Pinterest is an excellent way to build and grow your online business authentically and organically. Read on to learn more about Pinterest and how to get started plus get five ways to build a strong Pinterest foundation you can use to improve your website’s visibility and sales.
What is Pinterest and how does it work?
Pinterest is an image-based search engine. It gets lumped in with social media and while it has social media features, it’s first and foremost a search engine driven by keywords and search terms. Users search Pinterest and find what they are looking for by viewing and watching vertical images and videos called pins. It’s free to create a business account and to use Pinterest to market your content to find your ideal audience. It’s the perfect vehicle to grow your online presence and connect with potential customers. Everything on Pinterest is evergreen meaning it will keep showing up in search results for years to come, working for you while you work your business.
To get started with Pinterest for business you need to first create a business account. Once you create an account you can then create boards and publish pins to those boards. The boards will house your pins and the pins will appear in search results when users search keywords and terms that appear on and with the pins. Make sure you optimize your profile with search terms and keywords, too. Your profile can appear in search results as well. And definitely link your website in the settings under ‘Claimed Websites’ that way you get analytics for those pins, know which ones were clicked on, saved, and know when users head to your website after clicking on the pins. Claiming your website also shows Pinterest you are an authority and more weight will be added to those pins helping them show up in search results and give them greater reach.
When creating pins, be sure to use keywords that are relevant to your business. When someone saves one of your pins to their board the description you included with the origianl pin carries with it, which can help boost traffic to your website because now all of their followers will see your pin in their home feed. You can also use promoted pins to reach a larger audience and target specific demographics. I do not recommend using promoted pins (ads) until your Pinterest account is fully optimized as well as your website, and you have a strong foundation in place. That strong foundation is crucial overall. It’s what will get you through the off-season, the various holidays that aren’t applicable to your business, and the times when there’s a recession or people are spending less time online and spending less money.
Create Boards that Reflect Your Brand
Pins and boards are what make up Pinterest. When you create a pin you publish it to Pinterest by adding it to the most relevant board. That gets the pin out there to begin circulating and being indexed behind the scenes. Users on Pinterest will start to see your pin almost immediately. Since you are adding pins to boards to publishe them to Pinterest you want to make sure you create boards that are relevant to your business and the content you will be creating. You can brand your board by creating board covers that show your brand colors, your brand fonts, and even your logo.
Optimize Your Boards for Search
When it comes to optimizing your boards for search, it’s important to consider the keywords you’re targeting. Keyword research is huge! In fact keyword research is a major part of my coaching program. You won’t get far on Pinterest or any other search engine if you don’t know the words your audience is using to find content similar as yours. You need to know your main keywords for your brand and you need to know the long-tail or supportive keywords that go along with them. When you create boards make sure you use these keywords. It’s best to title the board exactly what is showing in the guided search results. You also want to make sure you complete the board description and include lots of really good keywords to help that board and the pins in it be found in Pinterest. The pins you add to the board also need to be keyworded and relevant to the board topic.
Including relevant keywords in your boards will help them show up in search results when people are looking for information on those topics. Pinterest offers several amazing and free ways to find keywords.
4 ways to find keywords using Pinterest
1) Pinterest Search Bar and Guided Search
The Pinterest search bar is the first and best place to find keywords. The words appearing in the guided search dropdown are the most popular string of words based on what you are typing in. The more options, the broader the search term.
2) The filter bubbles
Back by popular demand is the colorful filter bubbles that appear at the top of the search results, under the search bar. When you click on one of them it filers the search results to that additional keyword. You will notice the word is added to the full search term in the search bar. It’s creating a long-tail search term for you. You want to make sure you use it when you are creating and publishing your pin, and also in your content on your website.
3) Pinterest Trends tool
This is a free tool offered by Pinterest that allows you to see previous and upcoming trends so you can better plan your content. You always want to be at least 45 days ahead of the trend so this tool is very handy when creating your content calendar. Not only are you able to see trends but you can compare keywords and see related keywords plus trending pins for that search term. It’s a very insightful tool that I use all the time!
4) Pin and Profile research
Taking some time to do some pin and profile research can really help you see how keywords are used on Pinterest and help you create better pins. While you are searching for different keywords check out the pins that show in the search results. Notice how the keywords are used and note how you might be able to use them to fit your business and your content. Don’t be afraid to scope out other pinners’ profiles too. Seeing how they write their bios, name their boards, and write their descriptions is really helpful. Never copy, though. Looking at other’s content is meant to give some inspiration and help you see how you can do things your way.
