Content Strategy on Social Media: Getting Started on Pinterest

Tips and tricks for your company’s presence on Pinterest

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is a well-known saying and provides an important insight for social media. Not surprisingly, networks with a visual focus are particularly popular with users. Since 2010, Pinterest has served as a social network and online pinboard as well as a search engine with a good amount of traffic. Its users collect photos and videos on subjects that interest them, and this diverse selection of topics ranges from recipes in the “food and nutrition” category, to fashion and beauty, and on to furnishings and holiday destinations. The platform is also enhanced by the presence of book and travel bloggers.

Companies can use Pinterest to increase the awareness and popularity of their brands and to boost their corporate image. Focusing more attention on online shops gives them an opportunity to generate more sales. It’s useful for businesses to have a company presence on Pinterest, providing suitable content as a means of interacting with their users. It’s of little surprise that more than half of Pinterest content is derived from company websites.

Pinterest user numbers and importance 

Pinterest is growing slowly but steadily, and it delivers a lot of relevant traffic. For instance, every month around 200 million users worldwide are active on Pinterest, and members spend a daily average of 21 minutes on this global network. When compared directly with the Internet giants Instagram and Facebook, this platform does not seem particularly significant. However, the degree of activity and attachment to the Pinterest network ultimately count more than pure user numbers.

Those who are active on Pinterest use the platform as a source of ideas and inspiration. Many people use Pinterest as a search engine because they expect to receive higher quality and more relevant results than a general search on Google can offer. The consumer focus is not always high profile because the platform also features crafting tips or cake recipes for children’s birthdays. However, members do receive advice and encouragement when buying a new sofa or a winter coat. For a long time, Pinterest has had a reputation as a “women’s network,” and today the proportion of female users is comparatively high – but men are catching up.

First steps for companies on Pinterest

Before you can access Pinterest, you must choose an account name. Ideally, this should be your company or brand name so followers and fans can find you easily, and your profile should be your company logo. You should make the most of your initial appearance on Pinterest by referring to your website, your blog, and your existing social media channels.

Your next important decision concerns your choice of notice board. Even if your company focuses on a clearly defined topic, it may still be useful to find subcategories. For example, if you offer bridal gowns, your relevant boards might include “registry office,” “church,” “bridesmaids,” “accessories,” or “short wedding dresses” versus “long wedding dresses.”

If your company is new to Pinterest, it’s important that you continually put time and effort into your support of the platform. Interact genuinely and honestly with your community by remembering to comment, offer thanks, and remain visible and approachable. Regularly repinning other third-party contributions will gain you the appreciation and attention of your community.

You should also maintain a good balance between your own contributions and your repinned contributions, and study exactly how your images should be best described to reach your target audience. Your image descriptions should always be appealing and error-free, so you must also pay attention to popular and relevant hashtags you can use on suitable occasions.

Companies can use the platform to identify Influencers who would be a good match for their own themes. The Pinterest community reacts more favorably to a wide range of influencer product recommendations than they do when the same items are promoted via seller advertising. That not only helps to build brand awareness, it also increases your sales.

Tips and tricks for Pinterest

Another way to provide feedback to your fans is via the “Like” function. Similar to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you can award the Pinterest heart icon as a way of voting for contributions that you like. You can also mark contributions you like so you can repin them at a later time. Alternatively, you can create a “secret” board that is invisible to your followers and collect your content there. This is helpful if you find a suitable post but it’s not a good time to repin it – for example, contributions pinned too early in the morning tend to attract less of a response. In general, Pinterest is used more frequently during leisure time, which means outside working hours in the afternoons, in the evenings and on the weekends.

A secret board is also a useful trick when you’re new to Pinterest because you can use it to collect and prepare your contributions. You’re then well-equipped when you publish to your account. Don’t forget to set your preferences to share your profile with search engines. You should also include the “Remember” button on your website so visitors can easily share your content on Pinterest. By clicking on the respective picture, their own followers will land on your website.

If you want to generate referrals, you can work with so-called “rich pins” and post pictures from your website. You should mostly use portrait format for your Pinterest pictures because the platform restricts the width of its images. Select strong colors and shapes to get your pictures noticed – though, of course, always with good taste and style. At the same time, it’s important that your posts generate and reflect a sense of your corporate values so your appearance on Pinterest harmonizes well with your overall web presence. Strive for a balance between seriousness and new trends, and speak the language of your fans without making false compromises. Otherwise, you will lose your authenticity.

Successful companies on Pinterest

Whole Foods has developed an amazing reach of more than 330,000 followers. This natural and organic grocery chain has made a name for itself on Pinterest by giving their fans inspiration and ideas for food, whether it’s a summer BBQ or a nice evening cocktail.

How often should you publish posts on Pinterest?

The hit rate on Pinterest is significantly higher than on other platforms. Thus, 20 to 30 pins per day is by no means excessive and will help to further expand your visibility. Nevertheless, you should always ask yourself whether your material is relevant and inspiring for your target group.

In addition to direct involvement in the community, companies can also employ purchased ads. Video ads known as “Cinematic Pins” have been particularly successful, exciting attention that has been well reflected in user’s news feeds.

Regular social media monitoring is essential on Pinterest. You should know who your followers are, when they are online, and what topics they’re interested in. You can use various web monitoring tools to achieve this, but if you want to access the platform-based Pinterest web analytics, you must first verify (confirm) your own website and social media profiles in Settings.
 

New Pinterest features

Currently, Pinterest is working on some interesting new features. So far, these are only accessible in the US and are yet to be made available worldwide. Their introduction underscores the platform’s goal to move towards becoming a highly specialized search engine and indispensable guide in all contexts. The new camera search function is particularly interesting. Users focus their mobile camera on an object – a vase, for example – and Pinterest then displays similarly designed vases as well as combinations of these vases with other furnishings. Features like this show that Pinterest has plenty of bright ideas for the future.