Pinterest for Business: 10 Tips for Your Pinboards
Nowadays, anyone who is active with their company on social media channels can no longer ignore Pinterest. Because the interactive social platform has grown steadily in Germany and is now used more and more by many private individuals, but also by companies. Millions of users of this platform click through profiles and pin boards every day and collect contributions for their own pin boards. In this article, we explain the advantages of Pinterest and how you and your company can use this platform effectively.
What is Pinterest
Pinterest can basically be called an image search engine . So if you enter a search term, you will get pictures instead of displaying websites. The results are intended to provide users with inspiration and ideas, which they can then save on their own pin boards. The name of the platform is also made up of this principle: “Pin” for pin and “Interest” for interest. The images that are called pins here can be collected by each user on various themed pin boards. Or you can create your own pins, which in turn can be shared with all users. So that the function of the individual terms becomes clearer to you and you understand what Pinterest can do for companies and especially for your business, we want to explain these functions to you again separately.
PIN CODE
A pin is not just a picture, but a photo or a video that is provided with a link. That is the special advantage of this network, because here it is possible to set a link to its original source behind every contribution. So if you have a picture of a product in your shop , you can include the link to the website of your product behind the pin . By redirecting, Pinterest allows you to get more traffic on your website.
PIN BOARDS
Every Pinterest user can remember pins and collect them on different themed pin boards. Thus, there is not only a large archive of saved pins, but also well-organized topic pages that appear clear and offer structure. Other users can follow your entire account or just individual pinboards. If you then have subscribers, they will see your pins in their personal feed.
FEED
The feed on Pinterest works like any other social network . This shows all of the Pins that have been reposted by the boards you are following. So you always get the latest pins, which is why the feed is also called a newsfeed.
Differences to other networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Co.
In contrast to the other social networks such as Facebook and Instagram , Pinterest is not a platform for self-expression. The focus here is not on who is running the profile, but what content can be found on the pin boards. The platform thrives on the idea of finding inspiration. It’s about using content to inspire people so that they absolutely want to save the pins and, ideally, even stop by your website. Accordingly, the focus is on quality and added value for all “pinners”. Thus, the willingness to buy is higher here than on other platforms , which is why companies should definitely present their suitable products on Pinterest.
Why is Pinterest relevant for businesses?
Why should you get active with a business profile on Pinterest? Mainly because Pinterest enables you to get more traffic to your website through direct forwarding via the links . This also increases the range. Products can be presented excellently here and meet a high level of willingness to buy on the part of users. But in addition to these simple and effective effects, another advantage is the longevity of the pins. Because matching pins, which reflect the search term of the user, are displayed to the users even months after publication.
Basically, before starting your profile, you should know who your target group is and whether they are on Pinterest. Over 400 million people worldwide are active on Pinterest and use the platform to collect ideas and inspiration. In Germany alone , over 10 million users are registered in the network. These user numbers already show how much potential there is in Pinterest, as they have increased significantly compared to the previous year. It is important to know that almost 70 percent of all users are female and over 70 percent are between 18 and 44 years old. On the one hand, you can use this data to decide which products you want to present and, on the other hand, how they should be presented so that they appeal to the target group.
Which companies is Pinterest suitable for and what can they pin?
Pinterest is therefore suitable for those entrepreneurs whose target group coincides with the users of the platform. In addition, the use of Pinterest is advantageous if you can present your articles and products well. That means your products should be visually appealing. Because only those who convince with the picture right away have the chance that the user clicks on the pin and saves it. Therefore, of course, articles such as furniture, accessories, fashion items , clothing are suitable or jewelry. But if you do it right, any business can make good use of Pinterest. You can also skilfully present eBooks, workshops or other services because many of the users like to remember videos or simple but effective and beautifully presented sayings. So think about beforehand how you can present your products or services “nicely” so that users want to click automatically.
Another bonus is the “rich pin” option. With a rich pin, Pinterest business profiles can create an organic pin that automatically updates and synchronizes the data on your website with the respective pin. So if the data of your product changes on the website, the rich pin also changes. This special type of pins can be recognized by the additional information next to the picture and the bold headline. You should use this function from time to time, as it is available to you free of charge.
Pinterest for Business: 10 Tips for Successful Strategies
So that users can now find you successfully and click and remember your posts, we have tips for you that can help you to be successful on Pinterest.
TIP 1: QUALITY, ADDED VALUE AND OPTICS
For all pins that you create, you should make sure that the presentation comes first. Pictures, videos or graphics must be appealing and immediately catch the user’s eye. To do this, you should stick to the given format of Instagram and design your pins in portrait format. Make sure that you offer the users added value and create a high-quality pin. Especially if you are not showing any physical products. This also means that you always follow the latest trends. For example, you should deal with Christmas topics at Christmas, as such topics are increasingly sought after at certain times.
