10 Ways to Use Pinterest for Business

How can Pinterest, the popular “visual discovery engine” and social network, become a valuable tool for your business? According to the Pinterest company website, 570 million people use their site every month to “save, plan, and shop.” If you’re looking to build your brand or sell products, Pinterest could prove useful. The majority of Pinterest users are female (70%) and under 35 years of age. If that is the right target market for your business, marketing your business could also make sense.

Pinterest can be used for more than just marketing. Here are 10 ways to get more out of your Pinterest account:

1. Sharing your content. Like other social networks, you can share your content on Pinterest. You do this by either uploading content and creating Pins that you organize on Boards on your account page or by curating and pinning other people’s Pins to your Boards. Because Pinterest is based on visuals, make sure the Pins you create either contain graphics, photographs, or videos.

2. Driving traffic. To help drive traffic to your website from Pinterest, you can pin from your website or add links to your website on relevant Pins you create. But first, you need to make sure the visuals on your website are Pinterest-friendly. Graphics should adhere to the optimal dimensions for the platform, using a 2:3 aspect ratio or 1000 x 1500 pixels. Optimize your website by installing Pinterest Add-Ons to make it easy for others to pin from your site to their accounts to give your website additional exposure.

3. Showcasing what you do. Public Pinterest boards can be used as portfolios and can be especially useful for anyone with visually interesting businesses. If you’re an artist, photographer, or graphic designer, you can upload digital images of your work. If you sell products, you can pin photographs and videos that feature them. If you own a clothing boutique, you can pin fashion ideas. If you’re a florist, you can pin 360-degree videos of your floral arrangements. Even if you’re a service provider, you can find creative ways to use Pinterest. A hairdresser? A landscaper? A makeup artist? Post before and after photos of your work. If you attend industry events or host events, post recaps with photos or videos. Virtually any content can work on Pinterest if paired with good visuals.

4. Providing instruction (How-to). Product demonstrations, tips, or other instructional information does well on Pinterest, especially with a video or a step-by-step graphic. A step-by-step graphic on Pinterest is typically a tall, vertical image with either illustrations or photographs along with concise steps on how to perform a task or activity such as “How to make a fall centerpiece” or “How to accessorize an outfit.” If you’re an accountant, you can pin educational information about preparing for tax time. Provide information that is relevant to your business and that can be useful to your customers or prospects.

5. Following trends for inspiration. Whether you’re working on a project or planning an event, you can use Pinterest for fresh ideas and pin images and videos to private Boards that you set up for your own internal use. For example, if you’re an interior decorator, you can set up Boards for the latest of trending color, furnishings, wall décor, and carpets.

6. Planning. Move beyond saving pins for inspiration and transition into the planning stage. Continuing the interior decorator example, you can set up a Board to mix and match the items you’ve found to make a visual collage that can help plan out your creative process. If you’re working with a designer, use Pinterest boards to share examples of what you’re looking for to help communicate your vision.

7. Research and shopping. Your saved Pinterest pins can help guide you as you shop for anything from art and home décor to technology, appliances, furniture, clothing, accessories, and more. If it can be purchased, it can be pinned and used to set up visual shopping lists. Product Pins on Pinterest can then lead you directly to online shopping sites where you can purchase the items.

8. Team Collaboration. While Pinterest public boards are accessible to anyone, if you’re working with a team, a client, or a vendor and need a way to share visual content with them, you can set up secret, private Pinterest boards and invite them to collaborate with you. You’re able to control who has access to each Board and allow others to pin to them as well.

9. Advertising. Pinterest ads can help you increase your reach, send traffic to your website, and potentially drive actions such as subscriptions, registrations, and even sales. With a Pinterest Business account, you can increase your visibility on the platform. You need to have a business account to advertise. If you only have a personal Pinterest account, you can easily convert it into a business one. Pinterest will guide you through the steps to verify your business and business website.

10. Selling. If you sell products online, you can set up a Pinterest store to create a seamless shopping experience for Pinterest users. You’ll need a Pinterest Business account, a product catalog, and product Pins. Then you can connect your online store to Pinterest using a trusted ecommerce partner such as Shopify or WooCommerce. Next, upload your product catalog, create product groups, and create product Pins.

As you can see, Pinterest offers tools for both public-facing marketing and sales as well as internal collaboration. Remember to measure engagement and conversions from your Pinterest account in the same way you do for other social networks.