Pinterest Marketing Strategy 101: How to Create Your Pinterest Business Strategy

If you are looking to integrate Pinterest into your marketing strategy this year – here’s how to craft your Pinterest business strategy. Before we do that, let’s dive into the power of this visual search platform for 2021.

442+ million people are using Pinterest monthly.

Growing active user base. Literally daily. Cuz the secret of Pinterest is out!

Third largest social media network in the US. This always surprises folks. What I always say is “well do you use it personally?” and it is a big ol’ “YES”…. Just not sure how to create a Pinterest strategy for business.

If Pinterest doesn’t have your attention as a small business owner, it should. 

Creating A Pinterest Business Strategy

But if you’re like many other business owners out there who are intrigued by the potential of Pinterest to turn grow your sales and generate more leads, but are feeling lost about how to get started – you are not alone. Knowing what the best Pinterest strategies are for YOUR unique business can be tricky.

Getting started on a new platform can feel overwhelming and daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In this blog post, I’m giving you some simple tips and strategies to help you to create your Pinterest business strategy for 2021.

Pinterest vs Other Social Media Platforms – What’s the Deal?

Many business owners I work with are sick of relying on other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. It is never in your best interest to only be generating traffic from one platform – what’s the old saying? Don’t put all your eggs in ONE basket.

• They’re spending hours on these platforms – posting content and doing all the things – but not seeing any results. They’re not actually making any sales or seeing any money flow into their business. [read: huge time suck for little return].
• The platforms are oversaturated with hundreds, if not thousands, of similar businesses all competing with each other to have their voice heard and stand out from all the noise. [do you ever feel like you are screaming into the void?]
• Ever so often, the algorithm for the platform gets updated, and they have to start from scratch to figure out what works and what doesn’t. [ANOTHER thing to keep up with]

All of this can add up to a really frustrating experience – which is why they are turning to Pinterest for marketing.

However, Pinterest is not like all the other social media platforms. What works for Facebook and Instagram isn’t necessarily the best strategy for Pinterest.

Time and time again, I see even seasoned marketers from big agencies do this – applying marketing techniques and tactics from other social platforms directly to Pinterest. Let me tell you – this does not work. That’s why agencies hire me to come in and train their staff!

Pinterest users are in a different frame of mind and need to be approached accordingly. The customer journey on Pinterest is unique, and we need to craft a Pinterest business strategy that carters to that.

But before we get to that…

What Are The Biggest Mistakes You Should Avoid Making On Pinterest?

• Blindly applying marketing strategies from other platforms: I said it once, I’ll say it again. What works for Facebook or Instagram is not going to work on Pinterest! [Need more convincing about why you need a dedicated Pinterest Marketing Funnel?]
• Just re-sharing content from other platforms like Instagram or Facebook without optimizing for the Pinterest platform: Pinterest is like a search engine, so your content needs to be optimized to show up in search results. [Find out how you can repurpose your Instagram content for Pinterest.]
• Not being consistent: This is a mistake SO MANY small business owners make, and unfortunately, it can be critical. Consistency is the key to growing your audience on Pinterest! In fact, consistency is key on any social media channel. Honey, you ain’t going to get results if you don’t engage with your audience there consistently
• Focusing too much on yourself and not enough on your customer: Time for a harsh truth, my friend. Your business is not about you – it’s about your customer, and your content on Pinterest needs to reflect that. Big tip, your content must serve your ideal customer and help address a pain point that have related to your product/service or blog.
• Not considering all media formats: Pinterest doesn’t just allow you to Pin static images, and you need to take advantage of the other media formats that Pinterest actually LOVES (Idea Pins, Video Pins) to maximize your reach on Pinterest.
• Mindless Pinning: Unlike other social media platforms where posted content “disappears” in a heartbeat, content on Pinterest lasts a lot (read: 1,680 times) longer. Being intentional and focusing on quality, not quantity, is the way to go for Pinterest. So please stop the flood of Pins of kittens, that’s just inflating your numbers.

Want to Use Pinterest for Growth and Traffic? Focus on Your Customer!

Pinterest is a platform that is well-suited for the “little guy” – small business owners like you! It focuses on keyword optimization and helps generate visibility for your brand through searches, and by connecting your ideal clients with your solutions. That’s why you will hear Pinterest is more like Google than it is like Instagram or Facebook. Building a strategy for marketing your business on Pinterest doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does need to acknowledge how the platform is different and unique, compared to Instagram or Facebook. It has to be about your customer. People are going to Pinterest with intention – they are opening the app to FIND YOU and your solutions. Ask yourself, why did you open Instagram on your phone? To cruise images right? Not to buy something or discover a product.

