Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve doubtless heard about Pinterest. The image-rich social media site is booming, with over 54 million new pins each day. The sales impact is staggering – 93 percent of Pinners have used Pinterest to either plan for or make purchases.
If your company isn’t investing social media time on Pinterest, it’s time to get crushing it. Here is your crash-course into success in the newest, fastest-growing social media platform. I’ll share some insider secrets to get you to the top quickly, too.
A pin is simply a large image that is loaded onto the Pinterest platform. It must include a brief description and should be linked to the URL from which it is found. So your brand will load images from your online store or content marketing blog with a brief informative or intriguing phrase and the link to read more.
Pinterest has become its own search engine. Users enjoy finding more content on their favorite subjects or products by searching within Pinterest itself. The updated search now highlights the most popular content on important categories and suggests sub-categories for users. This encourages users to stay on the Pinterest platform longer, increasing their chances of interacting with your content and becoming increasingly loyal to your brand. Simple, right?
Now comes the strategy.
Use large images to help your pins stand out in the crowded Pinterest community. Your image will be scaled across devices, but to upload a good quality image, you want it to be 735 pixels wide and over 1100 pixels long.
Use the color red in your pins as much as possible. Pins utilizing that color get a higher response rate and more repins than lighter colors.
Make your website Pinterest-friendly by making sure your content and ecommerce images are large enough. You could even consider doubling your images – a wide featured image to illustrate your post, then a long Pinterest image within your article to encourage pinning. In the alt text of all your images, customize an intriguing description or question that will help pinners advertise your content easily. Be sure to install a PIN IT button on your site for quick and easy pinning.
Start pinning your own content to Pinterest. Be sure all your images link back to your site, right to the page where that product or content can be found. Use a thought-provoking or humorous phrase for the image description to entice Pinners to click over to your website.
Pin other content and products that enhance your brand message. Help your community grow by highlighting interesting and helpful information in your area. Increase your product relevance with accessories that go well with your products.
Curate other content your audience would enjoy. Pin humorous, informative, and encouraging content that you know your audience would love. This is a great opportunity to show how well you know your community and increase your presence.
Organize your pins onto boards. These boards are categories of your pins. Add different boards for different product lines. Or use separate boards to answer different questions your community frequently asks. The possibilities are endless!
Create a board for each of your customer personas. Boards are also a perfect way to create content for each of your customer personas. If your target customers are the busy mom, the high-powered executive, and the family-oriented retiree, you can easily separate content that would appeal to each of them onto separate boards. The visual representation makes it quick and easy to keep track of how much content you’re focusing on each persona and make adjustments if necessary.
via the Pinterest for Business blog
Grab the browser button for quick pinning. Pinterest offers a free browser button. This button makes pinning content from around the web a breeze. Simply pin an interesting image or article you come across, and your boards will be growing in no time.
Share your pins on other social platforms. Tweet the URL and description of a pin to encourage your followers to join you on Pinterest, as well. Post an interesting anecdote on Facebook with a link to the illustrating Pinterest pin to increase engagement on both platforms simultaneously.
Shell out for Promoted Pins. Promoted Pins are pins that look the same as every other pin, but they function like native ads: you pay Pinterest so that your pin is seen by more people. These are especially useful now that Pinterest has added One-tap Promoted Pins, which allow users to go straight to the source of the content, and Promoted App Pins, which allow users to download an app directly from a pin without having to leave Pinterest.
Take advantage of Pinterest Video. Video is taking over the internet, and that includes Pinterest. Over the past year, users have saved 60 percent more videos than they did the previous year. How-to videos do especially well on the platform, so if you’ve got one for a product or service you offer, pin it! And if you don’t, you may want to consider making one.
Allow rich pins on your website. Rich pins display more information about a pin and can be helpful in giving users the information they want at a glance. That makes it more likely that they’ll like and share your pin. There are currently 6 types of rich pins: app, movie, recipe, article, product, and place. To get rich pins, you have to enable them on your website and then apply to get them on Pinterest.
Engage with customers via comments. Because Pinterest is so visual, it can be easy to forget about the comments. But take it from us: you don’t want to do this. Customers are bound to comment on your pins, and when they do, it’s important that you acknowledge those comments. There’s nothing that shouts “disengaged” like a string of questions and comments from users, but no response from the brand.
Create a group board. Group boards are a great way to reach new followers, expand your reach, and get more content without having to create it yourself. To create a group board, all you have to do is invite people to one of your boards. Once the board is active, you’ll have to monitor it regularly, but if you’ve chosen quality contributors, you shouldn’t have to remove pins often.
Pinterest analytics offer insights into your brand’s Pinterest platform. Check frequently to see what pins are getting the most interaction, what pins are driving the most traffic to your site, and what pins are being repined the most.
As digital marketing continues to evolve in 2017, consumer loyalty will become increasingly important. Pinterest offers a unique opportunity to prove your relevance while interacting personally with your audience. Use these simple tips to make significant strides on this growing platform and stay a step ahead of the competition.
