Pinterest was first launched in 2010 and has become one of the top social media networks in the world. On Pinterest users can pin images from websites all in one spot to Pinterest boards as well as repin ideas from within Pinterest itself. Typical Pinterest boards include those centering around travel, interior design, recipes, crafting, do-it-yourself projects, quotes, and more.
The website is totally free only requiring users to register to start pinning. Pinners can follow other users who have similar boards and interests to customize their Pinterest feed.
Businesses can market on Pinterest by sharing images from their own websites and other social media networks on boards carefully tailored toward user interests. After adding a blog post or article to a business website, the business can pin the image to the appropriate board. When someone on Pinterest clicks on the image it will take them directly to the business website. Another great location to collect pins is from Instagram as the social media network is fully dedicated to images and video.
To get the most out of Pinterest refer to these tips so your pins are seen and shared across the network:
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Use Hashtags
Pinners often search Pinterest to find specific images for example specific recipes or travel destinations. When you post a pin, use relevant hashtags that users can search for in order to locate your pin
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Create a Relevant Description
When you pin an image from a website the pin may automatically create a description. Sometimes the description is relevant to the image but sometimes it is simply the title the website gave to the image. This title could be something like IMG001. A title such as this one provides no added value to other pinners. Let them know what the image or the link attached to the image is about to encourage users to click on or repin the photo.
A tip for the pin description is to highlight and copy the title of a webpage or article before selecting the pin button. Then simply copy and paste the title into the description box to easily and quickly give your pin a relevant and useful description.
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View What’s Being Pinned
You can see what is being pinned from a website by typing http://www.pinterest.com/source/websitedomainname.com/ into the URL search bar and replacing the website domain name with your site URL. This will show you the images being pinned from your website as well as what board images are pinned. You can then comment and like the pins and even repin these images to your own boards.
You can also enter in a competitor’s domain name instead of your own to see the type of content users are pinning from their website. For example, if you are a small retail store specializing in women’s clothing, you can search for pins from a larger department store. This will give you an idea of products your viewership is interested in without spending thousands of dollars on research.
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Connect Your Social Networks
Connect your business social network accounts to your Pinterest board to find and follow your friends. Social networks you can connect to include Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft Outlook. You can also connect apps to your Pinterest making it easier to add Pinterest tools to your website.
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Review Pinterest Analytics
Pinterest Analytics is an excellent tool to see your daily and monthly impressions and viewers. You can view graphs of how your Pinterest profile has performed over a period of time as well as the number of people you reach. Pinterest Analytics will also show your top pin impressions over the last 30 days, along with how many times a pin has been saved, clicked on, and liked. These statistics can provide you a view of what pins perform best on your Pinterest boards, what descriptions on pins receive the most attention, and what websites work well with your Pinterest account.
You can also connect your website to the Pinterest Analytics dashboard. Pinterest recommends confirming your website in order to:
See what people are saving from your domain – you’ll know how all your content is doing on Pinterest, not just the Pins you’ve saved to your profile.
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Share Pins
Pinning, repinning and liking are not the only ways to engage on Pinterest. You can share pins by selecting the Send button on a pin. When you select Send you will see a drop down with a search bar and other Pinterest users you are friends with. You can send your pin to another user by selecting or searching for and selecting their name.
You can also share the pin on Facebook, Twitter, and Facebook Messenger, or by copying the pin URL. It is a great idea to share your Pins or relevant pins from other users on your Facebook and Twitter pages to engage audiences across social media platforms. If you have a lot of followers on Facebook or Twitter encourage them to come and join you on Pinterest.
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Discover Popular Pins
Beside the Pinterest search bar, you can select a drop-down menu of categories. Categories of pins listed include travel, style, celebs, home, food, shopping, architecture, design, gardens, kids, photography, weddings, and more. If your business falls into one of these categories, research the type of pins performing well to get an idea of pins you could share.
Select today’s picks from the menu to see the best ideas on Pinterest. These pins are a great place to select images to repin or to gather ideas for popular items to find online and pin to your boards. If you have a website you are pinning from, you can also draw inspiration from these pins for your own original photos or blog posts. You can see on a day-to-day basis what Pinterest users are interested in and stay on top of your content.
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Run Pinterest Ads
Pinterest has only recently come out with advertising space on the platform. Test this advertising space to see if it could be the right fit for your business. Very successful Pinterest content includes that centered around interior design, weddings, and food. If your business specializes in this type of content, Pinterest might be the perfect social media platform for your advertising. Do a trial run with a small advertising budget to see if Pinterest ads are worth pursuing your business.
We hope these tips can help you get started marketing your business on Pinterest. Pinterest can be a really fun and creative way to stay organized and also for users to discover shops and small businesses near them. Try out some of our tips and let us know about your success!