TIP 2: KEYWORDS
Since Pinterest is a search engine, it works like one too. Thus, the keywords play a very crucial role. Your previously selected keywords do not match the pin, no one will find them. Therefore, research in advance which topics are particularly in demand and, if possible, align your pins accordingly.
TIP 3: THE RIGHT CATEGORIES
Pinterest users have the option of selecting categories whose content appears to be of interest to them. The content is then pre-filtered to that effect. So you should make sure that you choose the right categories for your pins so that users can discover them better. So here it is worthwhile to find out the most popular categories and to check whether your products fit into these categories.
TIP 4: TOPIC PIN BOARDS
Structured pin boards are just as important as the appropriate categories. Different pin boards can be created for different products. Various topic boards show diversity and give the user orientation. Despite different topics, pay attention to a certain recognition value . Users should be able to assign your pins to your profile immediately, which is why a certain uniform branding is very important.
TIP 5: CONTINUITY
As with any social media profile, you should create Pins on a regular basis. Always publish a certain number of Pins, such as ten to 20 Pins per week. You should make sure that your account does not fall asleep and that new content is regularly displayed. If you don’t have a lot of your own content , just use pins from others and save them. Because that is the idea of Pinterest – users should pin third-party content and network. The more pins and pin boards you have or the more often you publish content, the more attractive your profile will be for users.
TIP 6: INFORMATIVE CAPTIONS
Often, images only try to attract attention and leave the user alone with their effect. It is therefore important that you include informative, short texts or explanations in the caption. Here you can convince your potential customers why this information is interesting for them and what advantages arise from the product. Here you can also use the option of naming your brand name and adding the URL of your website.
TIP 7: CTA
In this context, the CTA (Call-to-Action) is particularly important, which should also be included in the caption. CTAs address the customer directly and often cause him to take an action. A CTA can also be linked to an ongoing campaign so that users are redirected directly from Pinterest.
TIP 8: TEAMWORK
To make your profile more interactive, you can encourage employees to add Pins to the boards. Pinterest offers the possibility that other people can also become active via the Pinterest business profile. The more that is pinned, the larger your profile and, at the same time, your reach will be . This also works with customers. Because you can include these in the designation of the pins. For example, you could create a customer bulletin board and focus on the customer, but also get the customer to save your pins again.
TIP 9: NETWORKING THE PROFILES
To increase the chances of visibility and reach , you should connect your social media profiles from other networks. So if you also have an active business profile on Facebook and Instagram, linking the accounts can improve visibility. And not only that – a regularly maintained profile on another platform shows the users that you are broadly positioned in the media and that you present yourself differently there. In this way, the users get a deeper insight into your company and discover not only product photos, but maybe also employees or current discount campaigns.
TIP 10: EXTERNAL CONTENT
Since Pinterest is an interactive network, you should also interact with other users with your Pinterest business profile. You can do this by noting someone else’s pins. A colorful mix of your own content and third-party content not only enlivens your pin board, but also shows that you are regularly on the platform. Of course, the focus should be on your own content, especially because it allows you to attract users to your website.
Conclusion: Pinterest for companies
With the basic information and the tips listed, you should now be able to create and, above all, maintain an attractive Pinterest business profile. If you heed the advice above, you should be able to integrate Pinterest wonderfully into your marketing strategy . Try to use this platform for your business and see the advantages. If you want to know exactly how much growth you can achieve via Pinterest and where you are right now, analysis tools can also be usedthat present you with the most important numbers. In order to drive really successful strategies here, you should perhaps first create a private account and familiarize yourself with the functions. It is important that you understand that a Pinterest business profile depends on engaging content that you publish on a regular basis.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Pinterest for businesses
What is Pinterest
Pinterest can basically be called an image search engine. The visual posts on the platform are intended to provide users with inspiration and ideas, which they can then save on their own pin boards.
Why should you use Pinterest for your business?
Pinterest enables companies to get more traffic to the website or online shop through direct forwarding via the links behind the posts. This can significantly increase the range. In addition, products can be displayed excellently on Pinterest and the users are very willing to buy.
What is the main difference to other social networks?
In contrast to the other social networks, Pinterest is not a platform for self-expression. The focus here is not on who is running the profile, but what content can be found on the pin boards. The platform therefore lives from the idea of finding inspiration.
What are rich pins?
With a rich pin, Pinterest business profiles can create an organic pin that automatically updates and synchronizes the website data. If the data of a product changes on the website or in the online shop, the rich pin also changes.