Did you know that Pinterest can be a fantastic marketing tool for your business? If you didn’t, then you need to keep reading. If you already knew this but just aren’t sure how to get started, I’ve got you! In this post, I’m giving you a crash course introduction to Pinterest and how to make it work for your biz. 

Why? Because I want you to succeed in business and life, and Pinterest is one of the best marketing tools to help you do this. I promise!

What is Pinterest?

This is an intro post after all, so I need to start with the basics. First things first, Pinterest is NOT a social platform even though everybody keeps calling it this. It’s a SEARCH engine – like Google! Just prettier and more visually appealing and stimulating. 

Pinterest users are getting on Pinterest to search for products, services, and inspiration. Over 320 million people are using this platform for inspiration on what to wear, what to cook, how to style their home and literally SO much more. For example, I love getting home renovation and fashion ideas off of Pinterest. Plus, it’s the perfect visual place to get branding inspiration for my clients.

How Does Pinterest Work?

Pins

Users browse through the pins (images and videos) on their home feed or search for a specific topic for related results. Going off of my earlier example, my search for “home renovation” or “fashion” would yield results along the lines of pins that highlight DIY bathroom renovations or Autumn inspired outfits.

Pinterest Boards 

When users come across a pin or pins they like and want to have access to later, they can save these pins and place them into their own curated collections – known as boards. These boards can be anything from “Favorite Quotes” to “Wedding Inspiration” and basically any other title you can think of. If you are redesigning your living room, you might create a board called “Living Room Inspo” and save any relevant pins you come across in your search to that board.

Pinterest users can save these pins (like I mentioned above), or click straight through to the link to find out more. Maybe it’s a recipe for a spicy avocado dip – so you need to read the instructions on how to make it. This means clicking through to get this information. 

This is EXACTLY what businesses want – for users to click through to their sites using Pins they’ve curated specially for that audience. Do you see where I am going with this?

Some Inspiring Pinterest Stats

• 60% of Pinners that use the platform weekly find ideas for what to buy on Pinterest.
• 65% of users use the platform to find products, ideas, and services they can trust.
• 66% of users buy something after a seeing brand’s Pin on Pinterest
• 70% of users discover new products on Pinterest
• 78% of users say it’s useful to see content from brands on Pinterest.
• 85% of Pinterest users visit the platform when starting a new project.

 

How does it work?

Most Pinterest users are using this platform to make both present and future purchasing decisions. According to Pinterest, 90% of users say this platform helps them decide what to purchase. That’s a BIG percentage!

Pinterest helps users decide which products to buy, which brands to choose, and how much to spend. And you don’t have to be a big brand to make Pinterest work for you. 97% of monthly Pinterest searches are unbranded. That means Pinterest users are coming on to the platform with open minds and are ready to discover new brands and new content. 

Yes, please! 

Now, I told you that Pinterest works like a visual search engine. Well, you know those boards that users can create? You can think of those as a user’s “visual shopping list.”

Why should I use it for my business?

I mentioned it above, but I’ll repeat it for emphasis. Pins can link directly back to a business’s website. This is KEY to driving traffic to your website using Pinterest and ultimately landing those sales. Pinterest is the vessel that can help send tons of traffic to your site. 

Your ideal audience is on Pinterest to find out more information on the product or service YOU offer. When you create Pins that deliver the information they are looking for, you are setting your pins up to be liked, saved, and clicked on.

Unlike Insta or Facebook, these pins can last months or even years. Users can repin (or recirculate) them onto their boards, where their audience can see your pin and repin it. This can almost guarantee you a never-ending stream of visibility (and traffic to your website).

Plus, Pinterest wants you to save your pins – which means more visibility for you! 

Remember, Pinterest users love to see (and potentially buy) products – because that’s what they are on the platform to do. This makes it 100% beneficial for your business or brand to be on the platform too!

Overall, your business or brand is best served when you use Pinterest to:

• Increase your website traffic (what happens after your audience arrives on your site is up to you)
• Get more sign-ups for your email list
• Sell your products and services
• Sell affiliate products

Pinterest does take time for you to start seeing real results. But keep at it, because it’s been one of the best sources of traffic for my site!

Just stay consistent in your pinning efforts and always optimize your pins, boards, and profile with relevant and trending keywords.

A quick guide to set up your Pinterest Business Account

1. Create your Pinterest business account (it’s free!)
   • Either create a new account or convert your personal account to a business account
2. Claim Your website (and your Instagram, too)
3. Optimize your profile by adding relevant keywords
   • For example, keywords that help optimize my own Pinterest account include branding, website, WordPress, and showit 
4. Create Pinterest boards that are niched to your business
   • For example, some of my boards include Branding: Things to Know, Web Design Layout Inspo, Color Palettes, Web Design Tips & Tricks, Brand Photography, Typography, Layout Designs and More
   • These boards are relevant to my branding and web design niche
5. Create your Pins
   • Make sure they visually stand out, attract your target customers, are easy to read, and have a call to action. Ultimately, you want to entice people to click on your Pins!
6. Use a Pinterest scheduling tool to repin for you (to save you time)
   • Tailwind is the go-to (Pinterest approved) third party scheduling tool. 

Did I mention that using a Pinterest business account is completely free? There is no current “pay to play” game that brands are seeing on Facebook and Instagram. 

Just remember that your overall goal for using Pinterest for business is to get your target audience to visit your website! Don’t lose sight of this and get caught up in focusing on the wrong numbers!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on using Pinterest for business! Do you love it? Are you not using it yet? Get in touch and let me know if I can be of assistance or point you in the right direction!