The 5 strategic steps to more brand awareness & increased website traffic from Pinterest
NOTE: Some of the tools and resources mentioned in this article are affiliate links. That means when you click the link to create an account, start a free trial or make a purchase, it won’t cost you any more but I may receive a commission for introducing you. One thing I want to stress is that I would never recommend anything or anyone I haven’t successfully worked with myself or trust unconditionally.
Guest Post by Pinterest & Blogging Manager, Stine Andersson
One of my favourite things as a Pinterest Manager is watching brands go from strenght to strength, and help them grow their brand awareness on Pinterest.
But before we explore the winning strategies to do just that, let’s start with the one question I get asked most by curious small business owners like you:
Why use Pinterest to build brand awareness?
Pinterest is a search and discovery platform, meaning the content you post will be discovered for months, even years. Making Pinterest a star player in your marketing strategy is essential when you want to expand your reach and build brand awareness with a wider audience.
Another great thing about Pinterest is that metrics like followers and how many people see your content don’t really matter. What matters is how many find it good enough to save for later or to click through to your website. Those are the stats I always look at to measure how the account is doing.
What are the 5 strategic steps to follow?
One thing that is sure about the Pinterest audience is that they’re on the platform looking for inspiration or a way to solve their problem either by doing it themselves, with resources helping them out, or having someone solve it for them.
They’re actively planning for the future and saving useful content for later when they really need it.
That is why you, as a business owner should be on Pinterest. If you have any form of long-form content (blog posts, YouTube videos, or podcast episodes) you have content that is very shareable on Pinterest. And by linking to this content on the platform with an optimized profile you will be able to get it in front of your dream audience.
But the key here is the optimized profile. You have to know who you want to reach and how they use Pinterest. You need to know what search terms (keywords) they use and what kind of pin design they resonate with.
To figure this out you need to:
1. Know your ideal audience
When you know who you want to work with and how they move when it comes to solving their problems you know what type of content to link to. If your clients are DIYers, only promoting your DFY services is not it, you’ll need pins and links leading to tutorials, ideas, and inspiration. From there you can convert them into your DFY container or even show them that letting you handle it is the key to success.
2. Find out if other people in your industry are using Pinterest
If they’re not, then there might not be a market for your offers.
But if they are on Pinterest, do a little stalking on their profile. What kind of boards they have? How do they pin? And what do their pins look like? Use this as inspiration and for content ideas. Never copy, because what works for them might not work for you.
3. Find keywords
Start with the search bar. What terms pop up in the suggested search when you start typing? Roll with that and check out any related search terms. Use these keywords everywhere in your content: your boards, titles, descriptions, bio, tags. Any place that gives you space for text input.
4. Look at the pins in the search results
The pins that display when you do keyword research are ‘ranking pins’, which meaning they perform well.
Can you draw some inspiration from them? Are they text-heavy? Bold colors? Just images? Seek inspiration from what you come across, but again, never copy anyone’s design.
5. Start pinning
Now it’s time to design your pins and write your captions with SEO in mind, schedule them out, and give them time to perform. It can take anywhere between 3-8 months before you start seeing results.
All these strategic steps in a Pinterest marketing strategy are designed to increase your brand awareness, website traffic, and conversions.
Of course, there’s more to a winning strategy, but getting started using these 5 steps will take you a long way.
If I’ve made you curious, and you’d like to explore these strategies in more depth, then my FREE Guide to Pinterest for Business is a must-download for you.
What does strategic pinning do for your brand awareness?
When you follow these steps, you will start seeing an increase in saves (people who want to come back to your pins later) and outbound clicks. Outbound clicks are taking Pinterest users to the pin link destination, which should be a page on your website. Once on your website, you can funnel them into your email list, product pages, services, or any other place you want your new audience to check out.
Implementing a strong Pinterest marketing strategy is key when you want to see results with Pinterest like building your brand awareness and increasing website traffic.
While getting started can be overwhelming, by implementing the 5 steps I just shared will see you build a strong foundation that you can keep working on as you become more comfortable.
Want extra resources to get your keywords right?
Check out the Pinterest Accelerator for all things Pinterest SEO and keyword research.
About Stine Andersson
Stine Andersoon is a Pinterest and blogging manager for the creative biz owner. She’s all about building a strong, long-lasting online precense that attracts dream clients and shows off your unique expertise with evergreen content.
