How Pinterest Marketing Works + Why It's Not Social Media
As a Pinterest marketing expert, sometimes it's hard to remember not everyone "gets" how to use the platform. Other entrepreneurs often think it's one more thing to do or another social media box they have to check.
When I give a quick and dirty overview of how Pinterest marketing works, their eyes start to light up and I see the wheels start turning.
Here are the common questions I get about using Pinterest for business:
"Isn't it more for saving recipes and home decor ideas?"
"Isn't it more for women?"
"Pinterest isn't social media?"
"I don't "get" Pinterest, so how would I use it for my business?"
Or, I get the ugh-and-eye-roll of, "I can't possibly do one more thing for my business marketing."
I absolutely LOVE talking to my fellow entrepreneurs that are in this boat, because I get to single-handedly change their minds. Let's dive in so I can explain more.
What Is Pinterest?
At it's core, Pinterest is a visual search engine.
Most people are familiar with Google, Bing, and other more obscure search engines. Essentially, it's where you go to look up information on the internet.
According to Pinterest, it’s a “visual discovery engine for finding ideas.”
Pinterest uses keywords and visual search to help its users find what they're looking for.
Type in the Pinterest seach bar and you'll see results of common searches relating to those keywords - just like Google.
Pinterest started as a place where people could save their ideas online. It was an easy way to replace folders of dream home ideas and clippings from magazines.
It's evolved into a massive search engine as users save their ideas and post their own content to the platform.
In 2022, Pinterest has also evolved into a serious e-commerce and shopping platform, with tools for verified merchants to make the sale even easier.
So if you see Pinterest as only a digital pinboard, you’re potentially missing out on one of the best marketing ROI (return on investment) platforms out there.
Let’s dive into some numbers.
Pinterest Stats for 2022
If you're a stats and numbers kind of business owner, this is for you:
📌As of 2022, Pinterest reported 431 million monthly active users worldwide.
📌38% of Pinterest users are between the ages of 50-64, representing the largest age demographic on the platform…but here’s what’s interesting: Unlike competing networks, there’s less of a generational divide on Pinterest. In fact, there’s a near-even split among Gen Z, Millennials and Gen Xers on the platform.
📌Compared to other social platforms, Pinterest users are 90% more likely to say they’re “always” shopping (and 30% more likely say they “love” shopping).
📌83% of weekly Pinterest users make purchases based on the content they see from brands on the platform.
(all statistics above are from this source)
How To Use Pinterest for Marketing
Chances are you do a lot of things to market your small business. Social media marketing, email marketing, in-person networking, speaking engagements, etc.
It can be overwhelming to stay on top of everything you need to do to keep a profitable business running. Graphics to create, posts to schedule, content to write, and on and on.
But as all online entrepreneurs know, just because you build it, doesn't mean they'll come.
You need to get traffic to your website to build relationships with potential customers and clients.
While Pinterest is one aspect of my digital marketing strategy, it's the #1 traffic driver to my website and has been for years.
Here are the core steps for a Pinterest Marketing Strategy:
Set up your Pinterest profile correctly and use the right keywords for your profile and content.
Decide which content on your website you want to drive traffic to (i.e. landing pages, blogs, products).
Create on-brand graphics for that content (my go-to graphic design software is Canva Pro - try it free for 30 days).
Create Pins with those graphics that have keyword-rich descriptions and pin on Pinterest consistently (my #1 tool is Tailwind for Pin scheduling).
Use a variety of Pin-types to engage your Pinterest audience (i.e. static, video, and Idea Pins).
These 5 steps are a super simple explanation of an overall Pinterest marketing strategy.
They’re also a great outline of what you need to do for your clients if you’re a Pinterest manager!
I go into more detail about these steps in the related blog posts below - so click through if you want to learn more about specific steps in your Pinterest strategy.
Why Pinterest Is Not Social Media
Pinterest is the only digital marketing platform out there that's designed to get users to click through to your website.
Think about it - Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter - all want users to stay on their platforms.
Pinterest wants you to find the best results for what you’re looking for, and click through to the information or product.
I have a Pin for a blog I wrote way back in 2015 that continues to be one of my top 3 traffic drivers every month. That’s 7 years and counting a single piece of content has generated leads and sales for my businesses. I have many clients with the same experience as well.
The graphic below from Sprocket Websites shows a Pin “lasts” 4 months. But, I know that is a super conservative estimate based on my experience above.
Pinterest wants its content to be evergreen, searchable, and relevant. Creating content that can go the distance will maximize your return on investment for your creation time.
On other social media platforms, you have to create post after post that doesn't last.
But on Pinterest, Pins gain momentum and have a snowball-effect on your traffic.
By far, my favorite part of Pinterest is that it's the "introvert's platform".
The Pinterest algorithm doesn't work based on engagement and constant interaction with users.
Instead, Pinterest rewards its users if they create consistent, valuable content.
This is why it's a marketing business builder.
You likely do what you do to provide value and solve a problem - not to be on the hamster wheel of Instagram selfies.
Pinterest doesn't care about your selfies or your filters.
It cares about the value you're bringing to your audience.
Conclusion
Applying the same strategy to your Pinterest marketing as your other social media strategies won’t work, as there are several key differences in platforms.
Pinterest is a visual search engine that functions on keywords and visual search in order to show the right content to users at the right time.
Unlike social media content - which relies on engagement and has an extremely short shelf life - Pinterest content can show up in search results for several years after the content is created.
Follow the 5 steps above to create an overall Pinterest marketing strategy, and dive into more related content and offers below to further your Pinterest learning.
