Does my brand need a Pinterest account?

Are you thinking about including Pinterest in your social media strategy but need to know more about the platform first? Then you're at the right place.

When people think of Pinterest, their initial thoughts are dinner recipes, home décor and DIY, but there is more to the platform than that. It's a place where users go to discover and be inspired, think of it as more of a search engine than a social media platform.

Why do people use Pinterest?

• Visual mood board – Pinterest is overflowing with a variety of blogs, images and videos in the form of a pin. Users can create their own boards and save pins to these, allowing them to organise and categorise content on the platform.

• Inspiration – Before making a purchase you need to be inspired and that's exactly what Pinterest sets out to do. Since users are ready to be inspired when they visit the platform, they're more open to discovering a new brand or product.

• Plan life events (big or small) – Users on Pinterest are always planning for the next event whether it's a small get together or a milestone event.

• Shopping – Not only do people go to Pinterest to be inspired, but they will also purchase via the platform.

What benefits can Pinterest bring to your brand?

So, you may be asking yourself what benefits can being on Pinterest bring. Well, Pinterest has 478 million monthly active users worldwide with this number growing year on year. Therefore, there is an opportunity for you to increase the exposure of your brand among this audience. Remember, Pinterest is where people begin their search for inspiration, a perfect opening for you to get your brand in front of their eyes.

Arguably, Pinterest's most powerful feature is that it requires you to add a link to each post. This means people can learn more about your product with a simple tap or click of a button, driving more traffic to your website.

The opportunity to convert browsers into buyers is huge. As mentioned previously, Pinterest users are ready to shop, 25% of their time is spent shopping or looking for products. This alongside a short customer journey means users can swiftly shift from the discovery phase to the purchase phase.

When it comes to creating content for Pinterest it's a lot different from your other social media platforms, you can't just recycle content and formats you have on your other social channels. Here are a few things to consider:

Boards

Pinterest boards allow users to save, collect and organise their pins. However, for a brand, it's an opportunity for you to categorise your content, products or services. For example, if you're a fashion brand you might categorise by trends, events or merchandise.

Keywords, keywords, keywords….

Remember, Pinterest is a search engine, so keywords play a big part in getting your content to the right people. Try and incorporate the right keywords into your:

• Board titles and descriptions

• Pin titles and descriptions

• Profile

Algorithm

Pinterest has a smart feed algorithm, this means the top of your feed will be from the people you follow and past search terms. When it comes to searching for a term in the search bar, Pinterest will push the most relevant pins to the top and not the latest. Therefore, your content has a very long-life span of 1 year +.

Now, for the ultimate question… should your brand be on Pinterest?

Unfortunately, this isn't a simple yes or no answer. Before, investing your time and resources into creating and managing a brand Pinterest account, you need to ask the following questions:

• Can my products/services inspire others?

• Is my target audience on Pinterest?

• Can I create Pinterest specific content?