How to Use a Business Pinterest Account: The Ultimate Guide
People often think of Pinterest as a place to find recipes, DIY projects, and fashion inspiration; however, it can also be an incredibly powerful tool for businesses.
In fact, Pinterest is not just one of the biggest social media platforms in the world (with around 445 million monthly users and counting!) but also one of the top sources for driving website traffic and sales. If you’re not using Pinterest for business marketing yet, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to reach new customers and grow your brand.
Pinterest stands out from other social media sites because it offers unique features that make it perfect for promoting products and services. With its highly visual platform, users are already in a “shopping mindset” when they’re on the site, making them more likely to make a purchase after seeing your product. This makes industries like fashion, home décor, and food and beverage particularly well suited for Pinterest marketing.
Plus, unlike other social media sites where users scroll through their feeds quickly, on Pinterest, people spend more time browsing and exploring. This gives you more of an opportunity to get your product in front of them and make a lasting impression.
To get started, here’s a complete guide on how to use Pinterest for business.
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What is a Pinterest Business Account
A Pinterest business account is a free account type that allows businesses to take advantage of various features, such as a verified website and rich pins. With a business account, you’ll have access to many features that personal accounts don’t have - such as analytics that allow you to see how your pins perform and provide you with valuable insights into your audience.
With this wonderful tool at your disposal, your business can make the most of Pinterest and use it to reach new heights. Brands have used Pinterest to increase website traffic, sales, and even brand awareness.
Keep reading to learn how to set up and use a Pinterest business account!
Benefits of Pinterest for Business
Pinterest may be considered an unlikely candidate for a social media platform for businesses. After all, it doesn’t have the same features as other sites like Facebook and Instagram. But what Pinterest lacks in features, it makes up for in potential reach and engagement. Pinterest is now one of the top traffic drivers to websites, second only to Facebook.
There are tons of misconceptions about Pinterest, so let’s clear a few things up. First of all, contrary to popular belief, Pinterest is not just for women. A good 15.3% of the demographic are men, and 8% are unspecified. And while it’s true that the majority of users are in the 25-34 age range (37.2% of all users), Pinterest actually has a significant reach for other age groups, with 19.8% of users (that’s 48.1 million users!) being 18-24 and 8.2% (20.2 million users) being 45-54.
So what does this mean for businesses? That there’s a huge opportunity to reach potential customers on Pinterest, no matter what your target demographic is.
Another common misconception about Pinterest is that it’s only good for promoting physical products. But the truth is, you can use Pinterest to promote just about anything, from digital products to services to events.
The key is to be creative and think outside the box when it comes to pinning content. For example, if you’re a wedding planner, you could create pins with helpful tips for planning a wedding, or if you’re a travel agent, you could share pins with beautiful photos of destinations worldwide.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to using Pinterest for business marketing. It gives you a chance to get creative and really show off your brand's personality, an opportunity that should not be overlooked.
Now that we’ve dispelled some of the myths about Pinterest, let's take a look at some of the benefits of using this platform for business:
- Reach a new audience: Over 70% of Pinterest users say they’ve discovered new brands and products they trust on the platform.
- Drive website traffic: Pinterest is one of the top traffic drivers to shopping sites. In fact, it generates 33% more referral traffic than Facebook, 71% more than Snapchat, and 200% more than Twitter.
- Increase sales: 83% of weekly Pinterest users have purchased something they found from brands on Pinterest.
- Boost brand awareness: Gen Z has become accustomed to social commerce, and they now make purchases primarily within social media platforms for a personalized shopping experience.
- SEO: Pinterest is a great way to improve your website’s SEO. Pins and boards with detailed descriptions and keywords can help your site rank higher in search results.
- Get insights into your audience: With a business account, you can see useful data like which pins are driving the most traffic to your website and what time of day your target audience uses Pinterest.
- Brand authority: By creating high-quality content, you can establish your brand as an expert in your industry and build trust with potential customers.
Pinterest Terminology Every Business Should Know
Navigating the world of Pinterest can be daunting, especially for businesses that are just getting started. Like any other social media site, Pinterest has its own language and unique features that can be difficult to grasp initially. To help you get started, here are a few key terms every business should know:
Boards - The Places Where Your Pins Live
When you first sign up for Pinterest, you’ll be asked to choose a few interests. Based on your interests, Pinterest will generate a feed of pins for you. But your pins don’t just live in your feed—they also live on boards. Think of boards as the places where your pins live. You can have as many boards as you want, and each board can be about a different topic. For example, a fashion brand might have boards for each season, each type of clothing, and each trend.
Secret Boards - For Your Eyes Only
If you want to keep your pins private, you can create a secret board. Secret boards are only visible to you and the people you invite, so they’re perfect for storing sensitive information like marketing plans or product launches. To create a secret board, just click the “+ Create Board” button and select “Secret.”
