Here is a detailed Pinterest Marketing Guide that’ll answer all your questions about using Pinterest as a marketing tool.

If you think Pinterest is just another social media platform for checking cooking recipes and browsing wedding themes- think again, because it’s much more than that. Over the last five years, this website has established itself as one of the leading social media platforms across the globe.

It currently ranks fourth, sitting right behind the biggies like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. For those of you who haven’t yet jumped to the site’s bandwagon, Pinterest is a social media platform that lets you save, pin and share images from across the globe.

• But how can you use Pinterest as a marketing tool?

• How is it going to impact your business?

• Does Pinterest marketing actually’ work?

Well, that is exactly what we’re going to find out in the following section.  

What exactly is Pinterest Marketing?

The idea of Pinterest marketing is simple. All you need to do is strategically use this platform for promoting your business online. You can either do this by coming up with attractive infographic which is relevant to your business or by simply promoting your business through the popular pin boards.

There are countless methods which you can try. But before you jump into the intricacies, it is extremely important to understand what Pinterest is and how it works for marketing.

Here, the first thing you need to understand is the difference between a personal Pinterest account and a Pinterest Business Account.

Yes! A business account is entirely different from a personal account. So in case you don’t have one, create it right away by clicking on the – “Pinterest for Business Account” option on the site’s homepage.

How is a Pinterest business account different from a Pinterest Personal Account?

=> Different terms of Service:

• Pinterest Business Account comes with different terms of service, when compared to a personal account.
  

• While the Acceptable Use Policy and Pin Etiquette policies will be the same, you’ll have to follow some additional guidelines like not promoting spam, not running a sweepstake or contest and not implying that Pinterest sponsors or endorses your business in any way.

=> Access to marketing materials:

• When you sign up for a commercial account on Pinterest, the site will provide you educational marketing materials for promoting your business.
  

• It will conduct Pinstitutes or workshops for connecting with fellow pinners (business professionals) and webinars that are specifically designed to help small businesses.

=> Complete access to the analytics:

• The Pinterest For Business account will also give you complete access to the Pinterest Analytics. This means, you’ll get to track the viewership and reach of every individual post. In this way you’ll also end up figuring out which strategies work for your business, and which ones don’t.

=> Rich- A commercial account on Pinterest will let you access the rich pins’:

• each of which comes with more information than a regular pin. These pins are pitched for sale as they include the exact price, stock updates and the direct link to your website. In addition to this, you’ll also get to promote specific pins and build widgets relevant to the stuff you sell.

Why to Use Pinterest for Business to attract the most followers?

From increasing the visibility of your products and/or services, generating more traffic to your site, creating brand visibility or building a corporate identity- there are many reasons why you should use Pinterest for business. Here’s a quick list.

[+] An excellent platform to showcase your products and/or services:

• It goes without mentioning, that Pinterest is one of the leading platforms for introducing the products and services of your brand. This is all the more relevant because the platform emphasizes comparatively more on visuals than written content.
  

• Use this feature to your benefit by coming up with boards that underline the different categories of your products. If your business happens to be a service, try pinning the images of your services to inform your followers about the facilities you offer. Make sure both the pinned images and videos are of excellent quality because a blurry shot will never draw anyone’s attention.

[+] Generates greater traffic to your website:

• Pinterest is also a great platform for back-linking to your website. Interestingly, whenever you post an image, a link (of the image source) will automatically be included at the back of your pinned post.
  

• This feature makes it easier for businesses to link images back to their blog or website. This is also the reason why Pinterest is the most effective social networking platform for generating traffic to your business’ website.

• It has been reported that almost 80% of the posts on Pinterest are re-pinned. This means, every time your post is pinned or re-pinned, an additional inbound link is created for your website.
  

• This is yet another reason why you should focus on adding reputable inbound links even while you’re posting on Pinterest.

