Your small business is probably already on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But there’s a great platform that’s unlike any other. It can be used as a means to grow a community, increase brand awareness, and drive traffic to your website. I’m talking about Pinterest.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest has grown as a social media platform. They recently celebrated 200 million monthly users. This network helps its users discover ideas and find inspiration. Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that users can virtually collect and categorize things they like.
The most common categories found on Pinterest are recipes, DYI, home décor, and wedding inspiration. Users explore other pinners content (images and videos) and save it to their own boards. They interact with each other by commenting and saving each other’s pins. Users can also follow other accounts, brands, and businesses.
Their ‘social’ aspect is different from other networks in that their goal is to connect people not through shared news but through the pins they find interesting.
Pinterest Terminology
Pinterest has some unique terminology. Here are some of the main components of this social media platform and how they work:
Board: These are what your profile is made up of. Each board is a specific category. You can create as many boards as you want.
Pins: Users fill their boards up with pins which are pieces of content that are relevant to that category or theme. Pins can be found on Pinterest or you can grab them from the internet or upload your own original content.
Repin: When a user saves a pin from another user or brand to their own board.
Feed: Similar to other social media platforms, Pinterest’s feed is a collection of content from boards and other users or businesses the user follows.
Why You Need Pinterest for Your Business
As a small business, you can market your products on Pinterest by using compelling images and colorful infographics.
Some advantages of using Pinterest for your business include:
Increased brand awareness.
You know it’s important for your business to be everywhere online. Spread your brand online further with Pinterest by personalizing your Pinterest account with your logo, a description of your business and a link to your website.
Drive traffic to your website.
Pinterest is an excellent traffic driver thanks to the ability to include a link in each pin. Pinterest users are used to clicking away from the platform for more information. The key to increasing your website traffic from Pinterest is posting attractive and alluring content.
Increase your conversions.
One of the pluses of Pinterest is that it reduces the number of steps from discover to conversion for your customers. Visitors convert to leads quicker than any other social media network. Since users are actively looking for something, they are browsing with the intent to find something or even buy something. Because of this type of audience behavior, Pinterest is certainly a place your small business should be!
Pin Regularly
To create a great following on Pinterest and gain good traction on your website, you should pin often. Just like any other social media, consistency is key.
How often should you post to Pinterest? Between 5 to 30 pins per day is what is recommended for businesses.
What are the best days and times to pin? Saturdays are prime time. When it comes to timing, there is not a bad day to post on Pinterest although afternoons and evenings have more traffic.
Have a ‘Pin’ button you’re your website that allows your website visitors to pin images directly from your website to their boards.
Create a board on Pinterest showcasing your products. Make sure all your product pins have descriptions and link back to your website.
Use the right keywords so your pins are found by Pinterest users. When choosing your keywords, think about how a user would search for your board or pin.
As you can tell, Pinterest is not your ordinary social media network! If your business is one that lends itself well to images of your products or services, then give Pinterest a try.