Pinterest is a social media channel where inspiring content is shared in the form of images and videos and saved as boards. For businesses, Pinterest is a channel to be visible, reach target audiences and drive traffic to their websites. It can also be used to showcase your expertise, products and services, and provide added value to your customers through a variety of content and materials. One of the advantages of Pinterest is that content lives on it almost forever, compared to the sometimes minute lifespan of many other social media channels.
A business can operate on Pinterest completely free of charge without spending a single euro, but paid advertising is also possible. Indeed, advertising on Pinterest is a natural part of other content, as it is not interruptive to other browsing. Because Pinterest is a place to look for new ideas, the presence of brands is not as distracting as it sometimes is on other channels. On the contrary, good content on Pinterest is perceived as inspiring.
According to Pinterest, the majority of users say that Pinterest is where they start planning a new project. In addition, users also buy products and services that interest them after seeing them on Pinterest. Purchases are typically higher in volume and value than the average purchase on other channels. Because Pinterest is specifically about planning for the future and future purchases, it is possible to reach buying customers before competitors do. Doesn’t that sound appealing?
What is the idea of Pinterest?
Pinterest allows each user to create a profile that looks just like them by pinning images, videos and links that interest them. The service guides users to the content that’s right for them by displaying recommendations based on their own searches and recordings. The service can also be used as a visual search engine, making it easy to find what interests you. In addition to inspiration and brainstorming, Pinterest can be used to
designing home decor or a menu for a party,
for a variety of projects,
exploring options,
planning your shopping and
as a checklist of interesting ideas and products.
For many people, Pinterest is the starting point for brainstorming, providing both inspiration and products to turn ideas into reality. The ease with which content linked to Pinterest can be explored from its original sources also makes it easy to bring ideas to life.
How can a business benefit from using Pinterest?
By actively and persistently using Pinterest, a business can, for example, increase its brand awareness, reach its target audience and engage users. It is also possible to increase visitor traffic to a website or online store by linking content directly from them to Pinterest. At the same time, the company’s search engine visibility is improved, which means that using Pinterest is also search engine optimisation. In addition, a business can promote its own products and, in the best case, increase its sales by using Pinterest.
For example, Pia Ehrlund, founder of the ByPias clothing brand, has said that Pinterest is the most important social media channel a company uses, and the one with the most international exposure. She says that sharing and pinning images on Pinterest is the best way to get visibility, as it is used by all the right people.
What kind of business is Pinterest for?
According to Pinterest, the service is suitable for all types of brands. Popular topics include food and drink, home decor, crafts and fashion, beauty and wellness. So if your company’s products or services are closely related to these topics, Pinterest is very likely to be a good channel for your business.
Globally, Pinterest has more than 433 million users, of which around 1 million are in Finland. More than 60% of users are women, but the proportion of men has increased year on year. According to Pinterest, 45% of US users earn more than $100 000 a year, so it is very likely to reach paying customers. In Finland, there are still relatively few companies using Pinterest, so it offers a good channel to be visible and reach target groups. The service also has the potential to reach potential customers before competitors do.
What kind of content works on Pinterest?
Images have always been the most popular content on Pinterest, but videos and infographics, for example, are also widely used. As a rule of thumb, the content you add to Pinterest needs to be visually appealing, inspiring and useful to keep people interested. A good idea might be to offer ideas about the products a company sells, new uses for them or ways of combining products.
The company should share content directly from its own website or online shop, which will also drive traffic to these channels. In addition to your own images, Pinterest is also a good place to pin images and videos that others have added, that are useful to your customers or that fit your style. It’s also generally a good idea to have a consistent line for all your own content and pins.
It’s a good idea to get a free business account on Pinterest, as it opens up the possibility of specific content formats and more detailed analytics. You can also convert a previously opened personal account into a business account or merge it with a business account. If you have no previous experience of Pinterest, it’s worth taking your time to get to grips with the service. A little spying on competitors and other businesses already on the service may also be in order.