[+] Helps you garner greater business insights

• Traffic is not the only advantage that Pinterest brings for your business. This website is also an excellent source of client insights. All you need to do is go for a quick keyword search for figuring out what exactly your potential audience is talking about and sharing.
  

• You can use the same way to figure out what is being pinned by your competitors and how your services compare to them. The business account will give you an additional benefit of tracking your analytics and checking the trending posts. In this way, you’ll get to understand what works for your business, and what doesn’t.

[+] Excellent tool to establish brand visibility:

• Pinterest is also an excellent tool for establishing the visibility of your brand. Wondering why I’m saying this? Well, this is primarily because the platform makes it incredibly simple for you to reach out to your targeted market, which eventually helps you build a solid audience.
  

• As users can search for posts according to categories, the ones interested in the types of products/services you offer, will be automatically redirected to your posts. In this way, more people will get to know about brand, which in turn will gain a much needed visibility.

[+] Build stronger connections:

• Pinterest not only helps you to build a strong presence of your brand, but it also helps you to reach out to fellow business professionals through influencer campaigns and webinars. This gives you an opportunity to collaborate with more people and collectively create a bigger audience base.

How To Properly Set Up Your Pinterest Business Account to attract the most followers?

Like I already mentioned, Pinterest business account is extremely relevant if you’re planning to use this platform for marketing your products and services. While you can always create a new business account, your old personal account can also be converted to a business account.

All you need to do is sign up for the new business-specific terms of service. In case you’re just starting out on this platform, here’s everything you need to know.

=> How to start out?

• To begin with, you’ll first have to visit Pinterest’s business page and click on the Join as a business’ option. Right after that, you’ll be required fill in a couple of details (like your name, contact details, name of your business etc) and agree with the new terms of service.
  

• Once you complete your profile, save it and confirm the website of your business. This will automatically boot the rankings of your pins in the search results.

=> Create a board with relevant keywords:

• Now that your profile is ready to go, you can always start sharing and organizing posts so that Pinners find a solid reason to follow your account, and/or a couple of your newly created boards.
  

• Yes! Creating boards is the very next step which you have to follow, right after completing your profile. Click the red plus sign for creating a board. Use a compelling title and add a clear description about what you’re going to save there.
  

• This can be anything related to your business or the kind of services you offer. You can also add a keyword related to your business, for increasing the chances of getting noticed.
  

• Finally, once you’re done with the title and the description; choose a proper category and save it. A relevant board can increase your visibility and expand the reach of your business.

=> Start pinning:

• Once you’re done with the board, you can immediately start pinning. Simply install the Pinterest browser button and every time you find something relevant to post, click on that button from your browser’s toolbar.
  

• As Pinterest focuses more on images, try to add a lot relevant images to your pinned posts. You can add the images of your products, services and facilities to boost a significant chunk of traffic to your company’s website.

=> Always add save buttons:

• If you want your audience to take real-time’ action, you’ve got to make things easier for them. And one of the best ways to do that is by adding a save button to your website. This will help users to pin your particular posts with a single click, even if they haven’t installed the Pinterest browser button.

=> Be consistent with your Pins:

• One of the best ways to get people interested in your business is by consistently reaching out to them. And this can be easily done if you’re really consistent with your pins.

• Pinterest recommends you to Pin at least something throughout the entire day. Instead of posting several pins once a week, divide them, and post them consistently throughout the week.
  

• Now while you do this, make sure the pins are posted at peak hours (evenings and weekends). As more people are online during this time, it’ll automatically expand your reach.

Market Your Business on Pinterest & Improve Your Visibility:

If you’re looking to expand the reach of your business and increase its overall visibility- Pinterest can definitely be your answer. In case you’re just starting out, here are Pinterest Advertising Ideas you can try to increase your business’ visibility & advertise your business on pinterest.

[+] Add Price Tags:

• Pinterest users are not always looking for creative inspiration on their network. They’re also looking for relevant stuff to buy. So if you want your product or service to make the cut, always add price tags in the pins you post.
  

