Launched in 2010, Alexa now ranks Pinterest as the world’s 37th most visited website. Not bad, for a platform that’s still often dismissed as a timewaster for bored mums.
The user demographic holds true, and that’s a really good thing. Here’s why: about 85% of Pinterest’s users are female, in the upper percentile for income and education, and belonging to that much sought-after 18-39 age group. With generally above average reported incomes (approximately 9% higher than non-Pinterest users), and data from Sprout Social suggesting that over 90% of Pinterest users have shopped online in the last nine months, the platform’s over 72 million users represent prime territory for social media marketers.
75% of Pinterest users are accessing the site on mobile and, what’s more, they are using it in place of Google search or reading news articles and magazines.
The value of Pinterest for marketers has also recently increased as a result of the introduction of Pinterest’s ‘rich pins’ function. This allows brands to insert their content along with buying options into users’ boards. It’s also ideally designed for giving marketers valuable insight into user interests and online behaviour. By simply being able to see what topics or product groups that users are pinning about, it is perhaps the easiest platform from which to determine areas of marketing focus.
The way that content is set out on Pinterest, with ‘repinning’ content pinned by other users being central to the premise of the site, is like a dream for marketers who are keen to muscle in on that interaction.
A whopping 38% of Pinterest users have actually purchased a product or service they saw on the site.
So, if you’re able to reach them at the point where they’re already exploring the subject ahead of purchase, you stand a really good chance of beckoning them into that sales funnel.
So, what’s the best way to get your pins noticed?
1. Keywords
Firstly, you’re going to want to be optimised for Pinterest search. Don’t just use your branded name for your user account. Instead, use a descriptive keyword in your Business Name, one that you want to be associated with. Combine your brand name with a descriptive keyword. For example, the Business Name Lizard Orchid Chic Interiors, for a company that specialises in high end homewares, says more about the brand than the name alone. This will give you a better chance of being picked up through user search. However, this only needs to apply to your Business Name on the account, not the URL assigned to you by Pinterest.
Keyword optimisation doesn’t end at your business name, though. Make sure you also use keywords in the titles of your Pinterest boards to make it easier for users to find them through the ‘Boards’ search. Again, a board title such as Decorative Vases, containing all your vases, is optimal.
When it comes to the pins themselves, include keywords as close as possible to the beginning of the description to stand a better chance of ranking highly in ‘Pins’ user search results. You can check out what users are searching for by utilising the search bar at the top of the page. Autocomplete suggestions will come up, based on most searched for topics.
2. Keep It Up!
Secondly, you need to be pinning consistently in order to continue being seen. Even when you’re short on time, try to pin between 5 and 10 times a day. The best amount is about 20 times, if possible. But it’s no good going mad pinning for a week, then disappearing off the platform for a month. Even if you can only manage one or two pins a day, that’s better than leaving it for long periods.
Making sure you’re pinning at the right times is also key to your success, and using a Pinterest analytics tool, such as Tailwind, will help you ascertain what’s performing best and when.
3. Repin The Old Stuff
You can keep your content in view of your followers by continuing to repin old pins. After all, only so many followers would have seen a pin the first time round. This is a great tactic for offline retail businesses to remind customers of products they might have forgotten, as well as for when your Pinterest presence is gaining new followers fast.
4. Get Into Group Boards
Finally, get involved in Pinterest’s Group Boards functionality. Some of these group boards have literally hundreds of regular contributors and thousands of avid followers: the perfect way to get your pins in front of a great big targeted audience in one swift move. Not sure which ones to get into? Check out Pinterest Group Boards World for ideas.
So, there you have it. Pinterest marketing in a nutshell. There’s so much pin-tential (sorry!) on this great social platform, you really need to be marketing your brand on there. Happy pinning!