I’ve seen too many businesses try to game the platform. They focus on just Pinning their products repeatedly without considering the users experience, which is a HUGE mistake. Your Pinterest content strategy needs to be customer focused, not business focused. And I am not saying don’t re-pin your content but we don’t want to see a SEA of the same images over and over again – you would NEVER do that on Instagram would you?

Pinterest is a platform built on content marketing, and connecting customers with solutions and inspiration. To capture your audience on Pinterest, you must create content that inspires, educates, or solves a problem for your customers/readers. So how do you get creative and create content that is for your customer and not just a selling vehicle?

That doesn’t mean you have to throw everything you have created away and start from scratch, but it does mean you need to approach your Pinterest content with a different lens to be able to show up and provide value to your ideal customer.

Consider how to use your existing content in a way that is suited to the Pinterest platform. Leverage lifestyle content to meet them where they’re at in their customer journey. Focus on building your brand in your audience’s consciousness with clear messaging and strong storytelling – This makes Pinterest a natural platform for bloggers and content creators, as they use storytelling to share their unique solutions to everyday problems.

GOT IT! Now, Tell Me What to Do To Create A Pinterest Strategy for Business

To be effective on Pinterest, your core Pinterest marketing strategy needs to include a few elements:

• A content plan focused on delivering useful beginner content (like think step 1)
• Optimizing your content (if you need helping understanding how to create Perfect Pins, grab my free guide on Pinterest Images).
• Engaging and creating value for your ideal customer through fresh, new content (this means having a schedule is KEY)
• Being consistent – hate to be your Pinterest mom but you have to show up consistently with valuable content for the Pinterest algorithm 2021 to love ya

But before jumping into all that, take a step back and consider your business objectives and goals. Without guiding North Star to work toward, your efforts are likely to be scattered, confused and unintentional – not what we want. I don’t want you to be one of those business owners who runs FULL STEAM at Pinterest as a magic bullet to feel disappointed – here’s the thing, every marketing move you make this year has to map onto your business goals and objectives. Your marketing is your channels… and without goals and measuring the data, you cannot measure your Pinterest success.

Ask yourself: What do you want to bring people to? How can you assist them in a natural way? What do you need to do to implement this plan – where are you now, what is your vision for the future, and what steps do you need to take to get there?

Once you have a clear understanding of what you’re hoping to achieve on Pinterest, the rest flows naturally.

Create action driven content that is designed specifically for the Pinterest audience. Don’t over-complicate – simplify and strategize. Focus on creating a direct line from Pinterest to draw people in to where you make money, without constantly shoving your products or services down their throats. TIP – if you sell physical products or have a e-commerce shop, have a blog that acts as a natural place for you to talk about your product without it being all about your products.

Get consistent with posting on Pinterest by using a scheduler like Tailwind. As an official Pinterest Partner, Tailwind has an approved API with Pinterest, meaning you can schedule Pins appropriately without worrying about being thrown in Pinterest jail for being too spammy.

In summary…To craft your Pinterest marketing strategy:

1. Optimize your account.
2. Do a content audit and consider your content marketing plan for your business
3. Optimize existing content and share it to Pinterest
4. Create a sales funnel for traffic specifically from Pinterest.
5. Consider multiple media formats for your sharing strategy – Standard, Video and Idea Pins.
6. Create action driven content.
7. Get consistent with help from a scheduler like Tailwind.
8. Convert your audience into clients!

And that’s it! That’s the basic Pinterest strategy you need as a small business owner to help grow your business on Pinterest.

If you are looking for an all-in-one program that gives you all the best resources when it comes to Pinterest, my signature program Pin Potential is the answer. In this dynamic learning membership, I teach you how to master your own Pinterest marketing in my signature 9-step process. It’s a proven method that has helped hundreds of business owners just like you. You will also get access to learning support, strategies and systems with coaching and mentoring from me. Find out more about Pin Potential here.

The Best Place To Get Access To Free Pinterest Marketing Tips?

My email list! If you want to learn more about how to reach your ideal customer or audience on Pinterest, you will want to join my email newsletter! I share regular emails that shares insights just like these along with tips and tricks for using Pinterest marketing to grow your audience.