Want to know how a free Pinterest Business Account can get you new customers? Then read through this ultimate guide on Pinterest.
To make the content of this post easy to digest for all readers, the text is divided into sections.
Sections 1 – 2 provide a basic overview of Pinterest, and the benefits of using the social platform. Beginners will find these sections very useful for insights on Pinterest and why they should use it. Sections 3 – 4 cover more detailed information on how to use Pinterest to grow your business.
Section 5 is focused on what you need, and how to go about starting with Pinterest Business.
- Section 1: An Overview of Pinterest – The Social Advisory Network
- Section 2: Benefits of Using Pinterest For Your Business
- Section 3: Amazing Pinterest Facts
- Section 4: How to Use Pinterest For Your Business
- Section 5: Getting Started With Pinterest For Your Business
- Conclusion
An Overview of Pinterest – The Social Advisory Network
Brands are always in search of whatever gives them the edge over competitors. Most have brought that search to social media marketing, and how they can outperform rivals in the same niche.
After years of in-depth study of the social media landscape, there are seemingly obvious facts about social media. All social media networks are not created equal – some are more equal than others, quoting George Orwell from his book, Animal Farm.
Some social media networks are great for driving brand awareness, while others are great for driving brand engagement with customers. Some are mainly focused on a business network; I’m sure you know which platform this is.
Quite a number of social media networks are great for generating traffic and conversion.
Well, we’re not here to talk about social media networks in general but Pinterest. It’s a great platform to drive brand awareness, engagement and traffic. What’s more, it is the number one social media network for people looking to make purchasing decisions.
The Social Advisory Network
Pinterest is a social advisory platform for users to connect with others, access important information, and share with others. The social network was founded in March 2010, and has since become a platform largely populated by females.
Members of Pinterest (referred to as Pinners) mainly use the platform to source for information about products. Pinners create boards and Pin images of ideas, information and inspiration.
Benefits of Using Pinterest for Your Business
So how does using Pinterest benefit your business? First of all, you have to understand that setting up a business account is free. Let’s dive deeper into others that could help grow your brand and your profits.
1. Okay, we just mentioned that a business account is free. This account also allows you to connect and engage with your customers effectively.
Business account owners are given tools to access and find out interests and passions of their community – tools to access analytics and insights, and also use of promoted and buyable pins!
Pinners love to connect and interact with brands on Pinterest. And a business account is the first step towards reaching out to your target audience on Pinterest.
2. The visual nature of Pinterest content leads to high engagement rates. Posts on Pinterest are usually high-quality images with less text content.
Studies have shown that images have the ability to attract more audience and stimulate engagement. To take advantage of this, have HD quality graphics designed with bright colors for your Pinterest posts.
3. It’s a great place to promote your brand to new markets. Reports show that 60% of Pinners search weekly on the social media platform for new ideas (you will find that detail and others in the next section).
The search for new ideas, thoughts, products, and services is one of the drivers of Pinterest. Pinners are always on the lookout for the needed information.
So, how does a brand take advantage of this situation? Make sure that your ideas and products are featured in colorful and highly-informative posts to attract those who are looking for the new Ideas.
4. Pinterest has more than 250 million active users for brands to be exposed to. This figure might not seem so large when compared to the likes of Facebook and Instagram. But it more compensates for the quality of users on the platform.
Pinterest gives you access to a global audience, to target and engage those who fit into your market.
5. The Use of Rich Pins to pass extra information to Pinners. Rich Pins are Pinterest features used by Pinners to deliver extra information about products, recipes and locations. Brands can use the Rich Pins to pass more information across to prospective and current customers.
6. Create content that can be discovered online long after you have published them.
Imagine having posts that keep generating leads years after you have posted them on Pinterest. That’s the kind of advantage that your business gains from using Pinterest.
Pinterest is a visual search engine that exposes your posts to Pinners through its search. The use of the right keywords will help position your brand before the right audience.
7. It’s the best social media platform to drive online shoppers to your store and products. It also gives more referral traffic than most platforms.
8. By adding the Pin it button on your store, Pinners are empowered to pin the products without leaving your store. The same can also be done for content on your company’s website or blog.
There are many more benefits that go with using Pinterest for your business. Some of which you may have to find out for yourself.
To give you a clearer picture of Pinterest potentials, let’s consider the following facts and figures.
8 Amazing Pinterest Facts
#1 – 60% of Pinners surveyed said that they use Pinterest to find out ideas on what to buy.
#2 – About 73% said that they are inspired by Pinterest to shop even when they are not on the lookout for anything to buy.
#3 – 90% of Pinners make use of Pinterest weekly in making purchasing decisions.
