If you still think Facebook and Twitter are the be-all and end-all of social media marketing tools, think again.

Say “Hi” to your business’s new best friend: business Pinterest accounts.

Eighty percent of Pinterest pins are repins, which means this is a platform that values sharable content. The average lifespan of a pin is three months which is much longer than Facebook which averages five to six hours, and Twitter which averages at 15-20 minutes.. 

Since Facebook purchased Instagram, Pinterest has become the hot ticket item for business marketing.

That’s for good reason. If an increase of 30% in Pinterest accounts over the last year isn’t an indication that your business should be joining over 250 million monthly active users, I don’t know what would be.

Aside from feeding obsessions with exotic destiny vacations and gourmet food, the real strength of Pinterest is the integrated features of its business accounts. Join the businesses with Pinterest for Business accounts, and you’ll get added marketing features to promote your brand on one of the fastest growing and insanely popular social media platforms.

Perks of Pinterest Business Accounts

If you don’t have an account already, or if your account is personal, you’re going to need to sign up for an official Pinterest for Business account to tap into the full potential of Pinterest’s marketing potency. With your business account, you get:

They Offer Different Terms of Service

The terms of service are a little bit different for a business, so be sure to read through them. The difference comes from the fact that you are using the account commercially.

You’ve still got the same Acceptable Use Policy and Pin Etiquette Policy, but there are a few guidelines for commercial use:

• Don’t promote spam, “such as asking participants to comment repeatedly.”
• Don’t “run a sweepstake where each pin, repin, or like represents an entry [or] ask pinners to vote with a repin or like.”
• Don’t run contests, sweepstakes or promotions “too often.”
• Don’t “suggest that Pinterest sponsors or endorses” your business.

They Provide Educational Marketing Materials

Pinterest doesn’t just give you the platform, they create educational marketing materials to teach you how to maximize its effectiveness for marketing your business.

They offer:

• Business resources: Tools, insights, guides on best practices to help creators make the most of Pinterest
• Pinterest business community: A place where creators and business can support each other

You can also check out the Pinterest Blog to stay updated on when these materials will be out and get some basic tips.

You Get Access to Pinterest Analytics

Pinterest Analytics is one of the newest and most awesome features of a Pinterest for Business account. When you verify your account, you get access to important tracking information. You’ll be able to see which strategies and content work so you can constantly improve your marketing.

Rich Pins Loaded With More Information than Average Pins

There are five different types of Rich Pins, all loaded with more information than your average pin for serious sales power. They include real-time price and stock updates, direct links to your site, and interactive map locations. There will be more details on Rich Pin strategy later.

Access to Upcoming Tools and Features

Pinterest has promised some new tools exclusively to business accounts in the future. As of right now, that includes buyable pins for e-commerce, Promoted Pins, the Pin It Button, and the Widget Builder. As new tools are being added, you can stay updated by joining the Pinterest newsletter.

Different Settings

You get to use your business name instead of the typical First + Last Name formula. This means your Pinterest account won’t have an automatic link to your Facebook account, so you should add a Facebook tab to your Pinterest home page.

How to Create Popular Pins from Your Pinterest Business Account

Your pins can get engagement for your business if you execute them right.

Pinterest has been described by the Social Media Examiner as a visual search engine. Just like when you are writing your blog articles or posting on your business Instagram account, you want your content to be searchable.

If it’s not searchable, then it won’t be found or seen.

Therefore, before you grab that mouse to start pinning, you have to understand the Pinterest culture, AKA what your followers search for, and learn how to create popular pins.

1. Create Pins in Most Popular Categories

If you know what the most popular Pinterest categories are, then you’ll have a better idea of which boards will work for your business.

Most of Pinterest users, 71.1 percent to be exact, are female. Males users only account for 14.9 percent of the audience. Pinterest posts are categorized, so if your business doesn’t have anything to do with DIY crafts, then don’t have a board dedicated to the art of glue-gunning. Pick the most relevant popular ones!

2. Use Images that Work

One quick perusal of Pinterest and it’s clear how visual a site it is. With such an emphasis on visual impact, your images are the cornerstone of any pin you share.

What makes the top Pinterest pins so popular?

3. Use Optimal Pin Size

All pins have the same width, with an unlimited length. A good size to shoot for is 736×1102 pixels for a typical pin. It’s not too big, and not too small. Canva’s Pinterest template is this size and makes sizing your images a lot easier.

4. Use Instructographics

Sometimes it’s good to take advantage of the longer length allotment. The term “instructographic” was coined by Pinterest and it is another name for infographics. These are popular because of their DIY, how-to nature, which we know is popular on Pinterest.

