It still feels Pinterest is one of those social platforms that is disregarded as a legitimate marketing channel. Personally, I feel different and here is why.
According to Forbes, Pinterest has reached over 150 million monthly users.
In fact, when it comes to total user growth, Pinterest is the fastest-growing social media site in the world.
Not only does Pinterest boast a huge user base. Its users are loyal and like to spend money and spend a great deal of their time on the site versus platforms like Facebook.
These are great reasons to add Pinterest to your marketing toolkit.
Users who are referred to a product via Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy the product than they would be had they seen it in a Facebook post. Even more impressive, 25% of all Fortune 100 companies are now using Pinterest to grow their online presence & social reach, which goes to show that Pinterest is doing something right in the way of Brand recognition.
Here are some other fascinating fun fact about Pinterest:
- 31% of adult internet users use Pinterest.
- Pinners are just as likely to purchase as users from other social channels, but spend 50% more on average compared to other social channels.
- They also spend 20% more than users referred from non-social channels, including search.
- 88% purchase a product they pinned.
- 49% purchased 5 or more products they pinned.
- 71% of Pinterest’s users are women.
- 45% of people on Pinterest use the app while watching TV.
If you have not started utilizing the platform yet, then here are a few tips to get you started.
Pinterest users love content they can revisit over and over. Pinning Evergreen content is going to get you the most bang for the buck.
So what does this mean?
Pinterest has a much longer lifespan than just about any other Social Media platform. Think about it a minute…
Facebook. You most likely engage on some sort of mobile device, scan through your timeline, maybe click on a few interesting posts and move on.
Instagram. Same thing. You check out a few recent images of your favorite celebrity, check out your friends latest vacation pics and move on.
Twitter. I’m guessing the lifespan for a Tweet is less than 5 seconds. Enough said.
Pinterest on the other hand is set up in a way that makes easy for users to come back to content they loved the first time they saw it. With its use of Boards, ability to “Pin” and the non-cluttered interface, Evergreen content is what Pinterest is all about.
Now I’m not saying Pinterest doesn’t work for advertising your latest product from your Shopify store, or pinning a coupon for a weekend blowout sale does not work, because it does. You do recall the stat I posted above right? But, Pinterest requires content that is going to improve the users lives.
For instance, people love “DYI” style content. Take the following for example. If you have a kitchen gadget themed online store. Instead of simply plastering your own product pins, mix them in with helpful kitchen ideas. This will keep users pinning your content and revisiting your boards so they eventually will see your product or coupon pins.
First, you will want to sign up for a Business account. This allows you a few extra perks like access to the “Success Stories” which gives insight on how other business are using the platform and opens up the analytics feature which will help you see what is working and what’s not.
Pinterest users want to be inspired and the best way to do that is to tell a story. A story about you, your Brand and what you represent. So take your time when filling out your profile information. Here are a few tips on filling out your profile.
- Keep your Brand consistent with all of your other online properties (website, Facebook, Ecom store front, etc…).
- Use the same logo and business name. Do not add or remove any part of your business name.
- When adding your business description, be short and to the point. Try to keep it to 2 sentences that best represent your business. If you have keywords you are trying to target, do your best at trying to get those in your description.
- Verify your website. This will give a bit more clout in Pinterests eyes as it helps to prove you are a legitimate business and not some fly-by-night spammer.
Rich Pins provide more context about a Pin because they show extra information directly on a Pin. There are four types of Rich Pins: app, product, recipe and article.
Let’s take a look at each.
App Rich Pins display an install button so visitors can download your app without leaving Pinterest. Note: For now, App Pins are only compatible with iOS.
Product Rich Pins make shopping convenient. They include real-time pricing, availability and where to buy your product. A “Visit” button is added right on the Pin which leads visitors directly to your products page.
Recipe Rich Pins include ingredients, cooking times and serving sizes right on the Pin. They also display a “Make It” button leading the visitor straight to your recipe page.
