Pinterest for Business: Strategies You Need to Know

In the age of social media, inspiration is everywhere. Yet one platform can be particularly valuable for marketers who are looking to connect directly with their target audiences’ wants, needs and, aspirations – and that is Pinterest. Pinterest is one of the leading competitors in the digital space and with good reason. The app allows users - 478 million to be exact, the freedom to curate their Pin Boards exactly how they wish, taking inspiration from other images and saving these visuals to their desired boards. Traditionally Pinterest has been seen as a domain of consumer marketing, where B2C companies can target potential customers, otherwise known as “pinners,” who are saving images of their dream houses or future engagement rings.  However, now companies of all verticals are looking to Pinterest as an opportunity to expand their reach. Whether you are in healthcare, software, or finance, Pinterest can be a valuable place to expand your brand and reach new audiences, as long as you build a top-down digital strategy and take advantage of Pinterest’s business-friendly facets and features.

Should Your Business Have a Pinterest? 

Before you dive into creating a Pinterest strategy make sure you know exactly why you want one and how you will use it. Nothing is worse than a social media channel that goes unattended. Pinterest is expanding to be more than a B2C offering, with healthcare companies pinning tips for wellness and healthy eating and tech companies pinning infographics or quotes about coding, proving that any industry can turn Pinterest into a valuable tool if you define the purpose for your channel. To learn more about creating purpose-driven social channels check out our recent blog “This One Word Will Change Your Entire Social Media Strategy”.

Once you have decided to create a Pinterest and defined your purpose the next step is to set up your business account. By using a business account, you can access certain features that would not be available to a regular user. To name a few, some of the features include verification of your website and statistics of the number of viewers you receive. The more legitimacy your brand has, the more impressionable it becomes to your targeted audience. In addition, the amount of exposure can be easily manipulated to your advantage. This site grants the ability to run ads and promote desired pins. By forming ad campaigns that encompass brand awareness, you are maximizing the likelihood of a potential customer to engaging with your product.

Strategies for Success

   1. Escalate Your Boards

Part of what makes this platform so appealing and distinctive is the customization of pinboards.

Your brand can have hundreds of various pinboards, each having its own purpose. However, the difference between a user saving or even seeing your content is all in how you choose to describe your boards. Your descriptions need to be content-rich and should include top keywords, a URL, a well-defined cover photo, and a broad title. Nothing is more intimidating or daunting than being given an overwhelming array of options to choose from. That’s why it’s key to organize your top boards, choosing the ones you think will best represent the message of your business. By taking the initiative to execute this, you will truly differentiate yourself from others.

    2. Use Shop the Look Pins and Shop Tab

A compelling strategy must make your consumers excited to purchase because when they become intrigued, chances are they’ll tell their friends and family about it. Better yet, they’ll keep on coming back to buy from your business. The Shop the Look Pins and Shop Tab are both impactful strategies that make it very easy, maybe even too easy for consumers to simply click on a portion of the pin and purchase.

All you need is a Pinterest business account and a website, to tag your products on your pins. For example, say you’re a clothing company and your images include models who are wearing certain pieces of apparel. An enthusiastic consumer might come across your pin, eager to get their hands on the jacket that’s being represented. It’s as simple as clicking on the jacket, redirected to your website so they can now buy that product. There’s a real market of users on this platform who have the intention to get a hold of precisely what they’re looking for. The Shop the Look tool grants the seamless transition for your consumer to eye a product from your business then purchase it in a matter of seconds.

If your customer is shopping online, especially if you’re an online business, they want and expect the same quality experience that they might receive in person. Unlike other platforms that have more than a few categories or places to navigate through, the Shop Tab makes shopping a breeze. Located to the right of the Explore page, any individual can search and browse in-stock inventory from any retailer, including you. It’s a satisfactory customer experience for them and a traffic-driving solution for you, guaranteed to build the trust and credibility between your business and your clientele.

     3. Create Instructional Content

Today’s consumers are quick to search “how-to” or “workout routines” that will instruct the individual on learning a new skill or hobby. Rather than watching a Youtube video on how to follow instructions or a step-by-step process, an image tutorial can be a lot more helpful as it’s not time-consuming and more direct. People’s attention spans have decreased over the years due to the instant gratification of how convenient technology has made our lives easier. Instructional content provides the results that they’re looking for and a plan for how to reach success.

      4. Embrace the Power of the Pin It Button

Out of all four strategies, this one might be the most crucial. Today’s consumers don’t want to have to take the extra time to retrace their steps and do their research to find a product or information that they found useful. That’s where the Pin It button comes in. It’s an add-on that allows someone who is browsing your website to save the content from your site onto their pinboard without switching back and forth. The potential client has the flexibility to save any image on the website page, giving them more of your content to fill their boards with. Now you might be asking, okay but why does this matter? To simplify the significance of this add-on, anytime someone utilizes the pin it button then the more exposure your content receives, resulting in large amounts of traffic directed to your website.

Building a Successful Pinterest Strategy for any Industry

Whether your business is a bank or within the healthcare industry, having a successful Pinterest strategy can help you reach new audiences at key moments in their buying cycle.  Today’s consumers have become very accustomed to whatever is the most convenient and easiest. That’s why the power of Pinterest is so valuable because certain business tools make it possible for you to promote your brand in the most straightforward way with a no headache guarantee, yet at the same time allowing space for creativity to flourish.