How to grow your business with a Pinterest marketing strategy

When we talk about social networks, our minds naturally turn to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram: the popular ones. If they were students, they'd be those cool kids sitting in the back next to the radiators, always absorbed in a debriefing of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. They are influential. They have class. But by dint of them, we'd forget about the small and discreet ones sitting in front. Among them, the reserved one with considerable power: Pinterest!

Launched in 2010 in California, the little one has since grown up to now occupy the 7th place in the ranking of the most popular social networks in the world. Like Instagram, Pinterest is a network based on photo sharing. Forget about funny memes and foundation-smeared influencers, think about DIY-cosy-cocooning home decor and sponge cake recipes: this is a network based on the principle of moodboards related to users' passions, gathering a whole bunch of visuals found on the internet.

Is it really relevant for a brand to be present on such a network? We're not going to lie: reading the description above, the sweet smell of profit doesn't necessarily come to our nostrils.

And yet, if you only knew...

Yes, if only there were people to explain why you should have a Pinterest marketing strategy...

For his army of delirious shopaholics

Okay, maybe we're overstating the case a bit, but we can assure you that Pinterest is a platform that is closely tied to online shopping. It's a source of spending inspiration for many: 83% of weekly users confirm this by saying they base their purchases on brand content on the platform.

Even better: according to a recent study, Pinterest users are 90% more likely to say they are shopping "all the time", compared to users of other networks. That's the kind of things we love reading..

For impactful ads

These days, advertising on the most popular social networks is becoming like sending a list to Santa. Or finding a sign of intelligent life in some Facebook comment sections. It's really not sure if it's going to be conclusive.

To get around the overload of the big networks, we've found the answer: focus on platforms that are less assaulted by brands, like... Yes, Pinterest! Plus, if you jump in right away, your timing might be just right: in recent months, Pinterest ad reach has been exploding with a 12.5% increase over last year. It's seen, all right, but is it working? Hell yes, 61% of users say they've already made a purchase via a sponsored post on Pinterest. All of this adds up to the highest ROI (return on investment) ads of ANY platform. Jackpot.

To be noticed

A lot can happen in four months. You can learn a language. You can rebuild your cardio through running. According to our calculations, four months would even have been enough for Britney Spears to get married 53 times, according to her standards of the 2000s. Four months can therefore be rich in events: for all that, during four months, the same post can remain visible on Pinterest. Compared to this impressive score, the lifespans of Facebook (5 hours) and Instagram (21 hours) look pale in comparison.

We're not saying we're always right: once, in 2004, we said that Jell-O was "good". For Pinterest, on the other hand, no doubt: YES, it's worth a look.

Right. Now that we've seen the why, how about we see together how to sell through this platform...

Key #1: Have a business account

Caution: it's more important than it looks! Having a Pinterest Business account instead of a personal account will allow you to display your brand name and not your own, which is already great: it will make you look more professional while avoiding receiving messages from customers on your Facebook on a Sunday at cocktail hour. Some people make FBI agents look inefficient.

That's good enough, but Pinterest Business offers even more: it will give you access to great features, like detailed statistics to analyze the results of your posts or a free marketing content library. Between personal and business, it's a no-brainer. We can see you from here, bubbling over with the idea of getting started: we'll let you follow the steps on this page.

Key #2: Optimize your profile

You've created your account? It's time to pull out all the stops for them. If we think of a Pinterest profile as a brand's storefront, then its profile information is its sign: it's the very first thing that catches the eye... And for its sign, your brand deserves solid gold, not cardboard. Offer all the best to your reputation by following these simple guidelines:

💥 Prepare an impactful, short bio that effectively summarizes your raison d'être.
✨ Choose the best quality profile and cover photos you can find, consistent with your business.
🌐 Fill out and have your domain name verified.
💻 Add any links from your other social profiles.

We trust you to concoct a super sweet-looking profile.

Key #3: Use quality visuals

You know what's cool about social media? No, not Minions memes. We're talking about the fact that even if you're working on your brand alone, from your couch, you can compete with the image of textile institutions like Zara or even Chanel. The secret: concoct a marketing and branding strategy that's just right. You are exactly what you reflect... And this is even more true for Pinterest! To take care of your reflection, there are good gestures that change everything...

📸 Using good photos: today's technology allows for incredible things. With a simple smartphone, everyone can improvise themselves as a photographer/reporter/special envoy. Just look at the quality of the actual fireworks documentary in your friends' stories every national holiday, which keeps getting better every year. You can afford it, so take the leap, folks: give your brand the quality it deserves!

📝 Choosing harmonious fonts (when needed): Sure, the world of typography is fascinating. There seems to be an infinite number of pretty fonts (and then, next to that there's... Comic Sans MS). Still, sometimes you have to make choices, otherwise your visuals may lack consistency.