Each Article Rich Pin shows a headline, author and story description giving the viewer a bit more information about the articles content. They also display a “Read It” button leading the visitor to the full article.
There is specific HTML mark up required for Rich Pins to display correctly. But, its very simple. If you are using WordPress, simply install the free version of Yoast. Simply search for “Yoast” inside your WordPress admin under the “Plugins” section and install it. Yoast will automatically add the necessary tags needed for Pinterest Rich Pins.
If you are not using WordPress, you most likely need to speak with your website developer so they can get your site prepared.
There is an authorization process you must complete before your pins are eligible for Rich Pins. It’s very simple. Once your site is ready for Rich Pins by installing Yoast, visit this link for instructions.
Many experts recommend pinning at least 5 times per day. Although this really depends. How much content do you have? If you have a blog or store loaded with relevant content and products then you may want to Pin up to 30 times per day.
So there really is not a set amount of how many times you should pin, but it is best to spread your pins throughout the day. You don’t want to appear to be spamming by pinning 30 items in the span of an hour and by spreading your pins out you will gain exposure to different segments of users. Some users are active in the morning, some at dinner time.
Try to create a pinning strategy. Think about this; what types of pins might be best to post on a Monday? Fitness? After a long weekend of eating poorly Monday may be a good time to increase your fitness or inspirational pins to help get people on track for the week. The end of the week may be better for something funny or entertaining as people are gearing up for the weekend.
The point being, there is no “guide” on how often you pin, but coming up with a strategy or pinning plan will go a long a way. Keep an eye on your account and see what gets you the most repins and views on any given day.
Pins are all about lifestyle. They need to be engaging, make someone laugh, make someone think and most importantly, make them want to click it.
Pinterest is a visual outlet so its important to make your pins stand out.
1. Imagery
Always use the highest quality images. The images must be clear and crisp. On mobile, pins look best when they are vertically oriented.
Make them eye-catching. Just like the image I posted above. Its intriguing, crisp and makes me want to click on it. If you are using a text overlay, then keep it short and catchy.
If your not good with manipulating images, there is a huge talent pool on Fiverr.
2. Description
While images grab the visitors attention a good description is really what makes them click. Be sure your title or description are specific. Remember, that Pins have a long lifespan and users will find your pins by searching with keywords. So be sure to include any keywords that are relevant. A good way to research the best keywords are to do a search and see what type of content comes up in the results. The more specific you can be the more likely your pin will come up in a search.
3. Make them relevant
Remember that your pins are clickable and the point is to get the visitor to your website. The one sure way to turn a visitor into a “never again visitor” is to lead them to a page that has nothing to do with the pin. Do NOT deceive, you will get nothing out of it.
When someone follows you on Pinterest, every pin you create to your own boards will show up in their main Pinterest feed. You can also follow individual boards which is valuable when you find a user who has boards you have a common interest in.
Pinterest Group Boards are a little different. These types of boards allow you to invite others to join your board and pin content relevant to the featured topic.
Because Group Boards have multiple users pinning regular content, they tend to gain a lot of followers very quickly.
You can also apply to be a contributor to other Group Boards. Rather than type it all out, I recorded a quick video on how to find relevant Pinterest Group Boards which can bring you exposure extremely fast. Enjoy!
For more information about Board Commander, click here.
Pinterest can add a ton of value to your marketing toolkit if done the right way. Hopefully these few tips have sparked some fire in you to create your Pinterest account and start driving traffic to your sites. Bye for now!
Learn more on how to leveraging Pinterest in your Marketing Plan
Fill in the form below to receive access to our “Driving Traffic with Pinterest” workshop. In this value packed, 2 hour workshop we discuss:
- Why you should be using Pinterest in your Marketing Plan now
- 5 Pinterest Focus Points
- Tips that some Pinterest users completely overlook when setting up their account
- The one strategy you MUST be using to kick your account into overdrive
- Plus additional Pinterest features you may never knew existed
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