Group Boards - Collaborate with Others
Group boards are a great way to collaborate with other businesses in your industry. For example, if you sell home décor, you could create a group board with other home décor retailers and share each other’s pins. To create a group board, just click the “+ Create Board” button and select “Group.”
Pin - The Basic Unit of Pinterest
A pin is the basic unit of Pinterest. Pins are images that users can upload, save, and share on their boards. When you upload an image to Pinterest, you’ll be asked to choose a board for it to live on. You can also add a description and link to the image.
To create pins that are both eye-catching and effective, you'll want to keep a few things in mind:
- Images should be high quality and attract attention
- Include a description with keywords
- Make sure your images are at least 600px wide
- Your pins should be relevant to your brand and products
When you’re first starting out on Pinterest, it can be tempting to just pin anything, and everything that you think is remotely related to your business. However, it’s important to take a strategic approach if you want to be successful on the platform.
The first step is to create boards that are relevant to your business and products. For example, a cafe might have boards for recipes, coffee brewing tips, and pictures of their cafe. Then, start filling those boards with high-quality pins that are relevant to each board.
As you add more pins (and as your audience grows), you can start getting more specific with the types of pins you create. For example, if you have a board for summer drinks, you could create pins featuring your own products, as well as pins for exciting drink recipes like iced coffee or lemonade, etc.
The key is to provide value to your audience and help them solve their problems. If you can do that, they’ll keep coming back for more – and they’ll be more likely to purchase a product from you.
Repin - When Someone Else Saves Your Pin
When someone saves one of your pins to their own board, it’s called a repin. Repins are a great way to get your pins in front of new people, and they can also signal to Pinterest that your pin is popular, which can help it show up more in users’ feeds. To repin someone else’s pin, just click the “Save” button.
Rich Pins - Enhance Your Pins with More Information
Rich pins are a type of pin that includes more information than a regular pin. There are six types of rich pins: product, recipe, article, app, movie, and place. For websites with product pages, you can use rich pins to display the price and availability of your products on Pinterest. Rich pins can also show how many ingredients a recipe has, how long an article is, and more.
Comments and Likes - Show Your Approval!
Just like other social media sites, you can like and comment on pins. Liking a pin is a great way to save it for later or show your approval, and you can also leave comments on pins to start a conversation or give someone feedback. To like or comment on a pin, just click the “Like” or “Comment” button.
Getting Into the Pinterest Business
Think you've got the gist of how Pinterest works? In this section, we'll walk you through the process of setting up your account.
Creating a Pinterest Profile for Your Business
To create a Pinterest profile for your business, you’ll need to sign up for a free account at www.pinterest.com. If you already have a personal Pinterest account, you can convert it to a business account by going to your settings and selecting “Switch to Business Account.” You can also create a new account specifically for your business.
Promote Your Other Social Media Platforms on Pinterest
Before you start creating pins, take a minute to add links to your other social media platforms on your Pinterest profile. This will make it easy for users who find your pins to connect with you on other sites.
To do this, just click on the “About” tab and add links to your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. You can also include a link to your website and a brief description of what you do. This is a great opportunity to give potential customers a taste of your brand’s personality.
Advertise on Pinterest
Pinterest Ads are one of the biggest benefits of Pinterest for business, as they are a great way to get your products in front of millions of people who use the platform daily. You can create various ads, including Promoted Pins, which look just like regular pins but are labeled “Sponsored.”
To create a Promoted Pin, start by creating a regular pin and then click the “Promote” button. From there, you’ll be able to choose your target audience, budget, and other options. Once you’ve created your ad, it will appear in users’ feeds. Don’t forget to use a competitor analysis tool to up and monitor your ad strategy, such as AdClarity.
Claim Your Website Analytics
If you want to see how your Pins are performing, be sure to claim your website on Pinterest. This will give you access to detailed analytics to see which of your Pins are being repinned the most and getting the most clicks. To claim your website, go to the settings tab and scroll down to “Claim.” From there, you’ll be able to enter your website URL and verify ownership with a meta tag, HTML file, or DNS record.
How to Use Pinterest for Business the Right Way
Like anything in marketing, there is right and wrong when it comes to using Pinterest for business marketing. To make the most of this platform, make sure you keep the following tips in mind.
Look at Trending Topics and Keywords
What better way to create timely and relevant pins than to keep an eye on what’s trending on Pinterest and in your industry? You can also use keyword research to figure out which terms people are searching for on the site. To find trending topics, go to the Pinterest home page and scroll down to the “Trending” section. For keyword ideas, you can use Pinterest’s built-in search tool or a third-party keyword research tool like the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool.
