Pinterest is one of THE most underused platforms for social media & business growth but I am here to change that. For this blog post, I asked Sarah Burk my burning questions about all things Pinterest.
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What types of businesses can benefit from using Pinterest? Are there any industries that absolutely have to be on there?
Most businesses can benefit from Pinterest in one way or another. The exception to that would be local brick-and-mortar businesses or businesses that don't have an online component.
In terms of industries, as a business owner, you just have to consider who your target audience is and if they're going to be using Pinterest. The odds are that they are and then you just have to consider what they're searching for on the platform.
Who benefits more: product or service businesses?
There are huge opportunities for both product-based businesses and service-based businesses. In the past couple of years, Pinterest has really been focused on the shopping capabilities of the platform.
There is huge potential there because Pinterest users, on average, are going to the platform more frequently to shop, and they are more likely to spend more money than if they ended up on your website from another social media platform. So, for product-based businesses, Pinterest has huge opportunities for those reasons as well as the fact that people are less likely to search for a specific brand.
Example:
If you are searching for Nike shoes, you would go to Google and type that in as a keyword. On Pinterest, you would rather look for "best white sneakers" which gives smaller, unknown brands a bigger chance of being discovered.
👉🏼 That's not to say that service-based businesses have fewer opportunities on Pinterest. They just require a different strategy.
What are the biggest differences compared to other social media platforms?
The biggest difference is probably that Pinterest is a search engine and not necessarily a social media platform (even though many classify it as one). This means that you aren't discovered based on who's following you. It doesn't matter if you have a big following. If you are creating the content and optimising it for Pinterest, you have just as much chance to be discovered as those bigger brands.
On Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, users are logging on to connect with people they already know or to be entertained. It's often more of a mindless scroll than anything else. But on Pinterest, people are intentional. They are going to the platform because they have a question or they're looking for inspiration. They have a purpose in mind when they open the app.
There is no engagement component on Pinterest as we know it on Instagram.
Posts aren't played out chronologically in a feed. This means you can create 5 pins about the same blog post and not worry about your audience being annoyed that you post the same content over and over again.
Keywords are everything on Pinterest. How do we find the best ones?
Start with a few keywords or phrases in mind that describe either your content or your products, take those, and then go type them into the Pinterest search bar. Pinterest will then suggest other searches that they think you might be interested in and those are based on what users are currently searching for.
You don't have to use any other tools or software, you can do all of your keyword research within Pinterest itself.
In addition to that, you can also go to Pinterest Trends. This tool will show you beyond just the searches or the keywords themselves. For example, you can actually see how popular those keywords are over time which is particularly interesting if you have a seasonal aspect to your content, like specific holidays.
💡TIP:
Pinterest users probably aren't going to go to Pinterest to look for your role or your job title. On Instagram, you might use hashtags like #pinterestmanager or #pintereststrategist but on Pinterest, we wouldn't use these. Try to use more general terms like #Instagrammarketing or other category words.
Should businesses create boards themselves?
The focus should be on creating your own content. There's nothing wrong with pinning other people's content but it's just not going to impact the actual results you get.
The exception to this is when you create a new board to help the Pinterest algorithm understand what this board is about. This forms an SEO-keyword relationship.
How often should we pin on Pinterest?
As far as frequency goes, it is recommended to do one pin per day because consistency is incredibly important.
Don't think of it like posting on Instagram though because, in reality, you are not creating a new piece of content for every single pin. You don't have to have a new blog post for every pin. You're essentially creating different promotional graphics for several pieces of content: one blog post could turn into an unlimited number of pins.
In addition to that, you can schedule pins in advance so you don't have to log in every single day (pfeew 😮💨)
What types of content work well on Pinterest?
Reels are really great to be repurposed on Pinterest
Juicy carousel posts
Anything that's very infographic-y
Quotes
Anything with an educational focus: no fluff!
In general, focus your energy on creating really strong long-form content (blog posts, podcast episodes, YT videos...) that you can then convert into pins.
What does a business have to have in place before starting with Pinterest?
You really do need to have a website and you need to have some sort of consistent content posted on that website. Ideally, you would also have some way to capture the traffic that you are going to be bringing to your website, like an email list. Blogging, emails, and Pinterest are a match made in heaven.
What is the biggest mistake business owners make when they get started with Pinterest?
The biggest mistake is that people aren't posting multiple pins for the same content. They're just posting about a blog post once and calling it done. And although there's nothing inherently wrong with doing that and you're not going to get put in Pinterest jail for it, you're missing out on so many more opportunities to have more content with less work and also get more reach from testing those multiple pins.
Also, understand that Pinterest is not going to make or break your business. It is how people discover you, and then you have the rest of your marketing efforts to really make the conversion from your website to social media. It's just one piece of the puzzle.
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PS: If you are wondering if Pinterest could be a great addition to your marketing mix and how to start making content, book in a 1:1 session and we'll set up a strategy together.
Talk soon,
Hanna