Your 5-step guide to a killer Pinterest strategy

Pinterest used to be known as the go-to social network for finding recipes, home decor ideas and DIY projects… ooh the endless hours of scrolling. But the platform is way more than -“just” – a social network. With over 355 million users every month, it’s the biggest visual search engine on the web. So, are you missing out by overlooking Pinterest ? Definitely- and we have created a helpful guide on why you should use Pinterest for your business. It’s time to step up your game!

Pinterest is of course a social network where you connect with friends and influencers. It’s also the place where you spend hours on end browsing pictures and videos of beautiful food or holiday destinations. But with the right strategy Pinterest can be a real gamechanger for your brand. You can build a strong community that engages with your content, drives brand awareness, click-throughs, and ultimately sell products all by simply creating pins.

Pinners come to the platform for inspiration or “pinspiration.” By actively engaging with your audience and offering them useful content, you’re helping them with their decision-making. It’s the medium where people browse, discover and buy. Grab their attention during that moment of inspiration and help your target group turn their idea into reality.

According to Pinterest women make up 60% of the platform’s audience. Their secret weapon? Millennial Moms! In the United States, 8 in every 10 moms is on the platform. And when it comes to buying household products and services, women are the primary decision makers.

Millennials seem to go nuts over Pinterest. About 86% of them use it to plan their big and small moments in life. 63% have also used it to discover new products to buy. Those are numbers you simply can’t ignore.

84% of weekly scrollers use Pinterest to help decide what to buy. According to Pinterest, 55% of Pinners are specifically looking for products. And 83% of weekly users have made a purchase based on content they see from brands on Pinterest. Good news: the platform is packed with e-commerce features that are optimized for driving traffic and sales. So nothing is stopping you from growing your brand on Pinterest.

Of course there’s a catch. Pinterest is a very visual platform. So if you want to grab people by the eyeballs, you’ll have to produce some eye-catching images, videos, infographics, … – Yes, even if you’re selling bricks.

For our client Heylen Ceramics, we’ve created pins that highlighted everything from the product itself – ceramic bricks- to beautiful houses with brick architecture. Perfect for the builder who is in dire need of some pinspiration.

So are you ready to move on to the juicy stuff… we’re talking strategy! Here are 5 steps to get your business going on Pinterest.

Pinterest and beautiful images go together like peanut butter and jelly. Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, meaning all Pinterest search results are images or videos. To be successful on the platform, you’ll need to learn how to communicate in a visually compelling way. But make sure that the aesthetic you use is consistent with your brand image.

Take Benefit Cosmetics for example, the beauty brand has an on-point aesthetic on social media and knocks it out of the park on Pinterest!

Benefit Cosmetics’ Pinterest profile has 2.5 million monthly visitors, and they do an excellent job of incorporating their branding into everything they Pin, including product campaigns, inspiring quotes, and beauty tutorials.

And then there are Video pins. Using video will help you stand out from the crowd. It’s an engaging format that’s perfect for brand storytelling and showing your products or services in action.

When it comes to video pins, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty takes the content crown.

Just by using video pins like Fenty, you will increase the number of people who see your pins and boost your social media campaign.

Looking to increase your Pinterest traffic? Then you’ll have to focus on SEO, just like you would with any other search engine. If you optimize your pins for discovery by following the best SEO practices, your brand will become more visible. And that my friend, will drive traffic.

Your chances of being found on Pinterest, or in other words your Pinterest SEO, depends on three points.

· Relevant keywords:

Starbucks is a star pupil when it comes to keywords. By adding a detailed description to their pins with the right keywords they give their audience exactly what they are looking for. The brand’s on-image copy is also simple and to the point, giving the user just the right amount of information.

· Interests

Every Pin on Pinterest falls under several Interests. They are used to remove unsafe content, to make personal recommendations, to direct advertisements to the right target group and as ranking factor for search results. You can’t influence it, but it is important to know that these Interests are included in the ranking. It helps to show visitors content that suits them.

· Hashtags

To hashtag or not to hashtag on Pinterest? The answer is yes. They will boost your traffic. Especially with new pins it is important to use hashtags. In the feed of a user, these appear in chronological order: from new to old. They won’t keep you on top, but they’ll make your new content immediately visible to your target group.

When I say engagement … you probably think about Instagram or Facebook. Think again, Pinterest has communities too. And it’s a goldmine for marketeers. Pinterest communities are newly created to connect with like-minded pinners so they can discuss, and share content to inspire people. Until now, it was simply impossible to create a space where people can talk about topics of similar interests, and can actually make conversation.

Members of your community will be able to ask questions and interact with your content. You’ll be able to add value and position yourself as an expert in your field. What’s not to love?

Here is a tip: Don’t just join a community and post your links and blog content. Add some fire starters to see if the community audience is interested.

You can do everything right, but if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t…. it means nothing. Using Pinterest analytics and Ad manager will help you improve your strategy. These simple tools provide you with a whole host of insights, from pins with the highest clicks and impressions, to your highest search ranking pins, and what people are pinning about you.

More than any other social media platform, Pinterest offers very valuable demographic information. It allows you to connect with the right people at the right time and gives you an early advantage over your competitors. A full user guide can be found here.

Pinterest is becoming a shoppable platform and the Verified Merchant Program is part of these efforts. It helps people discover trusted brands and buy products in the process. Signing up is free and makes your brand stand out. Do you need any more reasons? Do it!

At the moment the Verified Merchant Program is only available in the US, so you’ll have to sit tight and be patient until you can use it in Europe.

Like all things in life, it takes time and effort to create a successful Pinterest strategy. Don’t expect it to be an overnight success. Instead, pin regularly, engage with the community, and have fun with the visual world that is Pinterest. Your efforts are sure to pay off.

Start pinning with these tips and tricks

1.Have an awesome cover photo.

2. Pin regularly

3. Have a pinnable image on every post on your socials

4. Use keywords in your description

5. Use links to your platforms on Pinterest

6. Follow Pinterest trends

Are you ready to dive into Pinterest or still a bit unsure?  MMBSY will gladly help you define your goals and Pinterest strategy. Contact us for a free intake meeting.