, as you can target them to these specific demographics, or adjust your targeting to match your desired consumers.
When creating a Pinterest ad, it’s a great strategy to add a catchy tagline, as well as an attention-grabbing graphic of your product. These ads will be shown amongst other pins to Pinterest users, so you want to ensure that your ads stand out.
Another unique option is to opt for a short video ad, which is one of the best ways to showcase your brand and products.
Also, make sure to check out Pinterest’s features and tools made specifically for online shopping.
The product Pins option allows brands to create Pins that highlight specific Shoppable products and enable the user to click directly to that item on the company’s website.
Catalogs are a useful tool that allows brands to connect their online inventory directly to their Pinterest account.
Companies can also add a “Shop” tab to their boards, featuring all their shoppable and in-stock products in one place.
Implement Pinterest For Your Business with Ignite Visibility
Whether you want to use Pinterest to introduce people to your business, build brand loyalty, or close sales, Ignite Visibility can help!
Hundreds of brands across the country have been relying on our social media experts to develop strategies that help them reach their goals. We’re here to do the same for you!
Are you ready to use Pinterest for business and tap into their millions of users? Reach out to talk today.
