Utilizing Pinterest for business should be a priority if you want to reach a wider audience.
Pinterest is a planner’s paradise and the go-to spot for visual aids. Here’s how, as a business, you can take advantage of its unique benefits.
Is your business leveraging the advantages Pinterest has to offer? If you answered “no,” it might be time to change that, especially now that the company is publicly traded under the moniker “PINS.”
Users visit Pinterest for “Pinspiration,” creating a virtual vision and dream boards of sorts. They are making plans for future nuptials, researching travel excursions, preparing for holiday gatherings, and the like. The brand’s content is viewed as helpful and informative and is something its users seek out.
Benefits of Pinterest for Business
Pinterest ranks as the fourth most popular social media platform in the United States, more popular than Tiktok, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Twenty-eight percent of adults in the country have a registered Pinterest account, including 1 in 2 millennials. Globally, its popularity continues to grow. Between 2018 and the third quarter of 2019, international user numbers grew from 171 million to 235 million.
Who are the users on Pinterest?
The platform has the advantage of being the only search engine for visual discovery, which is a big deal. A whopping 62 percent of Gen Zers and millennials say they prefer a visual search method to other formats. Consequently, these individuals comprise 62 percent of the platform’s user base. In the US alone, 80 percent of moms use Pinterest. Additionally, those moms are the primary decision-makers when it comes to making household service and product purchases.
Shopping Starts on Pinterest
In fact, Pinterest is a major source of shopping inspiration. Eighty-four percent of weekly users turn to Pinterest to help make purchasing decisions. Likewise, eighty-three percent of “Pinners” have made a purchase based on items they’ve seen while using Pinterest. At the same time, 55 percent of users are in search of products when they’re on Pinterest. So, why are these numbers important to understanding Pinterest for business?
Pinterest Increases Brand Visibility
Essentially, Pinterest users enjoy making new finds. Seventy-five percent say they’re “very interested” in new products versus 55 percent on other platforms. Another, 77 percent of users say they are discovering new brands and products on the Pinterest platform on a regular basis. Undoubtedly, having this understanding of brand visibility allows you to focus your branding strategy for Pinterest. Overall, pay attention to upcoming trends and use them to enhance your branding and stand out!
Pinspiration is a Thing
Shopping for a wedding gown? Vacation lodging? An idea for a birthday cake design? People do it all on Pinterest. When asked, 91 percent of Pinners say Pinterest lends a hand in helping them to achieve goals. Additionally, using Pinterest for business purposes isn’t just about putting your product or services out there for potential sales. It’s understanding that more “product pins” equals a larger reach. Subsequently, this may not lead to immediate sales, but when pinners need to help, your products may make their list!
Pinterest Lingo
When using Pinterest for business it is important to know, it has its own language of sorts. Here are some terms to know…
Pinner: a person who uses Pinterest
Pins: a post published on Pinterest, including an image, copy, video, and possibly a link to an original source
RePin: pinning a post the user did not create to one of his or her boards
Promoted Pins: a regular pin a company pays to promote. These include a “promoted” label.
Rich Pins: these include additional information such as price and install buttons available as Product pins, Recipe pins, Article pins, and App pins
Shop the Look Pins: this is where businesses can add product tags to their visuals. It helps Pinners to shop by clicking the white dots on the pin.
Boards: used to group pins within a certain theme like recipes, for example
Group Boards: these operate the same as boards, but more than one person can upload content.
Protected Boards: boards that are home to promoted pins only able to be accessed by advertisers
Save Button: a browser plugin for Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge
Audience Insights: where you’ll find analytics information and can track metrics
Pinterest Lens: a camera tool allowing users to take a picture of something to find related content. Available on Android and Apple devices.
Pincodes: these can be digitally scanned to link back to a board or profile
Setting up an account to use Pinterest for Business
Lastly, start using Pinterest for business by creating an account. Basically, it can be done one of three ways: by adding a business profile to a personal account, changing your personal account over to a business account, or creating a new business account. Here’s how…
1. Visit pinterest.com/business/create.
If you have a personal account, you’ll need to log out first. Enter your email and a new password, then click “Create Account.”
2. Pick your name and add your website.
3. Add your country and language.
Then choose the description that best fits what your business does and add a link to your website.
4. Claim your other sites.
Doing so ensures pins from these sites will be attributed to your business. Plus, you’ll also be able to track related analytics.
5. Doll up your profile.
To get there from the business hub dashboard, click the pencil icon beside your name. You may wish to change your profile name since it automatically pulls from the email you use.
6. Add a profile photo.
Add a profile photo that represents your brand. Dimensions should be 165 x 165 pixels. When you fill in the about section, try to include a few keywords. Click Done to save.
7. Create your first pin.
From your dashboard, click the plus sign in the upper right corner.
Add a title and description. Be sure to include keywords and related hashtags.
Include a destination link. Test to make sure it works, and make sure it corresponds to the pin’s content.
Upload an image or video. You can crop, trip, and add logos and text in the Pin editor. Make sure you use a high-quality file.
Hit Publish and choose the board you want to add it to.
8. Create your first board.
From your profile, click the plus sign over Create a Board. Add a descriptive title. After that, find the board on your profile and click the pencil icon.
Add a description that includes keywords.
Choose a category for your board. This helps with SEO.
Upload a fitting cover photo.
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There you have it!
Have fun, and remember all your efforts are recorded for you in the business account analytics for future review.