• It has been discovered that Pinterest alone drives more referral when compared to the combined results of LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+. In addition to this, the pins with price tags have a possibility of generating 36% more likes than the ones without it.
  

• So if you’re a business professional who’s looking to generate some real-time traffic, this is one of the simplest ways to do so.

[+] Follow right Pinterest strategies:

• You can never generate Pinterest traffic without a solid marketing strategy. So when it comes to posting pins, try brushing up on a couple of marketing tweaks to make your posts popular and visible.
  

• You can start off by adding relevant links that’ll automatically redirect to your website or blog. This link can be either added in the description or as a source of your image.
  

• You can also try embedding pins on your website or blog. This is yet another incredibly effective way of getting more re-pins.
  

• Finally, also make it a point to share your pins on all leading social media platforms. As more people come across these pins, it’ll automatically increase your possibility of getting greater visibility and increased traffic.

[+] Join Pinterest Group Boards:

• Using the Group Boards on Pinterest is another viable way of reaching out to more people who are actually’ interested in your products and services.

• In case you can’t figure out the right group boards on your own, use a widget or software to make things simpler. These boards will not only help you to collaborate, but it’ll also help you to reach out to your potential audience.

[+] Use Pinnable images for all your posts:

• Pinterest is a platform which primarily focuses on attractive, quirky images. So if you’re looking to get noticed by greater masses, try using pinnable images for all your posts. Having said this- always try using tall, vertical images, as it works best on Pinterest’s interface.
  

• Use any big image (related to your business), pin it and finally share the pin with the link of your blog/website. This will automatically enhance your visibility.

[+] Add search friendly descriptions:

• Although most pinners usually browse their main feed, or the feeds of their chosen topics, they also tend to use this platform as a search engine for finding the stuff that interests them.
  

• Due to this reason, it is extremely essential to add relevant tags and keywords with your images. Once you figure out the right keyword, strategically place it in your boards and along the description of your pins.
  

• This will help more users to stumble upon your content, while they’re searching something under a related category.

How to Get Your Pins Seen and Shared: Optimizing Your Pinterest Pins:

It is one thing to come up with an excellent pin, but it’s an entirely different game to get it shared among your potential audience. No matter how cool your pin is, no one’s going to find it out if you don’t work on optimizing it. Here’s how you can do it.

=> Strategically post your pins:

• The best times to pin usually depends on the habits of your targeted audience. So you should always try and experiment to figure out the optimal time for posting a pin.
  

• While you can’t really determine an accurate time, most market influencers state that 2PM to 4PM EST and 8PM to 1AM EST are the best times to post a pin. Saturday and weekends too are equally relevant in terms of timing.

=> Optimize your name, pins and board for the search results:

• Many leading companies make the fatal mistake of only using their business name for their commercial Pinterest account. While this might seem perfect, in reality, it is definitely not recommended by. If you just use your business name, you end up losing out on those users who are searching for your business with other keywords.
  

• So if you really want your pins to be seen and shared, try adding a descriptive keyword at the end of your business name. For boards, try using these keywords in their title or the descriptions. Similarly, in case of pins too, try adding these keywords in the descriptive section of your post. In case you can’t figure out the right keywords, use a tool like Google Adwords, to simplify your hassle.

=> Add pins in your newsletters:

• Yes! You can always cut down on the difficulty of getting users to find your pinned posts, by sending it to them right away!
  

• Wondering how to do that? Well, your newsletter is the best place to throw in a couple of these latest pins. This will direct your existing subscribers to your Pinterest account, thereby increasing its overall visibility.

=> Add call-to-pins:

• Just like you use call-to-action in your ad copies, try using call-to-pins the same way. This will not only result in greater visibility, but it’ll also increase the engagement of your existing pins. According to leading marketing experts, a CTP can result in 80% greater engagement on your regular posts.

