.png)
Pinterest may feel like just another social media platform, but it's actually a search engine. It's built entirely different from Instagram and Facebook. Optimizing your Pinterest profile for business can bring in new clients and customers, as well as increase your website traffic. (Quick Tip: The more organic traffic you can get to your website, the higher Google will prioritize your website in their search results!) Before establishing a strategy for Pinterest it's important to understand how it's being used and how that translates in your business.
How is Pinterest Different from other platforms?
What makes it so much different is how users interact on Pinterest. Unlike other platforms, people don't use Pinterest just to follow people they know or like, they use it to search for specific things. The search function is truly what differentiates it the most. I've found that the life of a pin is much longer than a post on other platforms. If I post something on Instagram or Facebook, it may get traction for 1-3 days. However, on Pinterest I have pins I've uploaded years ago that people are still repining. The life of a pin can be 1-3 years or even longer!
Top 3 Reasons to Use Pinterest
It's a visual search engine
Content performs for much longer than any other platform
Pinterest gives you the ability to link your website and other websites directly to each pin
Tips for Setting Up Your Business Profile
If you have a personal account, you can create a business account that's attached to it or convert your personal to a business account. Having a business account gives you access to so many more features that help you grow your account and your business. Make sure the profile photo is a high quality image of you or your brand's logo. Avoid using selfies. Make sure the description under your profile photo clearly explains who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer your viewers. Make sure to link and verify your website in your profile as well.
Setting Up Your Boards
I would suggest starting with 5 boards. Before choosing your first 5 boards, think about the type of content people would search to find that information. As a brand and web designer, I started with the following boards:
-Web Design Inspiration
-Branding Inspiration
-Logo Design Inspiration
-Color Palette Inspiration
-Marketing Tips for Small Business Owners
-Business Card Inspiration
See photo below or check out my Pinterest here.
I chose these boards since they would be a great place to post my own content as well as pin other creator's content. As you start pinning content, you'll come up with so many more ideas for boards. It's important to keep the top 6, the main type of content you want users to find.
What to Know Before You Start Pinning
When pinning content it's important to remember that Pinterest prioritizes users that are uploading their own content, as well as saving other user's pins. Remember the 80/20 rule. If you upload 2 of your own pins, be sure to save 8 pins from other creators. Don't just pin random posts, make sure you're saving content that actually relates to your content. This will help the algorithm understand the type of searches you want to show up in most!
You can upload your own pins or save photos from other websites directly to your own Pinterest boards. Before you upload something to Pinterest, do a little market research by searching for that type of content. Look at what comes up in the search bar. This will show you relevant keywords you could use in your pin's description to show up higher in search results. Pinterest also prioritizes users that are on the platform regularly. Just like any other platform, consistency is really important if you want to generate consistent traffic to your website.
This is definitely enough to get you started. If you're looking to get more ideas or a better understanding of Pinterest, I would highlight suggest Skillshare. It's an online learning platform with courses on this as well as many other marketing and business tools. Ohn Mar Win's course on Skillshare specifically, is a great course to take your Pinterest strategy to the next level. Click here to get Skillshare for free for your first 30 days!
Frequently Asked Pinterest Questions:
Q: How often should I post?
A: It's best to use the 80/20 rule for this. For ever 2 pins you upload, save 8 pins from other creators. Once a day would be incredible, but think quality over quantity!
Q: What are the best times to post?
A: Since Pinterest pins tends to perform at a much longer rate (think 1-3 years) than Instagram or Facebook (1-3 days), I've found that the timing of when a pin is first posted doesn't matter as much. The pins that end up gaining the most traction, don't get traction because they were posted at a specific time. They get traction because the title and description have keywords that users are already searching for.
Q: Should I post similar content or a variety of content?
A: Refer to the section above about boards for this. Once you've come up with at least 5 boards, start creating content that relate to those topics. Then pin other creator's content that relate to those boards as well. The more focused you can get in your posting and pinning strategy, the easier it will be for Pinterest algorithms to understand the focus and prioritize you in search results.
Q: Should I post the same content as other platforms or different?
A: Pinterest posts perform best when they're sized according to the Pinterest platform. Pinterest says a post sized at 1000 x 1500 pixels is optimal. This doesn't mean it has to be entirely new though. If you have a graphic you created with Canva for another platform, you can resize it to the Pinterest dimensions and use to post. I never recommend cross posting the same content across every single platform, because this means most people will just follow you on their favorite platform. If they know you're creating different content for each platform it gives them a reason to follow you on all of them!
Q: What's the best way to get started?
A: Ohn Mar Win's Skillshare course includes an amazing 14 day challenge. Here's how it goes:
1. Profile Picture & Description
2. Label boards descriptively and put best 9 boards at the top
3. Create pins with 2:3 ratio if possible
4. Add description and use several keywords
5. Pin from your website or IG
6. Try to pin at least 10 pins a day with 2 of them being your own
7. Pin other content at least once a day for 14 days
8. Take screenshots every few days to see if that 'monthly viewers' figure shifts
Once a lot of this is completed, all you'll have to do is pin 8 posts from other creators and uploading 2 of your own pins each day. When saving pins remember, you can pin from websites and Instagram too!
