How Your Business Can Make the Most Out of Pinterest
Many businesses write off Pinterest as a site reserved for DIY arts and crafts. But this is a huge mistake! Pinterest is a massive platform, with over 367 million monthly users hungry for amazing content. In fact, it has recently knocked Snapchat out of 3rd place as the most popular social network in the United States (Search Engine Journal).
Pinterest offers its users endless opportunities when it comes to advertising, promoting traffic to websites, diversifying content, and generating sales. The numbers don't lie: 1 in 4 adults in the US have a Pinterest account (1 in every 2 US millennials) (Statista). And 83% of active weekly users use the platform to make purchases after being exposed to branded content (Omnicore). Long story short - the companies that are taking full advantage of this platform are reeling in the profits!
How exactly should your business be using Pinterest? Here are four key ways your business should be utilizing this platform for success.
1. get your content strategy down
Just like on any other platform, you have to have a strategy. On Pinterest, it is especially easy to end up with a miss-match of Pins and Boards. And this is where you'll miss out. So, it's super important to go in with a plan of what your Pinterest is going to be about. This means establishing a content strategy regarding the type of content you're going to post, the images you're going to use, and how you are going to attract your target audience. Based on these details, you will then be able to develop a structured plan on how to go about creating and running your business' account. Pinterest is a very visual platform, and because users see so many different posts at once, your content needs to catch their eye. Focus on producing content that really stands out. You might even want to consider creating a custom theme for your Pins and utilizing your company's colors to build brand recognition and cohesiveness.
2. provide links
A key part of Pinterest is creating visually attractive Pins that grab people's attention. But you can't stop there. One of the main features of Pinterest is that it directs users to other websites. This means that your Pins need to convey to viewers exactly what you want them to do upon seeing them. Whether that is to check out your new product, read a blog post, leave a review, visit your website, etc., tell your viewers where they should go next. And ALWAYS include a destination link. For example, at AMR, we use Pinterest to advertise our blog posts. This means that we make a cute pin with a description of the post and link it back to the full blog post (see this example). And since doing so, Pinterest has been our top platform for driving traffic to our blog. This is what Pinterest is designed for, so use the platform to your advantage and generate traffic to your business' sites.
3. Get serious about SEO
Proper SEO is crucial for seeing success on Pinterest. This is because if you do not optimize your Pinterest, it will be challenging for your content to reach your target audience. Spend the time writing well thought out descriptions, and make sure to use MULTIPLE keywords throughout it. This way, when users search for these keywords, they will be able to find your Pin, further boosting your SEO ranking. Additionally, Pinterest Boards can also be optimized; make sure you use high-quality and relevant names for your Boards and descriptions (and include keywords for both!). Another way to boost your SEO is simply to use the platform regularly. This means consistently making time to Pin new Pins to different Boards, pinning your own original Pins, and engaging with other users. And, like on any other platform, being active signals to the algorithm that you are an engaged user and that it should show your content to others!
4. use Cross-posting
Cross-posting is when you post the same content on multiple platforms. This is a super-easy way to build your platform's content and reach more people. Think about it; different types of people use different platforms, so you shouldn't focus all of your attention on beefing up one social media platform. Instead, try diversifying your social media presence across various platforms and posting your content throughout them. Now, this doesn't mean that you can get away with posting EXACTLY the same content on every platform, you will need to adjust for the specific tone and audience for each unique platform, but this is WAY easier than coming up with original content to post for every single platform you're on. For example, AMR has recently gotten super into creating educational TikTok videos about social media (check us out here!), but we don't stop there. We reformate and repost all of our TikTok videos on our Social Media Marketing Tip, Tricks, and Quotes Board on Pinterest. Doing so has yielded us THOUSANDS of new views and followers on BOTH Pinterest and TikTok. And all by using videos we already made - it's a win-win!
Not sure how to get your business’ Pinterest up and running? Or not seeing the results you want? Reach out today, we are here to help!
Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter