How to Develop an Effective Pinterest Strategy

Learn how to create and implement an effective Pinterest strategy to grow your audience and drive traffic to your website. Using Camping With Dogs as an example, we outline best practices for this ever-changing platform.

Why use Pinterest?

As the third-largest social network in the United States, Pinterest offers marketers a huge opportunity for growth and engagement. With more than 416 million monthly active users, this platform serves as a search engine that connects users to the content they’re looking for. So, if your account doesn’t have a large following, an effective strategy can still drive traffic to your page.

Pinterest users are typically looking for specific, inspirational content, which makes them more likely to take action than users of other social media platforms. The majority of weekly users make purchase decisions while using the platform and try new things they find on Pinterest. As a result, brands that effectively position themselves to meet users’ needs can drive engagement, traffic and sales.

Develop Your Content Strategy

Most users are looking for informational and inspirational content. 84% of users say that the platform helps them learn new things, while 95% say that it inspires them. As a result, social media marketers need to keep this in mind when creating their strategy for content.

Create eye-catching, instructional content that shows the user how to do something related to your brand. Since Pinterest operates as a visual search engine, your strategy should make sure that your photo assets visually communicate your message effectively. For example, Camping With Dogs provides users with information about pet health and safety tips, like how to use a dog backpack. The strategy behind these photo assets includes copy that informs the user about the content of the post and linked page. Including relevant copy in the photo itself informs Pinterest users of the value of this post and drives traffic to the website.

In addition to informing responsible dog owners, Camping With Dogs aims to provide Pinterest users with inspiration for their next hike or camping trip. Through the use of beautiful, engaging imagery, Camping With Dogs is able to inspire users before their next trip. This strategy complements the informational graphics well, providing dog owners with one account that will show them camping-related informational and inspirational content.

Pinterest Best Practices

We have compiled a list of best practices to keep in mind when developing your strategy for your Pinterest account.

Profile:

Use the brand’s logo as the account’s profile picture.
Include a link to the brand’s website in the bio.
Include a hashtag if it is relevant to the brand. For example, Camping With Dogs included #campingwithdogs.

Images:

Maintain a 2:3 aspect ratio, since the majority of Pinterest users are on their mobile devices.
Include the brand’s logo in your image.
Include concise, targeted text in the image. Since Pinterest is a visual search engine, including some relevant text in the image itself will better inform users of your Pin’s content.

Pin Description Copy:

Include the brand name in the first sentence. This should result in a higher conversion rate and improve brand recognition.
Put the most compelling part of your copy first, since the first 30-60 characters appear in the feed.
Use seasonal keywords whenever possible. Users look for inspiration in advance of major events, so consider planning your content further ahead of other platforms.
The word “ideal” appears in 16 of the top 100 Pinterest keywords, so include it whenever possible.

If you’re interested in seeing what the Parachute Media team has done for other clients, check out this blog about our work with Kirkland’s Pinterest strategy.