Summer is fast approaching, and many people on Pinterest are refreshing their wardrobes, beauty looks and home decor for the new season. Small businesses can also take this opportunity to do a refresh of their own.
By Harold Klaje
Brands across a variety of industries, from fashion and travel to food and home, are using Pinterest to reach people looking for inspiration. Leveraging insights from the visual discovery engine’s over 250 million monthly active users and features like Promoted Pins, brands have a unique opportunity to help people find the inspiration to create a life they love. And, your content and ideas can reach consumers as they’re making decisions and on their path to purchase. According to a GfK study, 83% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on content they saw from brands on Pinterest.
To help you make the most of your Pinterest business profile and reach the right audience to grow your business, here are a few tips to freshen up your marketing strategy.
Leverage timely moments
Pins and boards tied to seasonal moments or special occasions make your content feel relevant and relatable to consumers. A Millward Brown study found that Pins referencing seasonal topics drove 10x higher aided brand awareness. Consider creating content that helps your audience plan for anticipated seasonal holidays and events. For example, July 4th marks the peak of summer-related searches, so show Pinners how they can take the party outside with some outdoor entertaining inspiration, from patio improvements to twists on classic BBQ recipes. To a lot of people, summer means travel—and they look to Pinterest for tips when planning their trips. Create content and Pins that inspire people as they are planning for weekend getaways or trips abroad. Travel is a fast-growing category on Pinterest, with over 20.9M Pinners actively engaging with travel content, based on Pinterest internal data.
Rejuvenate your page
As Marie Kondo says, keep the boards that spark joy! Clean up and delete or archive boards you are no longer using to keep your business profile engaging and up-to-date. When you archive a board, you can find it on your profile in the archived boards section, below your secret boards. It won’t show up in your public profile and you won’t be able to save Pins to it, but you can refer back to it or unarchive it at any time.
Add featured boards
Welcome visitors to your Pinterest profile with a showcase of your best content and ideas. Your featured boards sit at the top of the “Overview” tab on your profile and automatically rotate. Tap into seasonality by adding boards that reflect summer colors and themes. Or, pick your favorite boards to get more attention.
Switch up your profile cover
Your profile has a dynamic cover image that lets you pick the content you want people to see first. You can show-off your latest Pins, pick a specific board to spotlight, or just focus on the most recent Pinterest activity from your site. Your customized cover image gives Pinners a preview of your Pins and what they can expect from your business profile. Consider creating a board just for spring and using it as your cover to inspire people for the new season.
Make sure landing pages are relevant
Your Pin’s landing page is the destination Pinners are taken to when they click on the Pin, and Pinners expect to see relevant content right away. To make the most of landing pages, your Pin’s text overlay should give people an accurate sense of what’s to come if they click. For example, if you’re trying to get someone to sign up for your newsletter, your text should invite people to sign up, and clearly explain that when they click, they’ll be able to do just that. It’s also important to ensure that your Pin URL leads to the most relevant part of your website. For example, if your Pin shows a product, then it should take people directly to that product’s page. Another pro tip is to keep the design of the Pin and your landing page aligned. We’ve found that Pins perform better when people see similar imagery.
Lean in to video
Video can take your Pins to the next level with more engaging content and storytelling, but it’s critical to ensure there’s a story to tell. According to a Neurons Inc. research, people watch Promoted Videos 32% longer when there is a storyline that builds up over time, compared to GIFs or stitched-together stills. We’ve found that instructional videos perform especially well with people on Pinterest, and Pinners will engage even more if products are integrated into the video. Provide a glimpse of how to use or wear a product to inspire your audience to take action. Keep your videos short, simple and focused on a key idea or message. The sweet spot is anywhere between 6-20 seconds.
Small businesses across many verticals can leverage Pinterest to reach new customers, build brand awareness and inspire people to make new purchases. Giving your Pinterest profile a refresh each season will help you stay relevant and continue to inspire Pinners along their discovery journey.
Harold Klaje is the Head of Global Growth and SMB Sales at Pinterest.
Smartphone stock photo by nesquik007/Shutterstock
