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We’ve all heard about the potential business benefits of using Pinterest.
It’s fun, engaging, and unique. Its users are primed with buying intent. You can promote content on the platform. And so on and so forth!
But – and it’s a big but – how do you actually tap into that potential?
What do you have to do as a Pinterest marketer to attract customers, generate sales, and get a tangible return on your efforts?
If those kinds of questions have been rocketing around your brain recently, then you’re in the right place. Read on to learn how to attract buyers on Pinterest.
Table of Contents
You Should Use Pinterest If…
Okay, so we’re biased! But it’s genuinely quite hard to think of a business that couldn’t benefit from incorporating Pinterest into its marketing strategy.
If you:
- Are a brand with a story to tell (especially if you want to do it visually)
- Want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and/or
- Wish to engage and collaborate with would-be customers in a creative way
…Then Pinterest can help.
You can set up a business account in seconds and, from there, start creating boards and curating content. Done right, you stand to extend your reach, grow your following, send targeted traffic to your website, and more!
Why Pinners May Be Your Ideal Customers
Remember, Pinterest isn’t an ordinary social network.
The people who use it aren’t trying to portray themselves in a particular way. They aren’t necessarily even trying to amass a following. Their goal?
To find and curate products and ideas.
They’re looking for inspiration. They’re searching for answers. They’re hunting for the best possible solution to their problem(s).
Oh, and keep in mind that 45% of US social media users with a household income over $100,000 use the platform.
In other words, they’re ready to go shopping…
Engage With Other Pinterest Users
Getting ahead on Pinterest isn’t easy. Thankfully, it gets a little easier when you engage and collaborate with your fellow Pinterest users!
You can follow and interact with them, tag them on your pins, and comment on theirs. Do all that and you’ll soon forge relationships that foster trust and brand loyalty.
Likewise, try to find other like-minded businesses to team up with.
You can do this through manual searches, email outreach, and direct messaging through the Pinterest platform. Alternatively, software tools have special features that are purpose-built for the task (e.g. Tailwind’s Communities feature).
With your newfound community in place, you can start sharing each other’s content – expanding your reach and influence in the process.
Become a Source for Your Niche
The ultimate goal of any brand is to become an authority in its niche.
It makes you top-of-mind – the first company your target customers think about when they need the products/services you sell.
You can achieve this authority on Pinterest by creating and curating exceptional content that’s relevant to your business. Add high-quality pins of that nature to well-organized boards and people will see you as a go-to resource.
Leverage Board Descriptions (the Right Way)
The key to success on Pinterest is standing out from the crowd.
Boost your chances of being found amongst the mass of other content by leveraging your board descriptions. Don’t write anything that comes to mind!
The copy should be engaging, concise, and keyword-rich. Trust us, the Pinterest algorithm’s much more likely to show you in peoples’ feeds when your board descriptions contain relevant keywords.
Consistency is Key
Active creators win on Pinterest. That’s why you should create new content as regularly as possible, pin it on a daily basis, and add new (i.e. “fresh”) pins for old posts whenever you have the chance.
Quantity isn’t everything though, so be sure to strike a balance with quality. If it’s a choice between 3 average pins and 1 high-quality pin, go with the latter.
Analyze Your Results
You want to know your hard work’s paying off, right?
That’s why you have to analyze your results. Thankfully, Pinterest makes this straightforward with its suite of analytics. But you’ll need a business account to access it!
Once you’ve set it up, you’ll be able to see everything from your most popular pins to the amount of engagement you’ve had and the number of leads generated. You can then replicate what’s working and ditch what isn’t.
3 Ways to Attract Local Shoppers Using Pinterest
Pinterest users live all over the country (and, for that matter, the world!). This begs the question: how can it help a sandwich shop in downtown Boston or an outdoor gear store in Alaska? Local marketing, that’s how!
Here are a few quick tips to do it successfully:
1. Include Your Location Everywhere
Whether it’s in your account name and bio to your board titles and pin descriptions, take every opportunity to include your business location! Adding these location-based descriptions will help people find your business online.
2. Use Place Pins
This underutilized tool lets businesses create a board full of their favorite local destinations and add a pin for their own business while they’re at it! You end up with a geographical marker – a sign to Pinterest users that you’re a local company.
3. Create an Event Board
Do you host events? Well, it’s high time you set up specific boards for each one and cross-promote them across other social media platforms. When each event’s over, you can then take any positive comments people left on the board and create pins from them!