Pin Interesting and Engaging Content
When creating content, it’s important to make sure that it is not only interesting and engaging but also relevant to your target audience. One great way to do this is by using search terms and keywords that are relevant to your niche. This will help you to attract the attention of your target audience, as well as rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). I recommend creating at least 10 different pins for each piece of content you create and vary the pin design, colors, and fonts to give your audience some variety plus capture the different ways people are attracted to images. When you re-evalulate your pinning strategy every 3 mos you are able to see which pin design is working better for your audience.
You also want to make sure you are staying relevant. That means making sure you are creating content that your audience is actually looking for. You want to hone in on the keywords, find out what your audience is asking or what they need from you and then create that content. If you create blog posts based on what you want to talk about without checking to see if that topic is something your audience is even interested in it’s going to be hard getting in front of your audience. You need to meet them where they are at.
Are you a female entrepreneur building a soul-led business who’s ready to learn how to market on Pinterest and succeed? Check out the Hand In Hand Pinning membership where you get access to my signature course, Pinterest 101: Deep Dive, that gets you set up the right way PLUS access to so much more including a strong community of like-minded women.
Tips for making sure you are creating relevant content:
1. Do your Pinterest keyword research to find what is currently being searched
2. Use the Pinterest Trends tool to stay ahead of upcoming trends and get the content published before the trend hits
3. Use tools like Answer the Public to find out what is currently being searched on the keywords or topics for your business content
4. Forums like Reddit and Quora are great for seeing what questions people have that you could create content around. If they are asking in forums there’s a good chance they are also searching on Google and Pinterest pins appear in Google search results.
5. Social media sites like Facebook Groups and Instagram comments can give you all kinds of ideas as to what is needed in your industry.
6. Your current audience can be a great help in planning out your content and staying relevant. It’s also a great reason to stay in touch with them and provide value to your existing fans.
By following these tips, you can create content that is both interesting and relevant to your audience, and that will help you to achieve better search engine rankings.
To make sure you have that strong foundation download this free Starter Guide to get you off on the right foot.
Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Pinterest can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. It’s a free search engine that has more staying power than Facebook posts and Instagram reels. You can create boards that are relevant to your blog or business, and then create pins around the content so Pinterest can get them out in front of those searching for what you have to offer. When someone finds your pin and clicks on it they are then taken to your website and into your world. This is why it’s so important to make sure your website is Pinterest-ready. Are you ready for the traffic? Have you created a way to capture their attention, made it easy for them to find what they are looking for, and have a way to ask for their email address so you can stay in touch?
Pinterest is a fantastic platform to build an email list. You can create pins to various landing pages on your website and offer free downloads in exchange for an email address. Then once you have the email address you are able to get them into a nurture sequence where you show them so love and promote your higher offers. Selling to your email list is selling to a warm market. There’s a much higher rate of conversion when it comes to selling larger ticket services. Pinterest is a cold to lukewarm market that’s best for freebies or low-ticket offers. You can add an opt-in link in your bio section and you can create a profile cover image that promotes the opt-in or another part of your business.
How can you get started with Pinterest?
To get started with Pinterest, you’ll need to create a business account and claim your website. Once your account is set up, you’ll want to optimize your profile by adding keywords and a description. You can also start creating boards and pins with relevant content. To help you get started, here are a few tips:
1. Claim your website – When you create a business account on Pinterest, you’ll have the opportunity to claim your website. This will allow you to track how many people are pinning from your website and what they’re pinning.
2. Optimize your profile – Add keywords and a description to help people find your profile. Be sure to include keywords you found when you did your keyword research. Make sure your boards are keyworded and the descriptions for each board have lots of good keywords. A profile cover and board covers really help your profile look branded and cohesive. It’s an experience when someone visits your profile. You want it set up in a way that someone can tap into all the goodness you have to offer.
3. Do keyword and pin research – Take some time to get some solid keywords down so you know what to use when you create the pins. If you are new to graphic design it’s a good idea to note how pins look in the search results. I use Canva for all my pin creation and graphic design. Inside Canva is lots of templates that are included with your membership. I also include tried and true pin templates in the Hand In Hand Pinning membership.
4. Create clickable pins – Use keywords as the text overlay and have a strong call to action to entice someone to click the pin and to your website. For Ideas Pins create them in the Pinterest app and use both video and slides with text. Music is great too!
