Pinterest Content Marketing Basics

Pinterest is a popular social network which revolves mainly around visual posts. There are over 70 million Pinterest users, and so you can get very good exposure on Pinterest if you know how to go about Pinterest Content Marketing.

On Pinterest users ‘pin’ their interests, thus the name of this platform. Pinterest can be used by individuals who like to share photos, videos, quotes and simple things that relate to what interests them. However, Pinterest is also proving to be a very powerful tool used by businesses and organizations.

Thanks to Pinterest many businesses are getting more exposure in a light way. When someone likes a pin, he or she can save it and this all leads to more people getting to know about you, and chances are they will also visit your site. So making good use of Pinterest has become a very helpful and effective way of getting more exposure, more connections, and more clients.

It is quite simple to build up a following on Pinterest. It is ultimately all about your pins, such as, what you share on boards, and how you are trying to optimize the pins. So, let’s start with some Pinterest basics.

Build your Pinterest Board

Starting up a Pinterest board is one of the first things you will need to focus on. Your board is essentially just like a physical noticeboard to which you attach notices.

In this case you will basically be pinning pins. So these pins need to be interesting, engaging and of value.

If you have very little idea on what pins you can make, it may be helpful to set up a notebook where you make a list of keywords. Brainstorm topics and subtopics, and in no time you will find that you will manage to get lots of ideas for your Pinterest boards.

Based on those ideas, you can then look up some of the most popular boards in those categories you intend to target.  So, in time you will be able to find lots of pins that are worth repining, as well as gain inspiration for pins that you can make yourself. The best thing about the board is that you can use a variety of content types, including videos, animated GIFs and infographics, for instance.

It is also important that you have a number of evergreen pins which are of good quality. These need to be compelling and engaging. You will also need to make it a point to provide fresh content as regularly as you can.

This is what can make some of the best and most successful Pinterest boards.

Optimizing Pinterest Content

There are various things you would need to optimize on Pinterest.

• First of all, your business name, needs to be optimized. It is better to include a descriptive keyword along with your brand name, as in that way more people will be able to find you. This will also help to your Pinterest account indexed in the Pinner search results.
• Your Pins and Boards also need to be optimized. Use board titles that include keywords so that they can be found more easily through the Boards search option. Keywords should also be used in your Pins’ descriptions. You may get some ideas by looking up some of the most popular suggestions that come up. Make sure your keyword descriptions are kept as simple and as concise as possible.

Pin regularly and consistently

This is very important. The more you pin, the higher the chances that people will discover your pins, and this will in turn lead to an increase in your followers on Pinterest, which is after all what you have been aiming for all along. Some users fail to realize how important it is to pin consistently. The key is to avoid gaps, such as several days without doing a single pin, and then finding lots of time on a particular day when you do multiple pins. As much as possible you should try to pin every day, while avoiding a swarm of pins at one go, which might overload followers.

It is best to try pinning at different times. Ideally, since Pinterest is global, and you are probably targeting people from all over the world, you should pin in the morning, afternoon and night, so as to reach out to global audiences. It may be helpful to use response data so as to determine which are the best times when to pin on boards. There are some Pinterest analytics tools that you could use to find out on which days and times you are managing to generate most repins and likes on your pins.

It is also recommended that you sometimes repin your old pins. After all chances are that a good number of your followers might have missed on previous pins. So why not reuse some of the pins you posted previously?

Pinning Videos

Videos are great for pinning and they can be super engaging. You can pin videos from YouTube or Vimeo as they are playable on Pinterest. As you can see in this video you can easily upload your video and then with the Share option you can have it shared onto your Pinterest boards. This will also help you to get even more plays on that video, while increasing your exposure.

As a side note, it is a good idea to consider the thumbnail image you have for your video on Pinterest. This will help to grab the people’s attention and it could make a big impact too.

Make sure to add an engaging pin description, which includes several relevant keywords so as to improve its search ability on Pinterest, and it is best to add the word ‘video’ at the start as there are a good number of people who look out mainly for videos, and so you will be better able to grab their attention.

Pinning Affiliate Links

It is a good idea to use affiliate links on Pinterest. There used to be a ban on the use of affiliate links, but it has been lifted and so you can make the most out of it and pin affiliate links to Pinterest. Prior to adding affiliate links make sure that your boards have a branded look which represents your business well. There should be a clear description with keywords in the board titles too.

Afterwards you can choose which product you would like to share, and on which board you shall be pinning it to. Here there is an edit button, and in the website field, you can place the affiliate link and save it. So as you can see it is easy to add affiliate links. Now, to increase their exposure, make sure to share them on other social platforms too.

Pinterest Group Boards

There are various group boards which are successful. They have lots of followers and contributors. So if you participate on such Pinterest group boards you are increasing your chances of getting your pins out there, in front of all those people. Therefore, one of the best Pinterest marketing tactics is to find and join such group boards, apart from creating them yourself.

It is also recommended that you make it a point to comment on popular pins. Make sure you write meaningful comments and show that you know what you are saying or that you care about that particular subject. Do not overdo it though as too much commenting can be considered as spammy.

Using Hashtags

The use of hashtags is very important for Pinterest marketing. The hashtag can lead to better search results for that particular keyword. Besides, since the hashtag gets bolded in the pin’s description, people can click on them easily.

Hashtags are also clickable on mobile apps.

It is important to avoid overusing hashtags however. For some users it may look a bit annoying to see too many hashtags. There has even been some speculation as to whether the use of too many hashtags could lead to a demoting in the pin’s search ranking.

Connect your social networks

Make sure you include the Pinterest follow button on your site so as to direct site visitors to your Pinterest page.

This will help you to get more followers on Pinterest. Installing the button in a number of prominent spaces is ideal.

Adding a profile widget is also a good idea. It is also important to connect your other social media accounts to your Pinterest account. You might have followers on other platforms who may not be following you on Pinterest.

So, add your Pinterest account link to your other social media account bios.

Pinterest has a lot of potential, and by following the above mentioned Pinterest marketing guidelines, you will be able to make good use of it to gain more exposure and followers.

Do you have a Pinterest account yet and have you started Pinterest Content Marketing? Join in the discussion in the comments.