=> Re-pin old pins:

• While you can always increase your followers in numbers, not every one of them will see your entire set of existing pins. This is exactly why you need to re-pin the old pins that were posted several weeks or months before.

If you’re getting new followers rapidly, this trick will give them access to great content from the past that has been buried under your recent pins. The strategy is specifically viable for retail businesses because these old posts remind users about the products that they’ve long forgotten about.

Quite recently, Vision Critical conducted a research, where the participants were asked about the impact of Pinterest in their in-store purchases. 17% of them responded that the pins reminded them of the item they intended to buy. This research further reaffirms the importance of re-pinning your posts.

Build Relationships and Gain New Pinterest Followers:

Now that you have an idea about the kinds of pins that make the cut, and how to increase their visibility, the next step in Pinterest Marketing is to optimize your existing pins for building relationships with followers and market influencers. This indeed is one of the best ways to expand your current reach.

[+] Post more often:

• If you’re really looking to gain more followers on Pinterest, you should make it a point to post more often. Try to come up with around five to thirty pins on a daily basis.
  

• And while you do that, also make sure that you’re not merely reposting the content of other relevant platforms. Try to come up with your own content which is not just unique but is also measurable.

[+] Schedule your posts at the right time:

• Another great way to generate greater engagement on your Pinterest handle is by scheduling your posts at the right time. This simply means you should come up with posts, particularly when your audience is really active on the social media platform.
  

• The reason why you should do this is because the algorithm of Pinterest automatically gives greater priority to the posts that come with higher engagement. So the more likes and comments you get on the post, the more it’ll be visible in people’s feed.

• Now, if you manage to post when your audience is really active on Pinterest, it is very likely that you’ll drive greater engagement on that specific post.

• This engagement will automatically lead your post to be more people’s Pinterest feed, which in turn will lead to even more engagement.
  

• The process is cyclical- higher engagement will lead to greater visibility, which will further increase the engagement and eventually boost the visibility.

• This is why you should give particular attention while scheduling your Pinterest posts. This is a part of your overall Pinterest strategy and in most cases it’ll generate a huge amount engagement on the posts you share.
  

• If you’re willing to start out with this strategy, figure out the times which are best for posting on Pinterest. Right after that, use some free tools for scheduling these posts in advance.

[+] Try engaging with your followers:

• Just like you respond to Facebook comments or tweets; try engaging with your pinterest followers as well.
  

• You can always do this by responding to their queries, addressing their questions and replying to their comments. You need to go the extra mile by individually addressing them. Once you do this, it’ll take your business to the next level.

Tips for Using Pinterest for Local Business Marketing & Local Audiences:

Yes! Just like Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest too can be optimized for your local business. In case you’re looking to attract a local audience- here’s what you have to do.

=> Add your location:

• While marketing your business to a local audience, it is important that your Pinterest profile mentions the locations that you serve. You should also make it a point to add the current location of your business.
  

• You can do this by simply adding your location from the profile settings. In case you’re looking to add more keyword based cues, try adding them in the about you’ section.
  

• While this might seem very obvious, you’d be amazed how many commercial Pinterest profiles are created without any detailed information about the location. Adding your location will help more people, based in and around your area, to find you.
  

• It’ll let them know that you’re located close enough which will further assist them in reaching out to you. If you do not add the location and only list your services, it’s very likely that you’ll miss out on your target audience.

=> Add place pins:

• Another way to target local audience is by adding place pins. Place pins are simply the location based information of your pins.
  

• This information can be the physical address of your business, its phone number, the hours of operation, or anything else.

• While some Pinterest users use these place pins for saving dream vacations, there are also many others who save the place pins of their favorite brands and its locations.
  

• This information is an excellent asset to the local businesses that are looking to increase their real-time traffic or are simply willing to connect with the local audience.

• When users click on a place pin, they’ll automatically get to see your location on the map. So when you have this pin stored in Pinterest’s database, your potential users will get to see your business when they are searching for services in the same local area.

