Why Your Business Needs to be on Pinterest
Control the Next Google
Anyone following me on Instagram knows I talk about Pinterest - a lot. We put so much stock into having trendy Instagrams, but I’d be very surprised to hear about anyone having a direct return on time, energy, and ad dollars through Instagram. The fact is Instagram is where you go to be relevant, but how many people are on there to find solutions to their problems?
What do I mean by that - well it’s simple. Pinterest is a networking site, yes. But it’s so much more than that! Why is Google one of the biggest corporations in the history of mankind? Because they controlled the searches as we look up everything from what’s the weird bump on my arm to how to bake an apple pie.
There’s power in controlling people’s searches as they try to solve their problem. Enter Pinterest - the wonderful crowd-controlled giant search engine! The fact is we’re all on there looking for inspiration or information - it’s not a channel necessarily for entertainment. And that means it’s a lot easier to talk as a business on there!
The goal of Pinterest isn’t to just have your work out there for people to look at, it’s so much more. The goal for individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses on Pinterest is to become a trusted curator so they can control what people are finding as they search on there! Basically, anyone and everyone has the power to do what Google’s doing - and Pinterest isn’t even asking ad dollars to have that power.
For my wedding business Scissortail Stories - I made highly curated boards with keywords titles that would appeal to my target audience: Bridesmaid Dress Inspiration, Engagement Photo Outfit Ideas, Dream Floral Arrangements, etc. Actively pinning each day (there are platforms that can schedule this out for you too, check out Tailwind) let me control what over 469,00 people were seeing in a month. That’s an insane amount of power if used right!
Alright, that’s cool I get so many views. But so what? How does that convert or funnel into sales? Well here’s the next piece to the puzzle. People are actively coming across my boards and streams of content I put out each day. And the great thing is they can share those pins to their own boards, their own audiences, and it only helps boost me! So once that channel is really flowing, I can begin to put in my own content and let that catch the flow. On the above image, the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th most viewed pins were my original content that linked directly to my website. Those pins ended up being shared to countless boards, being viewed tens of thousands of times each, and eventually funneled traffic into my website!
So why does it all matter? Here’s the thing. You’ll hear it almost daily - the Facebook and Instagram algorithms suck! They absolutely have become a pay to play system trying to monetize their channels like Google and Youtube. Pinterest is a totally free way to create active views without having to worry about in depth posting or building completely original feeds. All it takes is sprinkling in content to curated boards that link back to your site! It’s as simple as that. And it’s proven to work!
Facebook remains my strongest source of traffic because I can tag couples in photo galleries which cause their friends to click on my blog posts. Google I can influence through SEO and key-wording my webpages, images, and more. But Pinterest crushes any traffic compared to Instagram! Because it works that well.
Another thing I hear a lot is “well my audience isn’t on Pinterest” Really? I’d love an example that doesn’t work. Sure there’s stereotypes about Pinterest users, but the fact is statistics say otherwise. So if you’re a plumber why not have boards about bathroom interior inspirations, simple house hacks, DIY tips, and more? In the end, no one really wants to fix their drain or sink - but becoming an expert with good taste is a huge market advantage!
I recently have been working with a local outdoor goods store called Woodsman Trading. Not something you’d expect to see on Pinterest right? Last week I started the Pinterest and created four boards. Each have about 100 pins. Within a week we have 12,000 impressions. All organic and took less than an hour to set up!
How to Get Started
First, create boards that have keywords in them. What is your target audience searching for? What do they care about? Instead of stuffing with keywords in a gimmicky way, try to be clever!
Second, start adding pins to those boards, but be curated! You want these to be aesthetically captivating. Be sure to do it daily! Consistency is key in all things regarding social media.
Third, add your own Pins! You can create pins or use plugins to Chrome or Safari to Pin images directly from your website. When adding those pins, make sure the description is just that: descriptive. Add those keywords into the caption. “Loved photographing this sweet couple in the amazing Arizona Desert for this Engagement Session! Click to see more from this stunning gallery” Also make sure you add a link to your website on the pin!
Lastly, just keep it up. I guarantee over time you’ll be blown away with the audience you can create, and if you keep adding original content into the curated feeds you’re creating - you’ll see more and more target customers funneling in to your website!
Hope this is of some help! It’s been such a valuable resource for my business and I’ve loved getting to bring my experience to the table as I help out Woodsman Trading If you’re looking for help with Social Media, be sure to visit my site and see what all I can do to help your business grow!