How to Get Your Pins Seen and Shared: Optimizing Your Pins

It’s one thing to create a fantastic pin, but it’s a whole other game to get it seen and shared. No one is going to find your pin if you don’t optimize for engagement.

Know the Best Times to Pin

The best times to pin depend on your target audience’s habits, so you should always test for your specific optimal posting times. On average, the best times to post are 2 PM – 4 PM EST and 8 PM – 1 AM EST; and, research by HubSpot says Saturday morning is THE best time to post.

Make It Easy to Pin Content from Your Sites

Add a hovering Pin It button to any image on any of your sites or your phone app through Pinterest directly. If you use WordPress, there’s a Pinterest Pin It Hover button plugin.

These simple-to-integrate buttons direct your site visitors to either check out your Pinterest account or actually pin your site’s content on their own accounts. If you don’t have these buttons, there is little chance your site will bring ANY interaction with your Pinterest account.

Connect with Your Other Social Media Platforms

You don’t want to have to start over with followers when you create a new social media account. It’s super easy to connect your Instagram, Youtube and Etsy accounts to your Pinterest for Business account.

This will help you get more followers by tapping into the ones you already have on other platforms. It also will help spread your content across platforms so more eyeballs see it. It will add relevant buttons to your Pinterest account.

To connect your social media accounts:

1. Go to your “Settings” in the dropdown menu
2. Go to the “Claim” section
3. Connect your accounts by hitting the “Claim” button

Share Pins in Your Newsletter

Take the difficulty out of getting people to find your pins by sending the pins straight to them! Your newsletter is the perfect place to throw in a couple of your latest pins and direct subscribers to your Pinterest account. Try this:

“Our most popular pins from this week. Head on over to our Pinterest for even more!”

SEO for Pinterest

You have to use some SEO strategy to get your pins discovered by the eyes of your target audience. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take much to optimize your pins in regard to Pinterest searches. Just follow these steps:

• Step 1: Research keywords. Try a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find popular keywords related to your business and your pins.
• Step 2: Add your keyword/keywords to your pin titles.
• Step 3: Add your keyword/keywords to your pin descriptions.
• Step 4: Add your keyword/keywords to your pin image file names.

As with any SEO you use, make sure not to sound too “keywordy.” Don’t go too crazy and add three keywords to your title and descriptions like a robot would. Optimize and still sound human by simply adding a strong keyword within the right context.

Use a Call-to-Pin

In the same way you use a call-to-action in your ad copy, a call-to-pin will significantly increase the engagement of your pins. In your pin’s description, add a little something like:

“Repin to your own inspiration board.”

Engage to Build Relationships and Gain New Followers

Now that you know what kinds of pins are popular and how to get your pins seen, the next step in Pinterest marketing is to use your pins to build relationships with followers and influencers that will grow your reach.

As we all know, more reach = more success.

Knowing what users look for when following other accounts will allow you to give them what they want and, in turn, grow your following. A little mind-reading never hurt anyone.

The University of Minnesota’s Pinterest study found that the three main factors that Pinterest users take into consideration in the should-I-follow-or-not decision-making process are:

• how many accounts you are following/are following you
• how many pins you have
• how many boards you have

To be on top of those factors and build relationships to grow your reach, you need to:

Post Frequently

To get more Pinterest followers, you should post between 5-30 new pins every day. Make sure you are not just repinning the content of others, but also pinning your own unique pins with your own content.

Warning! Avoid a major Pinterest faux pas: don’t pin all 30 new pins within 5 minutes. Spread your pinning throughout the day.

Tip! You can schedule pins with a business account.  

Engage with Followers, Reply to Comments

Just like you respond to tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram comments, engage with your followers directly by answering their questions and responding to their comments. Go the extra mile and address them directly, using their names to really take your customer service to the next level.

Comment on Your Followers’ Pins

Engagement is a two-way street. You need to reach out to your followers’ boards as well. Leave comments on their pins so they’ll feel some love. Their followers will see your brand, too!

Follow and Engage with Popular Boards

The best way to see a successful Pinterest strategy in action is to follow and engage with popular boards. You can learn a lot from the big dogs. See what kinds of pins they pin, what kinds of boards they have, and how much engaging they do. Your goal is to get on that level!

If you are commenting on these popular pins, your brand name will be seen by the huge number of people who follow those boards.

Tip! It’s a good idea to follow popular boards because they are relevant to your industry and business as opposed to “just because” they are the most popular. If your business has literally nothing to do with wedding fashion, you can do yourself a favor and follow the boards that have a following closer to yours. Those are the people you want to connect with anyway.

