Pinterest is commonly thought of as nothing more than a social media app like Instagram or Twitter. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Did you know that Pinterest is in fact a search engine like Google? The only difference is that Pinterest is a visual search engine, so it values image and standard text. The way users interact with content on Pinterest depends on the visual aspect before the written aspect, and you can use Pinterest for nearly any business. As an author and a blogger myself, I use Pinterest all the time for promoting my blog posts, which you can check out my page here. So, here’s how you can use Pinterest to boost and maximize your business and its growth!
Pinterest Users are Here to Shop
It’s true, but in a recent Pinterest marketing course I took, I learned that the vast majority of Pinterest users (nearly 90% or more!) are using Pinterest specifically to plan purchases and buy products. Pinterest isn’t like Instagram where you are simply looking at things like travel photos or general lifestyle content–Pinterest was made to be a service to market your services, products, and more.
Pinterest actually encourages account owners to redirect users to other websites. So, Pinterest wants you to add links and it wants its users to look at said links as well.
Pinterest’s main demographic may be moms, but plenty of Pinterest users are men as well and many users are young too. At the end of the day, people like using Pinterest because they want to find things that either inspire them or inspire them to make certain purchases.
Pinterest is Great for E-Commerce
Pinterest has great integrations with e-commerce platforms like Shopify. If you have an online storefront, then you can’t skip out on Pinterest. As I mentioned before, when you go on Pinterest, you need to remember that people are there to shop. So, if you showcase your products on Pinterest, then you’re more likely to find a consumer base willing to pay money towards your products.
People commonly forget about Pinterest because things like Instagram or even TikTok are more loud in the social media world. However, the problem with a platform like TikTok is that many of its users are younger and probably aren’t willing to spend lots of money on products. The reason being is that a younger social media user will most likely have to go to a parent in order to get permission to buy a product. Like I mentioned previously, Pinterest users are shoppers. They will have the money to spend on your items.
Don’t Just Slap an Image on Pinterest
By this, I mean don’t slap an unoptimized image on Pinterest. Being a visual search engine, you need to prioritize the look of your pins and the way they present your product. Is your pin small? Unoptimized? Blurry? Are your colors mismatched? Then you need to go back and start reworking your new pins.
Pinterest values the way a pin appears, so you have to make sure that there is something on that pin that screams “you want this product/service/thing I am offering.” For example, one of the best ways to get Pinterest users to look at your link is to have a call to action (CTA) on your pin. For example, if you’re advertising a product, you could probably put a large text on the pin that says “SHOP NOW.” This compels the user to click on your link to see what exactly they will be shopping for.
You can simply put an image as your pin, but honestly, if your image isn’t appealing visually, it’s not really worth putting up. Check out pins that are single images that are clearly popular and try to see what about that image is appealing and try to recreate these visual cues yourself. Don’t copy! But taking inspo for your own work is fine, just don’t copy others and rip them off.
Use Design Software to Elevate Your Pins
There are plenty of different tools out there that can help you promote and make your pins look visually appealing. Some of the most popular are Canva and Adobe Photoshop, which are known for creating helpful social media content. Canva is a bit more user friendly for beginners though.
When it comes to designing your pins you need to make sure they are:
- The right size
- Pleasing to the eye
- Visually vibrant
- Fit your target audience right!
When you design your pins, using some type of design software is a great way of making sure your pin looks presentable. You can add graphics, text, and designs to your pin in order to best promote your business. Most Pinterest users actually use Canva because it’s quick and easy. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to make great pins because there are plenty of templates that you can use
I personally use Canva and will use stock photos or AI generated artwork to create my pins. I also edit photos using Adobe and Canva to use in my pins. I’m not the biggest fan of AI art, however it does make it easier to create artwork that fits my target audience since I’m not a major artist and I’m not a huge fan of always choosing to use stock photos. You can do whatever works for you, but remember to keep your target audience in mind.
Pinterest Reaches Your Audience Better
Pinterest users tend to curate their search results based off of what they are actively looking for on the platform. People who are looking for book content will find mainly book content. People looking for vegan recipes are going to get vegan recipes. The idea is that you want to tailor your Pinterest posts to fit your keywords that will work for your target audience.
Nearly every pin on that page has something to do with writing, books, authors, and world building. That’s important because now my audience and whoever heads into my page will see that I talk about books, world building, and author content if that’s what they are looking for.
You can use Pinterest to boost your business because you are basically directly interacting with your audience. The more people save your pin, the more it’ll get saved around, the more you’ll get conversions for your business such as website visits or purchases.
Conclusion
All in all, Pinterest is essential for your business. Don’t skip out on using Pinterest. I recommend always setting up a free business account on Pinterest since you can check your analytics and get access to more features that aren’t available on a personal Pinterest. Pinterest is one of the best ways to reach a wide audience that is actually looking to interact with your content and will care about what it is that you’re posting. Getting followers on Pinterest isn’t the easiest thing ever, but monthly views matter and the more your monthly views, the more likely Pinterest will push your content. Optimize your content, reach your audience, and work on promoting your business as much as you can.
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss a single post, update on my WIPs, book releases and more!