Originally published on Fruition.net
By LaRae Richards
Pinterest is not only one of the fastest growing social media platforms today, but also one of the fastest growing websites in the world. The social media giant boasts over 300 million users every month who spend an average 14.2 minutes browsing for more than just wedding and recipe ideas. The majority of Pinterest users use the platform to plan all their life moments, from conquering their gym routine after work, to organizing their fall wardrobe, all the way to planning their dream home.
Pinterest converts social users faster and more efficiently than any other social media platform. The channel drives 33% more traffic to shopping sites than Facebook, and has added more users in the United States in 2017 and 2018 than both Facebook and Twitter combined. For a B2C business, it’s crucial to get in front of customers during the research and planning stages of buying, and if you’re not actively being pinned, you can bet that your competitors are. Since 70% of pinners come back to their Pinterest boards to purchase what they’ve pinned, having a presence on the platform can increase brand awareness and your bottom line. To help you do just that, follow these 5 best Pinterest tips for businesses.
Post More, Post Often
While it’s acceptable to post 2-3 times a week on Facebook, that’s not the case with Pinterest. To capitalize on Pinterest’s conversion rates, businesses should aim to post between 3 and 5 times a day and space their posts throughout the day. That’s a lot of posting, which, if done manually, can be difficult to keep on top of. Luckily, there are social media management platforms that can help you out. Our favorite tool? Tailwind is a leader in Pinterest posting and makes it a breeze to schedule content months in advance.
Share Curated Content
The cornerstone of Pinterest is sharing ideas, so finding and sharing other people’s (and companies’) content is the easiest way to build a community and establish your brand as a trustworthy, go-to source for ideas and inspiration. Share high-quality content that’s relevant to your audience and your brand to attract followers and grow your audience more quickly.
Posting quality content not only means that users will more actively engage with your posts, but you’ll also score points with Pinterest’s algorithm. The system ranks and scores content and accounts largely based on how people engage with the pins you’re actively sharing. The more engagement you have, the more likely it is that Pinterest will show your content to other pinners. To easily and quickly share content around the web to your Pinterest boards, install the Pinterest save-button on your browser.
Go Vertical
When designing your own pins, go vertical. These images flow better on Pinterest, which a vertically-designed platform that stacks images on top of one another in a grid format. Another plus to going vertical? Most social users access Pinterest on their mobile devices, so taller images will take up more real estate and help your pins gain more attention.
Use Text
Unlike other social media platforms where text overlay in images is restricted or discouraged, Pinterest embraces this design element. Images with text typically see more engagement, which in turn, helps to improve your following and traffic. There’s many online design resources that are available to help you format images and create beautiful designs with no graphic design experience needed. Many of which are free or are very low cost, such as Canva or Fotor.
Be Descriptive
Each month, over 2 billion searches are performed on Pinterest. To help users find the content they’re looking for, Pinterest search acts much like a regular search engine. To ensure your content is shown in a related search, be detailed and thoughtful in your Pinterest descriptions and captions. Think critically about what you want your pin to show up for and anticipate what search queries would be associated with your content.
When used correctly, Pinterest is a great way to generate brand awareness, build a following, and convert customers. If you’re not sure where to start, or want some guidance on how to better use the tool, reach out to the experts at Fruition. Our social media team is experienced in this unique social media channel and can help you maximize your Pinterest efforts.