Invite Others to Pin on Your Boards with Open Boards

Another cool board feature for marketing is the Open Board, which allows users to contribute their own pins. All you have to do is give them pinning access by adding their name or email. You, as the creator, of course, have full veto power, and your contributors aren’t able to change the board name or description.

This feature is great for marketing because you get your community involved in a personal way.

Invite your followers and get big authority brownie points if you can get industry experts and leaders to contribute to your boards!

Case Study: Women’s Health Magazine

Women’s Health Magazine created an open board called “Vision 21” where their followers pin their goals and visions. It promotes fan interaction and the brand at the same time! Talk about win-win.

Build Influencer Relationships

Reach a wider audience and gain more followers by reaching out to influencers in your field.

Start by following their boards, repinning their pins, and leaving engaging comments on their pins. Once you’ve dropped your name that way, you can initiate a bigger collaboration.

Ask if they will post on a board of yours, or offer to contribute to one of their boards. Offer ideas for their boards and show that you are familiar with their content when initiating collaboration, and you’ll be closer to that “yes” you’re looking for.

Case Study: Mejuri

Mejuri set themselves up for some great collaboration with their board dedicated to their community with the #thefinecrew. The Fine Crew board showcases their products worn by their community. Small influencers and brand partners are featured in Mejuri’s Instagram and Pinterest making it a great opportunity for cross-promotion.

Find Friends from Other Social Media Platforms

You know that when you create a new account with Instagram or another social media platform, they ask if you want to “Find Friends” using your phone’s contacts or Facebook friends.

Well, to save time and get a solid starting foundation of followers, Pinterest allows you to search for existing accounts.

How to Promote Your Brand Successfully: Business Pinterest Account Strategies

Integrate Rich Pins

My friends, I would like to introduce you to Rich Pins. Trust me, they have earned their name.You’ll see the big brands like Target and Wal-Mart taking advantage of Rich Pins,and, you should, too!

I’m not guaranteeing that you will be rolling in a pile of Benjamins with just a couple of Rich Pins, but there is a reason they are called “Rich Pins.” They are full of valuable, traffic-generating information; and, right now, they are the best direct strategy for growing your sales in the Pinterest sphere.

Rich Pins come in 3 different flavors: recipe, article, and product, all fully loaded with their own set of valuable features that will boost your engagement and direct traffic to your site.

Perks of Rich Pins

When you apply for Rich Pins, you’ll get real-time information automatically updated on your pins and more ways to direct people to your site because your site will be linked to your Rich Pins. No hassle, no fuss. Just leads.

This example, from Urban Outfitters, shows the features of a “product” pin at work. You’ve got an official link to the store’s site, as well as updated live price and stock availability information.

“Article” pins are also valuable in that they can promote your blog posts and direct Pinterest users to your blog. Article pins come with a larger title with your brand’s logo, a description, and a call-to-action at the bottom with a direct link to your original site.

How to Integrate Rich Pins

For any of your Rich Pins to have even the potential to direct traffic to your site, you need to get them validated on the Pinterest site itself. (If you aren’t the most tech-savvy, you’ll probably want some help from your web developer…it involves meta tags.)Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to this page
2. Decide what kind of Rich Pin (product, recipe, or article) you want to apply for
3. Read the documentation for your Rich Pin type
4. Add the appropriate meta tags to your site
5. Validate your Rich Pins and apply to get them approved

Once your Rich Pins are approved by Pinterest, they will be out there for the entire Pinterest world to see, to repin, and to be directed to your site.

I’m not telling you that you should think about using Rich Pins because it would help your business. I’m telling you that you NEED Rich Pins if you want to keep up in the crazy social media marketing world.

The Fortune 500 companies are all using Rich Pins. Follow the big boys, and you’ll have the potential for some serious growth.

Mix Up Your Content

The rule for all social media is to mix up your content. You will lose the interest of your followers and lose your chances of gaining any new ones if your content is static and not diverse enough.

Please, whatever you do, don’t just post product photos. Do you remember that study done by The University of Minnesota? Well, the diversity of pins was the 8th most important factor when users were deciding whether to follow an account. Throw in some other boards that give your followers added value to avoid coming off as overly salesy.

Case Study: Benefit Cosmetics

The official Benefit Cosmetics Pinterest does a great job of mixing up their content without stepping outside their niche. They have boards dedicated to their latest and hottest products, like “POREfessional Fam” and “Hoola Fam,” but also have a board just for “Behind-the-scenes at Benefit.”

All of these boards relate to their cosmetic products; but, by giving “A PINK me-up for you!,” they aren’t just saying “buy our makeup,” but “see how our makeup can help you.”

