Pinterest isn’t the traditional social network we are used to know. Nor is it a search engine such as Google or Youtube. It is something between a social network and a search engine. And it’s one of the many things that makes Pinterest marketing strategy stand out.

To understand the full potential of Pinterest, let’s just compare its demographics to the one of the major social network – Facebook.

While the majority of Pinterest users are from the United States, Germany, and United Kingdom, Facebook users are mainly from India, United Stated, and Indonesia.

Pinterest is widely popular among European users, while Facebook is more preferred by users in the Asian countries. So if your clients/buyers are located in European and Northern American countries, it’s just compulsory to be on Pinterest.

Besides, during the recent quarters Pinterest usage has been steadily growing and the platform has 367 million monthly active users. Other share-worthy Pinterest marketing stats include:

1. 48% of US Pinterest users use Pinterest primarily to shop.
2. 85% of female Pinterest users use the app to plan life events.
3. 84% use the platform when they are undecided on which products to buy.
4. 61% of Pinterest users have purchased something after seeing a promoted pin.

Exciting stats especially for online stores, right? That’s why we compiled a list of 7 tips that will help you to get ahead of your competitors and turn shoppers’ inspiration into revenue.

7 tips for your Pinterest marketing strategy you have probably missed

#1 Are your pins search engine optimized?

SEO is maybe the most important factor in Pinterest marketing strategy that sets Pinterest apart from other social networks.

Unlike posts or tweets on other networks, Pinterest posts (“pins”) contain a title, description, and a link. Thus, you can use the titles and descriptions to include keywords that people use to find the products you sell.

So whenever the Pinterest user is searching for a certain keyword, you have the chance to outrank other businesses and draw the searcher’s attention.

And no matter what niche you are specialized in, you should use not only your product names in your pins, but related keywords as well.

For example, if you are an online store specialized in selling sanitary ware, you’d like to include bathroom design-related images and keywords. The in-built recommendation system will help you understand what similar keywords users are searching for to make your Pinterest search engine optimization job easier.

Pinterest pins rank in Google search results as well. So optimizing your pins for Pinterest search may ultimately result in optimizing for Google.

#2 Follow posting best practices

Facebook or LinkedIn, aren’t too strict about image size but on Pinterest size matters. The recommended image size is 1000*1500 pixels (2:3 ratio). If your image is wider or higher than the recommended parameters, your images will look blurry, unprofessional, and unaesthetic.

#3 Show your brand identity in every pin

Every brand has its unique colors, fonts, and font sizes, logo and posting style. As Pinterest is image-centric, your brand identity should be reflected in all your pins and boards. It will help users recognize and remember your brand easier and come back to your profile for new ideas.

Still don’t have your brand guidelines? Contact the Andava team for design services.

#4 Add the Save button to your web pages

If you want your infographics, products, and images in general to get more social shares, make it easy for your website visitors. All you need is adding a plugin to your website and the little “P” button will appear on your images.

#5 Use Pinterest to grow other channels

All your digital assets should support each other. However, you should understand which platform matters most and concentrate on driving the main traffic there.

For example, if your online store is available only on Instagram, you might want to focus on driving traffic to your Instagram profile. And as Pinterest allows clickable links in all pins, they can become a valuable source for follower and purchase growth on Instagram.

Similarly, you can implement a Pinterest marketing strategy that’s designed on driving all the traffic to your website.

Read more social media related posts from Andava:

1. 7 Myths of Social Media You Still Believe are True
2. How to Use Instagram for eCommerce: Sharing 10 Ideas
3. Twitter for eCommerce? 10 Things to Know Before Jumping to Twitter

#6 Run profitable ads

According to the stats, brands get $60 more profit for every $100 they spend compared to other channels.

As of now, Pinterest advertising is available in 28 countries only, most European countries, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Pinterest shopping ads are also eligible for users from these countries only.

The platform has mainly the same goal setting, targeting, and bidding features that other social networks have. However, adding keywords is one of the notable Pinterest ad specs that’s hard to find on any other social network.

Pinterest allows you to show your ads whenever someone is searching for the product you offer. The ad will also appear in the users’ feeds as they are browsing through other pins. It’s up to you to decide where your ads are placed, after what keyword searches your ad will appear, etc.

The minimum recommended keyword count is 25 but you can add as many as 20,000 keywords per ad group.

Pinterest targeting options are also very powerful. You can retarget your website visitors, create actalike audiences, target engaged audiences, etc.

#7 Save drafts and schedule pins right from Pinterest

Most social networks don’t allow you to schedule your posts and you have to use a third-party to make it happen. With Pinterest, things get easier and you can plan your weekly or even monthly calendar in advance.

Your pins will go live automatically while you are busy improving your website or serving your customers.

Grow your Pinterest and social media ROI with the Andava team

Andava offers social media marketing services to businesses in eCommerce, SaaS, law, insurance, medical and other industries. Contact us for a free audit and let’s see how we can help you ensure more traffic and sales from your social media profiles.