#4 – 78% of Pinners disclosed that they find it useful to see content from brands on the social advisory platform.
#5 – 66% Pinners make purchases after they have seen the brand’s Pins on Pinterest.
#6 – 41% of Pinners who shop in stores actually make use of Pinterest when shopping.
#7 – 59% look for more details about purchases they have already made on Pinterest.
#8 – Pinterest drives 33% and 200% more referral traffic to shopping sites than Facebook and Twitter respectively.
Would you say that Pinterest is a social media network just like Twitter and Instagram? These stats show that Pinterest has a social undertone, though it is more inclined towards providing information for users.
That’s why it is popularly known as a social advisory network.
If you’ve never used Pinterest for your business, or yet to explore the Business account, let me show you how.
How to Use Pinterest For Your Business
Creating a business account on Pinterest is completely free. Unlike Facebook that prevents all followers to view organic posts from its business accounts, Pinterest gives free access to all. In fact, Pinners love to interact with posts from brands, so your brand naturally finds connections on Pinterest.
If you do not already have a business account, you can do just that right now.
As a brand, you may already have a website you want to link from your business account. If you do not already have a website, this may be the right time to start working on one. Define the business you do, and provide necessary information about the business.
If you’re having issues with this step, you can research brands in your niche. And then set up boards that are relevant to your business, while you repin quality content.
Take out time to build on this as it helps you set up and establish your Pinterest account. When your site’s URL is ready, then you can link it with your business account on Pinterest.
When an image is pinned on Pinterest, a clickable link is created that redirects to its location. This means that when a visitor pins an image from your site, every Pinner that clicks on it will be directed to your site. This is a cool means of getting free traffic from Pinterest.
With repeated pins or repins on your images, Pinterest gives you regular and steady flow of traffic to your site. There is nothing that prevents you from pinning your own content.
In fact, original content creators are given higher priority for pinning their own content. You can pin as many posts as possible in order to multiply relevant boards. That is a sure guarantee for more traffic to your site.
You do not need to have a lot of followers before your content can be seen on Pinterest. The visual search engine makes it possible for Pinners who aren’t following you to find your content.
Your focus should be to provide high-quality graphics with Keywords that have been optimized for searches. Remember to include a compelling CTA (Call to Action) in your posts.
Your Pinterest goals could be any of the following:
- Get as many Pinners as possible to subscribe to your email list
- Generate traffic from Pinterest to your blog, site, or store
- Sell your own products or that of other merchants through affiliate marketing
Whatever value you are offering Pinners, be sure to include content with enough details and you will be able to reach your target audience.
Getting Started With Pinterest For Your Business
Follow these simple steps to get started using Pinterest for your business.
Step 1 – Create a Professional Looking Pinterest Business Account
You need to properly craft your Pinterest Business account profile to optimize your account.
Although Facebook has more users and potential reach, its users mainly connect with friends and family unlike Pinterest users who use the social advisory network to search for ideas and products.
Pinterest gives you all the leverage that you need to get your brands seen by its users. You will have to provide important business details like your business name, URL of your site or store.
If what you have is a personal account, Pinterest allows you to convert it into a business account.
Step 2 – Include Relevant Keywords for Optimizing Your Profile Search
You should include relevant keywords in your display name, and your “About this Profile” setting. There is a 30-character restriction on setting up a display name while using a desktop. Some others have found the use of a mobile app allowing the use of more characters.
You could lift your profile from any of your social media accounts to use in your Pinterest business account.
Step 3 – Claim Your Website
Claiming your website on Pinterest makes it possible to get attribution and analytics for content posted by you.
To claim your website, you will receive a snippet of code which must be added to your site.
Step 4 – Set Up Pinterest Boards for Your Business Niche
You may have to create informative boards related to your business niche. Focus on the kind of content that your target audience needs while using the right keywords.
Use the keywords in board titles and descriptions, and also set up several relevant boards.
Step 5 – Create Pins to Attract Traffic to Your Site
Create good-looking graphics that target your audience with the right keywords. Include keyword-optimized descriptions, relevant hashtags, and links to your web page or product.
Step 6 – Post your Pin or schedule it to go at a later date.
With these steps, you can get your first Pinterest Pin out to other members of the platform.
Conclusion
The Pinterest business account is a great tool for brands to share information about their products.
Posts can be pinned on Pinterest from where Pinners can find these posts and interact with them.
Pinners are always on the lookout for new information and inspiration. And if you are able to optimize your posts on Pinterest, you will surely increase your brand’s visibility and drive traffic to your site.
Setting up a Pinterest business account is free and easy to get started with.
We have provided you with details in this guide that should help you make good use of Pinterest to drive your business.
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