=> Sponsor your pins for local audience:

• Almost 75% of the pins saved in Pinterest come from local businesses. And one of the simplest ways to increase its reach is by promoting your pin. Unlike other platforms, Pinterest ads are not distracting; they are rather useful and relevant. Try visitor retargeting, customer list targeting and look-alike targeting to connect with your local audience.

=> Collaborate with local businesses:

• You can also collaborate with local businesses via group boards to expand your reach. You can try this by re-pinning the posts of businesses located in and around your area. This will help you get noticed and seen among your local audience.

Boost Your SEO Ranking With Pinterest Pinterest SEO Tips:

With more than 150 million monthly users, Pinterest has slowly evolved to be a leading, profitable social media platform. And guess what?

You can always tweak your Pinterest handle for SEO. This will increase your followers, enhance your visibility and help you get noticed more often. Here’s what you have to do,

[+] Optimize your profile:

• Even before you start adding pinned posts, make it a point to tweak your profile and use the right username. If you’re operating from a commercial account, try adding keywords relevant to your business in the title.
  

• This will help more people reach out to you, when they search the keyword instead of your business’ name.

[+] Optimize your boards:

• Your boards should be compelling, neat and organized, with clear information about your business and/or services.
  

• From the perspective of search engine optimization, it is really important to think like a user while you pick a username and title for your board. This is the way you’re going to be searched, so make sure it is quirky, relatable and simple.

[+] Optimize your pinned posts:

• Every pin is an extended representation of your business, so you should always make it a point to optimize it as much as you can. Don’t be afraid of being descriptive, as it’ll help Pinterest’s search handle to discover your pins.
  

• When you add a relevant keyword in the title or description of your pins, a large number of people, looking for the keyword or similar keyword get redirected to your posts.

[+] Add the right descriptions:

• If you’re looking to optimize your Pinterest for SEO, it is very important to get your descriptions right. While Pinterest is indeed more of a visual platform, the text still matters here.
  

• Don’t be afraid of adding details, as this is going to help the platform in locating your posts. One of the best ways to do this is by adding a short line with your pinned image.
  

• Right after adding a business related image on your Pinterest handle, add a short line about the product, its benefit or its operation. This will help more users in getting a clear understanding about how your products and services work.

[+] Find the right keywords:

• Now that you have an idea about the importance of keywords, it is extremely important that you use the right keywords and tags, the right way.
  

• You can find out more about relevant keywords by either searching for similar keywords or by subscribing to a program like Google ad sense.

Pinterest Mistakes To Avoid:

While all of us make mistakes, we don’t really want our brands to suffer because of our inane follies. Repeating your mistakes on Pinterest can negatively impact your popularity and lead you to lose out on potential followers. Here are some common pinterest mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.

=> Incomplete accounts:

• No matter how good your posts are, you’ll definitely lose out on followers if your account is incomplete. As the owner of a business, it is important on your part to make it easier for people to locate you.
  

• And one of the best ways to do that is by having a complete account. You can start off by using a proper name of your business, adding the address and verifying your website.
  

• Your profile picture and username too should be relevant to your business. Right after that; add compelling pins as the cover of your boards, and rearrange them to place the most important ones at the top.

=> Adding all your pins at once:

• This is another common mistake that most people make. Like I already said, if you’re looking to build a lasting impact add one or two relevant posts everyday throughout the week instead of bombarding your audience with too many posts, the same day.
  

• Too many pins will drown out your feed and annoy users. Always be strategic about the pins and post them at the right time.

=> Not adding relevant categories:

• Most users either forget or are completely clueless about adding relevant categories to their boards. This is another fatal mistake that can negatively impact your business.
  

• Adding categories to your boards is extremely important as it’ll give your pins, the much needed exposure.

On a final note:

So now that you know everything about expanding your reach on pinterest, create your commercial account and get started with marketing your business right away!