Use Advertising to Your Advantage
There's a lot that goes into creating a successful ad campaign, but one of the most important things to keep in mind is that your ads should be relevant to your target audience. The more relevant your ads are, the more likely people are to click on them. To make sure your ads are as relevant as possible, take advantage of Pinterest’s targeting options. For example, you can target people by their location, gender, age, interests, and even the devices they use.
Analyze Your Progress
Pinterest Analytics is a free tool that lets you track your activity on the platform and see how your pins perform. To access it, log into your Pinterest account and click the “Analytics” tab at the top of the page.
Some of the things you can track with Pinterest Analytics include the number of impressions and repins your pins are getting, as well as the click-through rate (CTR) on your website. This information can help you understand what’s working well so you can replicate your success.
Add the Pin It Button to Your Website
This eye-catching little button makes it easy for people to pin your content to their boards. To add the Pin It button to your website, create a new button and then copy and paste the code into the HTML of your site. If you want more control over where the button appears, you can also use Pinterest’s widget builder to customize the button's size, shape, and color.
Create Fun, Unique Content
What's a pin without great visuals and compelling copy? That's right. Nothing. If you want your pins to stand out, you need to create eye-catching and exciting content. Think outside the box and get creative with your images and descriptions. Use a content creation tool such as ImpactHero that can help you analyze and enhance your content marketing funnel will work wonders for your business on Pinterest.
Use Rich Pins for More Exposure
Rich Pins are special pins that include extra information like the price of a product, the ingredients in a recipe, or the place where a pin was saved. You can add Rich Pins for your products, articles, and recipes if you have a business website.
To set up Rich Pins for your website, you’ll need to add some code to your site and then validate it with Pinterest. Once you’ve done that, your Rich Pins will appear in users’ feeds.
Use Product Tagging for Pins
If you have an e-commerce website, get excited because product tagging is a game-changer! This feature allows you to tag products in your images and link directly to the product page on your website. When users hover over the picture, they’ll see the price and be able to click through to buy the product. This is a great way to increase sales and get people interested in your products.
To start using product tags, ensure you have a business account and verify your website. Then, go to your settings and enable product tagging. Once that’s done, you can start tagging products in your images!
Participate In and Create Group Boards
Group boards are a little like a networking event--they allow you to connect with like-minded people and share each other's content. This is a great way to get your pins in front of a larger audience and build relationships with other businesses in your industry.
To find group boards, do a search on Pinterest and look for boards with multiple contributors. You can also create your own group board and invite others to contribute. Just make sure you set some ground rules so that everyone is on the same page.
Level up Your Pinterest Strategy
Social media moves fast, and what works today might not work tomorrow. To stay on top of the latest trends and best practices, it's essential to regularly revisit and update your Pinterest strategy.
A sample strategy could look something like this:
- Identify goals and objectives
- Analyze your current situation
- Conduct keyword research
- Create new boards and pins
- Promote your content
- Measure results and adjust accordingly
Automate Your Content Schedule for Easier Pinning
If you're pinning manually, it's only a matter of time before you start to feel overwhelmed. A better way to manage your content is to automate your pinning schedule using a tool like Semrush’s Social Media Tracker.
With the Social Media Tracker, you can create and publish pins in bulk, saving you a ton of time in the long run. Plus, the platform offers handy features like tracking pin performance and comparing against competitors.
FAQs
Need some quick answers to your burning questions about getting started with Pinterest for your business? Look no further than our FAQ section.
How do I make a Pinterest business account?
If you already have a personal Pinterest account, you can convert it to a business account. If you don’t have a Pinterest account yet, you can sign up for a business account here.
What is the difference between a personal and a business Pinterest account?
The benefits of Pinterest for business include access to features and resources that personal accounts don’t, like analytics, promoted pins, and rich pins.
Do I need a website to create a business Pinterest account?
No, but we highly recommend it! You can link your website to your Pinterest account, which makes it easy for people to find you online.
Can I use multiple Pinterest accounts for my business?
You can have up to three Pinterest accounts (one personal and two business) associated with the same email address.
How do I change my Pinterest account from personal to business?
Go to your settings and select “Convert to Business Account.” You’ll be prompted to enter some information about your business, like your website and business category.
Are business accounts on Pinterest free?
Business accounts are free. You can upgrade to a paid account later if you want access to additional features, like analytics.
Do I need to verify my website on Pinterest?
Verification is not required, but verifying your website with Pinterest is a quick and easy way to improve your SEO when using Pinterest for business marketing.
How do I verify my website on Pinterest?
Go to your settings and select “Verify with Website.” You’ll be prompted to enter your website URL and choose how you want to verify your site. We recommend using HTML tag verification, as it’s the easiest method.
Conclusion
With all the knowledge you've gained from this article, you should be able to hit the ground running with your new Pinterest business account. Just remember to focus on creating quality content, and you'll be well on your way to driving traffic and sales. It's time to spring into action--happy pinning!
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