The Pinterest platform is a visual discovery engine that allows users to "pin" content to "boards," which offer collections of information, ideas, and inspiration. Although Pinterest focuses on visual content assets, people can search for topics of interest via words, visuals, or personal feeds. Further, Pinterest provides SEO (search engine optimization) and SERP (search engine results page) opportunities for users, more so than most social platforms, helping earn organic notice and traffic.
Driving website traffic and increasing sales are surprising results to many, but Pinterest users enjoy the benefits of both as active monthly users, now at 537 million,* continue to grow. While Pinterest users are still predominantly women,** the percentage of male users is rising. *Pinterest analysis, global, Q3 2024; **Comscore, self-reported gender identity for survey respondents over 18. US, Aug 2023.
Per Pinterest,*** “Gen Z is our fastest-growing audience, making up 42% of our global user base. They’re searching and saving more than other generations, and they’re here to shop. In fact, the main reason Gen Z uses Pinterest is to find information about products or brands.” ***https://business.pinterest.com/audience/
Pinterest is a Visual Discovery Engine but offers plenty of creative options to showcase your business and products, as shown in the image below from the Pinterest website:
A Combination of Social and Search Makes Pinterest Unique
Harnessing the power of inspiration-driven search on Pinterest offers businesses a powerful tool for marketing and sales. Lisa Sicard of Inspire to Thrive recently joined The Marketing Mirror LIVE to look into the latest scoops for using the Pinterest platform to drive traffic and increase sales for YOUR business.
In our conversation, we noted that Pinterest as a search engine allows your content to remain evergreen and continues to be searchable and seen, even years later, unlike most social media. Creating a "Library" of Boards and Pins with evergreen appeal increases the value of your content over time. Another note we made about the "library effect" on Pinterest is the need for social banter and commenting seems less time-consuming. Folks view Pinterest as a research tool and ideas generator, therefore, "looking" is more important than talking. Watch our LIVE presentation below:
[SIDE NOTE: Jaime Shine was under the weather and unable to join as planned... Get Well Soon, Jaime!]
Some of the topics and questions we cover include:
✔️Why consider Pinterest over other social platforms to drive business and sales?
✔️What benefits do you get for having a business account over a personal Pinterest profile?
✔️Why Pinterest is called a 'discovery channel' and allows you more creativity for pins and boards; and users' openness to new ideas with less big brand loyalty.
✔️How to avoid a Pinterest suspension and what to do if you get a suspension notice on a pin.
Create Pinterest Collages: Here's a Sample
✔️The popularity of collages (example: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/83175924387024302/) and ideas for creating and using them. Here’s a new post on how to: https://inspiretothrive.com/pinterest-collage/ along with a Shorts video: https://youtu.be/PVaEw5S6FX4
✔️How AI helps you create video pins and Lisa's recommendation for a tool: https://fliki.ai/?via=inspiretothrive but, also, a warning not to AI up too much of your social, especially for interaction.
✔️What are the main differences between a Pinterest strategy and strategies for more conversational platforms like Instagram or Twitter?
✔️Using keywords to organically rank on Pinterest means SEO implementation in at least five areas.
✔️What are some tips for making Pins more engaging and clickable for a higher conversion rate? (Lisa suggests using The Right Blogger tool to generate pin ideas based on links, topics, or keywords. Test, test, and test, she stresses! Here's a link to check out the software she mentions: https://rightblogger.com/tool/pinterest-pin/?via=lisa
✔️Pinterest demographics and buying power; user 'mentality' on Pinterest (quiet, like a library) but trained to click for further information or for making purchases (BUY-ability) directly.
✔️A case study mentioned: https://business.pinterest.com/success-stories/7-eleven/
[Some of the links mentioned above are Lisa's affiliate links... but there is no additional cost to you.]
Business Accounts Deliver the Deets
For detailed analytics, ads, and more, a Pinterest Business Account is the (free) ticket! Of course, Analytics is the key to understanding audience needs, viewer trends, and what content connects and is sticky. Sticky content magnetizes people to view and consume your content with pleasure. Further, Business Accounts give you the opportunity to indulge in eCommerce and conduct sales for your business directly from your Pinterest pins.
There are a lot of people on Pinterest— and even better, they are on Pinterest with a mindset to buy!
