Should I be using Pinterest?
When discussing social media strategies very few clients will mention Pinterest. However, this often-overlooked platform could be the ticket to increasing the reach of your content.
In our experience, either you use Pinterest religiously or you’ve only stumbled across it by accident, usually via a Google image search. So what is Pinterest and why should you consider using it as part of your social media strategy?
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is self-described as “a visual discovery engine for finding ideas”. Built around the concept of a pinboard, users create virtual ‘boards’ where they can ‘pin’ content they’re interested in. For example, recipes, home décor or fashion inspiration. All content is user submitted, usually in the form of an image or – increasingly – short format video, alongside a short bio that links through to a website e.g. a blog or online store.
Who uses Pinterest?
Pinterest has a reputation for being very popular among millennial women. Out of their 445 million monthly active users, 60% of those users are women. With 25–34-year-old women being the largest active cohort.
However, Gen Z users and men are their fastest growing audiences, up 40% year over year. So don’t rule it out just yet if millennial women aren’t your key market.
85.9% of Pinterest users are also on Instagram. So, if your social media marketing focuses heavily on Instagram, you should consider adding Pinterest into the mix also. Especially because unlike Instagram which can be highly competitive and reliant on paid advertising for click throughs, Pinterest is great for organic growth.
Pinterest is great for increasing visibility.
Content on Pinterest can snowball, quickly.
Have you ever done a google image search and found that the many of the results seem to come from Pinterest? This is because popular content multiplies on Pinterest.
User A creates a pin that links to their website > User B likes the pin and saves the pin to their board > User C follows user B, sees User A’s pin, likes it and also saves it to their board.
Through this process one link can be shared and saved multiple times, multiplying the number of links directing people to your content. This is extremely helpful for your Website SEO, creating more backlinks to your website, increasing your views and authority, improving your ranking in Google SERPs.
Pinterest encourages click-throughs.
Unlike other social media platforms that do everything they can to keep users on their app, Pinterest encourages click through. Let’s say that again, Pinterest, encourages click-through, without you having to pay for it.
Users know that the Pin they see on Pinterest is often only a cover page of sorts for more content at the destination link. So they are prepared and willing to leave the site to view the content and then return to save the pin if it’s to their liking.
Brand awareness, building website traffic and generating sales are generally our main goals when using social media. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are great for brand awareness but Pinterest has your back on website traffic and generating sales, why? Because users on Pinterest are specifically looking for products and services.
Pinterest is built for discovery.
While users on other social media platforms are looking to connect with others or be entertained. Pinterest users are actively looking for products and services they may want to invest in. For example, outfit inspiration, social media strategy tips or local wedding planners.
This means Pinterest isn’t only beneficial to retailers it’s also great for working professionals such as photographers, marketing consultants, realtors, designers etc. If you sell products, offer professional services, or have expertise to share, you should be on Pinterest.
What content does well on Pinterest?
Home décor, DIY and crafts, recipes, women’s fashion and health and wellness are the biggest categories on Pinterest in 2023.
This aligns closely with Instagram’s top categories of Travel, Beauty, Fashion, Health and Wellness and Lifestyle.
While video is growing on the platform, image-based posts continue to be the norm. Since click-throughs are so prevalent on Pinterest it’s important to make sure the content in your pin closely matches your destination page. Similar to how your paid ads should visually match your landing page. Don’t share a photo of a specific product on Pinterest and have it link through to your home page. This will cause potential customers to be confused and feel misled, it was the product they saw on Pinterest that caught their attention, take them straight to that product.
Most importantly, make it attractive. Pinterest is a visual discovery platform so aesthetics matter.
For fashion, editorial or lifestyle imagery works better than straightforward product shots. For more information-based content e.g. a digital marketing guide, a cover image is the way to go. Pairing attractive imagery with very clear headlines that let users know what you have on offer.
So I should be using Pinterest?
If your product or service does well on Instagram, you should absolutely be using Pinterest.
It can help your business gain:
- Increased brand awareness
- Increased website traffic
- Improved SEO
- Access to a motivated audience
On top of all that, Pinterest can also provide excellent tools for preparing and managing your content, while gaining insights into your followers and the performance of your content on the platform through their Pinterest for Business accounts.
If you’d like to know more about how to get the most out of a Pinterest account or want to incorporate Pinterest into your social media marketing strategy. Get in touch, we’d love to help you out.
References
Hootsuite
Business News Daily
Neil Patel
Search Engine Journal
Pin Houss
Shruti Pangtey
Ventura Web Design
