To Pin or Not to Pin.. that is the question. Pinterest anyone?

28 May

Pinterest is one of the most popular search engines in the world

Top Pinterest Tips

People use Pinterest as a visual search engine to discover new things to buy, find new ideas and inspiration, as well as share their own images.

Boards are created by topic and images are Pinned onto those boards, so they can be viewed and shared by the world. The most popular topics are retail, fashion, food, and travel, so it's very much a lifestyle platform.

So why choose Pinterest?

335 million people are using Pinterest every month, which sounds huge until you hear that Facebook has 2.5 billion users. It's the third largest social network in the US after Facebook and Instagram. And according to a recent study by ComScore, more than 80% of US women aged 18-64 with children use Pinterest, which has the largest gender gap of any social network. More than 50% of users are based outside the US, which is why brands that want to grow internationally are actively pinning.

And why not?

Creating content can be challenging if you are selling a service or a product that is not particularly Pinnable, as 80% of Pins are repins. People will see rows and rows of results from their search, so you need to create Pins that people want to click on. Plus, you need to really work your account if you want to see an increase in your Blog traffic.

Still interested?

Great! So here are some simple tips to get you started, and if you already have an account you should hopefully see an increase in traffic.

Remember that Pinterest operates like Google, so the closer your pins are to the top, the higher the chance that someone will click on your pin and end up on your website or store.

Tip #1 Grow Your Audience with a Business Profile

When you create a new Pinterest account, change it to a business account to access additional features including analytics. You will then be able to identify which graphics and wording is the most popular, and use more of those pins.

If you already have a personal account you can either convert it to a business account or set up a new account (for free). I recommend you set up a new account with a business email, as it's good to keep them both separate as they will have different goals.

Make sure your bio includes the services you offer and the keywords that people would search for when looking for you, and verify your website.

Tip #2 Comment, Repin and Tag

Be social and take the time to comment on Pins and Repin other people's content. Mention brands or people by their name when you are pinning from their blogs, which will introduce you to a new audience in a positive way and build trust.

To gain any traction, you will also need to post and repost frequently, ideally every day at different times of the day between 20-30 posts. Repinning will save you having to create lots of new content, and Pinterest will rank your pins better.

Tip #3 Join Collaborative Boards

Pinterest likes content that has come from within Pinterest rather than outside. If you are looking to connect with influencers, consider creating or joining a Group Board to gain access to a new audience who may be interested in your products and services.

Group Boards are run by a single administrator but allow pins from multiple contributors on a subject. This allows you to form relationships with other people, collaborate and share.

Tip #4 Keyword Your Boards

Make sure you give your Boards a clear name and description as Pinterest uses this as a clue to its content. If you pin a T-Shirt you are selling on a Board named I Love New York, it may mean something to you and your business, however, Pinterest will not understand what the Pin is. It's much better to name your Board something like New York USA T-Shirts. Pinterest will then know what you are selling which will improve your ability to be found.

You want a minimum of 10 Boards that are related to your business.

Tip #5 Create Call-To-Action Pins

If you are selling a product or service or want to build your email list, make every fourth Pin a call-to-action. As an example, if you have a gardening company and tend to pin green leafy images from your garden, create a series of flowery themed pins that contain a call to action such as Buy Now, Sign Up Here, Get More Flower Power, and then link them to your website or blog.

This will make sure you are not seen as overselling as well as giving your brand a more consistent feel.

Tip #6 Play Pinterest for the Long Game

Be patient, and build your Pinterest account over time. You may see a Pin gain traction in 2 days, although it is usually 30-60 so be patient. A Pin can be picked up and made popular because someone recently noticed it and gave it a new lease of life by repinning. You should never delete your pins for the same reason.

Tip #7 Consider Replacing Your Blog Post Image

When creating a new blog post on your website, use the same lead image on your Pin that you used on your website. Also, Pin the images that you used throughout the blog.

When you view your Pinterest analytics, if the most popular image is different from the lead one on your blog post, then swap out the image with the one that is performing better and sending you more traffic.

Tip #8 Use Rich Pins

Rich pins allow you to directly link your products or services to a Pin. As an example, if someone clicked on your iPhone image they could be taken to a website about the 'Top 10 iPhones Available'.

By using Rich pins, if someone clicked on your image they would be taken directly to your sales page. Also, if someone pinned your original image it would show the source, so your product can be found this way too. There are three kinds of Rich pins to choose from: Recipe, Product and Article.

Over to you

I hope these tips have helped you get started or improve your Pinterest account. Pinterest is a great way to connect with like-minded people, reach out and help one another explore new things.

Happy Pinning!