Pinterest hit the social media world and took off running. At first, Pinterest was just a new platform for users to post photos, ideas, or whatever sparked their interest for others to see.
But that’s all changing because marketers are beginning to see a large market of consumers on Pinterest. How much you ask? Try 70 millions users.
So how can Pinterest be used in your digital marketing plan? Let’s take a look.
Pin it!!
Just as it’s name sounds, Pinterest is known for pinning things, and it comes with a variety of pinning options. If you’re active on Pinterest, you better have a pin button installed. People love sharing things on their own social pages, so if they come across some of your content or visit your site, you can leave a pin it button that allows the user to share your content to their social page by simply clicking the button. It’s that easy!
You can also add Rich Pins, which provides extra information on a pin itself. With Rich Pins, you can add product information, real-time pricing and provide direct links to your website.
And of course, be sure you’re pinning to the right source. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is neglecting to redirect the pin back to their site. This can be done in ‘Edit Pin’ by entering the URL into the Source box.
Timing is Key!!
When it comes to pinning your content, timing is everything. If you pin at the wrong time, you might get no interaction. Pinterest typically picks up in the afternoon hours between 2 to 4 pm and really gets rolling at night from 8pm to 1am. Pinning your posts between these times will provide your content with the best chance of getting noticed.
This may sound contradictory to what we just said, but sometimes pinning outside the hot hours of the day can pay off as well. It’s no secret when the most active times of the day are, so by posting outside of the hours mentioned above, you should encounter less competition.
Create Strong Content
People are coming to Pinterest to look at glamorous photos and creative ideas. Have you ever seen a person at work on a Pinterest site? They are typically swiping through the content at maximum speed, with photos and images flying by at an unstoppable force. This means in order for your content to get noticed, it has to be eye-catching. Be sure to put a lot of thought into what you’re posting and don’t just throw up any old stock photo. Just because your content is on Pinterest doesn’t mean it’s going to automatically get noticed. And be sure your content is responsive, meaning that it will automatically adjust depending on which device is being used to view your content.
Pay to Play
Just as Facebook offers paid posts, so does Pinterest. Promoted Pins requires users to go through an application process. You must submit a pin to Pinterest and await approval. Once approved, you can then begin pinning, but must follow a set of rules and restrictions. Advertisers are charged a cost per click, but not for repins. This gives your content much better visibility, and with not having to pay for repins, you can also build a lot of additional traffic at a low cost.
Finally…
Pinterest can open up a new doorway of opportunity for whatever you are marketing. It’s a source for people to not only find products and services, but it’s a great web surfing app, which means people might stumble upon your business without even necessarily looking for you in the first place. Just stay active with your posts, take time to create good content and find a schedule that best fits your company and you will be drawing new traffic to your site in no time.