📱 Prefer the vertical format: according to a study, 82% of Pinterest users consult the network on mobile. Be nice to them: offer them content adapted to their medium.

Key #4: Use Rich Pins

Are these Pins taking their private jet to go get ice cream? Nope: Rich Pins are posts automatically generated by Pinterest from a web page. They come in three categories: recipes, product page and blog post. These Rich Pins are exclusive to Business accounts, those lucky devils: this is yet another reason to turn to this type of profile.

This type of publication has two great interests: they are the darling of Pinterest SEO and it takes very little time to create. Quick and efficient at the same time. Kind of like this tip.

Key #5: Get SEO right

We have good news: getting noticed on the web it does not necessarily requires creating ads. Fortunately: when the end of the month becomes difficult and that in addition, these ends of month last 26 days, the advertising budget is not necessarily a priority.

To get known, there is a whole work that can be done in the shadow, little by little. This work is SEO: the use of the right keywords at the right frequency in order to get the best ranking with search engines, as those directly integrated into social networks. We are not going to give you all the practices of SEO: it would take 3 volumes, a Webinar and about 84 years. Instead, we have at hand some main rules that can give a boost to your visibility on Pinterest:

🔍 Use keywords from your industry in your Pins' and your albums' descriptions.
🌴 Choose seasonal keywords, which usually work pretty well (like "summer fashion" rather than "fashion inspiration").
🤷 More generally, avoid being too generic ("fashion advice" will be more effective than "fashion").
📌 Pin Pins on your profile that have received a lot of "Repins" (shares) from other members.
📚 Give your Pins nice, provided descriptions: they have the power to boost your SEO score.

Key #6: Use Promoted Pins

Using SEO is great, really. However, you are well placed to know that e-commerce already requires wearing an impressive number of hats: webdesigner, graphic designer, marketing manager, community manager, photo model AND photographer, and so on. That's a lot. So adding the SEO specialist hat to all those? If you manage all of this at the same time, hats off to you. Yes, we dared.

The alternative to gain visibility is, you will have understood it... Advertising! As we said above, Pinterest ads are the ones that have the best return on investment of ALL the networks, a point already convincing in itself. We particularly recommend Promoted Pins, originally organic posts that are boosted afterwards. Very discreet in the feeds, they are widely appreciated by users: they generate between 2 to 5% more engagement than ordinary publications. A fact rare enough to be highlighted.

Key #7: Focus on educational content

We all have a MacGyver in us, full of resources in our daily lives ("what if I tried to fix my sink with a packet of noodles and a stick of licorice?").

Sometimes, we are reassured to have at our disposal the gigantic knowledge base that is the Internet to answer our problems. Pinterest is precisely one of the favorite platforms of the public eager for tips and tricks: tutorials, infographics, guides of all kinds... The platform is full of them! Give this type of content a chance yourself: it not only generates visibility but also engagement. Yes, it is often not enough for a visitor to read it once: he will bookmark it to come and refresh his memory some time later.

"But I'm an e-tailer, what can I teach them?"

A lot of things. REALLY. Selling mugs? Share your best hot chocolate recipe. You are a graphic artist? Teach them how to recreate a simple illustration with a tutorial. Your brand promotes your charity for the protection of mosquitoes? It's weird but why not. In that case, publish an infographic about why you shouldn't swat them, even if they're obnoxious. There will always be someone, somewhere, interested in what you have to convey... And boy, is it beautiful.

Key #8 : Tidy up your Pins

Here you are, speeding down the fabulous road of Pinterest publishing: how proud are we! All that ground covered. Now that they're created, your pretty Pins deserve to be seen by the world: to get you one step closer to that goal, we have an essential tip to share with you... Choose the category of your publications with great care.

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, doubt can lead to deciding on a slightly less relevant category. "Oh, it doesn't make much difference!" In the end, it does. To classify your Pin in the right category is to ensure that it will be in line with the expectations of the visitors of the categories in question, thus offering yourself the maximum possible clicks. At the top of the pack of Pinterest categories, you'll find Travel, followed by Wellness, DIY decor and home and Women's fashion. It's up to you to make a place for yourself there, champ!

Maybe you haven't been fully convinced by the benefits of social networks until now. Is your community shy? Engagement is scarce, even if you count your aunt Martine's likes? Maybe you haven't yet found the right channel, the one that REALLY fits your brand and its audience. So here's what we suggest: don't hesitate to jump on every opportunity to gain visibility, including less obvious networks like Pinterest. And who knows...

Your brand may be the next Pinte-reusta.

Sources: Pinterest, SproutSocial, LaterBlog, Hootsuite