Back in 2010 when Pinterest first launched, it started off mainly being used by stay at home mothers looking for ideas on craft DIYs, home interiors and cooking recipes. Hands up if you still think this is the case?

Let me tell you that this platform has vastly evolved into being a really powerful marketing tool that can help grow your business. We love using Pinterest at Azalea Design Co.

Pinterest is used by many businesses today. From well known brands, to public figures, to artists, to entrepreneurs to freelancers, with topics ranging from art, design, interior, beauty, technology, DIY and crafts, travel, fashion etc. Any inspiration you could need is all on Pinterest.

Pinterest statistics:

Pinterest has more than 150 million active monthly viewers.

87% of Pinterest users have purchased a product they have pinned.

Not only does this platform have a large amount of viewers that you could reach but there is also a high percentage of sales made through Pinterest as the majority of pinners use Pinterest as a means of inspiration and are looking for something to buy.

Which businesses would benefit from using Pinterest?

Pinterest is a visually engaging platform and so creative businesses such as photographers, artists, designers would thrive in this online community. If you run a blog or sell physical products then Pinterest for your business is perfect for you!

So how can you use Pinterest to grow your business?

It is just about you deciding upon a marketing strategy which can help drive traffic to your business website or blog. And what’s even better is that you don’t have to have a huge following to be able to reach a large audience!

 

Setting up a Pinterest Business account

It is so important to make sure you set up a business account as this will allow you to view analytics and create ads. Fill out your business details and be sure to choose the appropriate option under Business Type.

Choose a profile picture that represents who you are and what you do. You can either choose between your business logo or if you are an entrepreneur or blogger, a picture of yourself may help others to connect with you. *Make sure the image is bright and of good quality. A good size is 330 x 330 px.

It is beneficial to enter your business name and then choose a few key words afterwards so that it can help your SEO and others can simply see what you do.

Your username should be simple and your business/blog name. It is beneficial to use the same username on all social media platforms so that your audience can find you easier.

In the About You section write a couple of sentences under 200 characters about who you are, who your business helps and what people can expect from you. A Call To Action can be effective here – whether you link them to your blog, a blog post, Etsy store, or freebie. Don’t forget those keywords!

 

Claiming your accounts

This is super important to enter your website and verify it. This will then allow you to create ‘Rich Pins’ which is essential for audience and traffic growth.

You will need to copy a small section of code and paste it into your website HTML. If you are struggling, there are lots of tutorials and help forums online depending on your website platform.

 

Pinterest Boards

Now it is time for the fun part! It is best to create 10-20 boards to start with, make sure that the board topics link with your business and include all of the juicy keywords to enhance the SEO.

1. Choose 10-20 different board topic ideas.

For example as a web designer & brand strategist, I have boards like Web Design Inspiration, Colour Palettes, Mood Boards, Typography, Branding & Logo Design Tips.

2. Choose sensible and basic board names.

Although it may be easier for you to name a board ‘ideas to adapt at home’ no one will be able to find this board very easily. Using keywords such as ‘home interiors’ will be much more effective.

3. Edit your board as soon as you create them.

Include a detailed description using lots of keywords and be sure to choose an appropriate category and don’t use Other.

4. Pin as much as you can.

Don’t create a board and leave it empty. The more you pins you have in each board, the higher your reach will become.

 

 

Create your own pins

This is perfect for promoting your business, product or blog post. The best sizes for Pinterest pins are 735 x 1102 px although as long as the width is around 1000 px the height can be longer. (Create engaging posts using Canva)

Make sure when you create your own pins, they are visually engaging, high quality, bright or colourful and have a little amount of text that is easy to read. Always put your logo or a brand signature on every pin you create to increase brand recognition.

If you run a blog it’s great to create 2-5 different pins for one blog post. You can play around with images, designs and even blog titles and see which one has more engagement.

Don’t forget to add hyperlinks and keyword descriptions.

Once you are comfortable with using Pinterest and are building up your audience, you can increase your number of boards. Just remember to keep pinning otherwise your reach will drop. And last but not least, JUST HAVE FUN! That’s what social media is for at the end of the day and if you can have fun whilst promoting your business then what could be better?

 

 

 

I really hope this helps and inspires you to start using Pinterest to market your business if you are not already.

Have you had success with Pinterest or do you have any questions or tips to add? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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