Include a Direct Link to Your Site

Not all of your pins are going to make sense as Rich Pins. (Product photos, events, and articles benefit from the added information provided with Rich Pins, but not all of your content will.)

It’s all about context.

When you are pinning images to your “brand inspiration” board, you don’t need Rich Pins. Relevant quotes to your business definitely wouldn’t call for a Rich Pin.

There is one piece of information that comes with Rich Pins that your other “simpler” pins need, too: a direct link to your site.

Even your inspirational pins need a link to your site because if one quote you posted last Tuesday changed one of your followers’ lives, they likely will want to check out your brand. If you have a link to take them to your site, they don’t have to go searching for information, and you increase the chances of them finding your site.

Simply include the link in your pin description, and you’re good to go.

Put Your Most Popular Boards on Top

Over time, you’ll be able to see which boards are more popular and get more engagement. Put your best foot forward and move these boards to the top of your page so when users come to your page, they will see your best material.

Keep It Seasonal and Relevant

Another way to keep your content fresh is to piggyback off of holidays, seasons, and events. Like the Benefit Cosmetics’ss “Holiday Glam: LEAF x Benefit,” the more specific boards add more relevancy and catch attention because they make those products even more specific and create a sense of urgency. Take advantage of that!

Create a Board Just for Blog Posts

Grab all those article Rich Pins you have, and organize them into their very own board! You’ll want to put this board at the top of your page so your followers will see it first thing. This will help draw traffic to your site and make it easier for users to find your content since it’s all in one easy-to-find-board. They will thank you.

Track Your Success and Learn the Strategies that Work with Pinterest Analytics

One of the newest features on Pinterest for Business is the super helpful Pinterest Analytics. This feature is only for business accounts and allows you to see:

• Which pins and boards from your profile people love most
• What people like to save from your website
• Who your Pinterest audience is, including their gender, location, and other interests
• Which devices people use when they’re pinning your stuff
• How adding the Pin It button to your website leads to referral traffic from Pinterest

Why are these statistics important to you?

Because they will help your account and your reach grow.

The information gained from your Pinterest Analytics shows you which strategies work and which ones don’t. Knowing this, you will be able to build your future Pinterest strategy based on hard facts. The strategies that work are proven because you proved them.

To get access to your Pinterest Analytics, you’re going to need to verify your website first.

There is another reason verifying your account is a good idea. It will help you gain authority and build trust. When Pinterest users see that little globe icon with a checkmark next to your website, they know you’re legit.

You can verify your website in the settings section by adding a meta tag. This will give you a verification badge, and you’ll be official. If you choose not to verify your site, you can still include a link to your site on your page, but you won’t be able to use Pinterest Analytics.

Don’t miss out on the crucial information Pinterest Analytics will give you. Verify your account!

How to Start Using Pinterest for Business to Improve Your Visibility and Promote Your Brand Right Now

I just threw a lot of information at you, I know. Don’t feel overwhelmed. The aspects of this guide are all totally necessary and can be broken down easily.

Just to quickly recap…

Your Pinterest for Business account comes with a ton of marketing power that’s completely different from a personal account. To tap into that power, you need to:

1. Create popular images that are:

• bright
• crisp
• high quality
• 736×1102 pixels
• infographics
• in popular categories

2. Get your pins seen by:

• pinning from 2 PM – 4 PM EST and 8 PM -1 AM EST
• using keywords in pin titles, descriptions, and image file names
• linking to your other social media platforms
• adding the Pin It hover button and Pinterest widget to your sites
• sending your pins in newsletters
• adding a call-to-pin in your pin descriptions

3. Engage with followers and influencers to grow your reach by:

• pinning up to 30 times per day
• responding to follower comments
• commenting on follower pins
• following popular boards and commenting
• inviting followers and influencers to pin on your boards
• building influencer relationships
• using “find friends” from Twitter and Facebook

4. Promote your brand successfully with:

• Rich Pins
• direct site links in descriptions
• a variety of content: seasonal and relevant
• your most popular boards at the top
• a board dedicated just to your blog posts

5. Use the information from Pinterest Analytics to create a more successful future strategy

If you follow the strategies here and learn from the engagement you get, your Pinterest for Business account will continue to develop for the better, attract more of your target audience, and direct people to your site.

Happy Pinning!

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Pinterest Accounts

What is a business account on Pinterest?

A business account on Pinterest is an account that gives users special access to features like analytics, pin scheduling, and business resources. 

What is the difference between a personal account and a business account on Pinterest?

A personal account on Pinterest is just for casual use. You have access to create pins, boards, and Secret boards, but with a business account, you will have access to analytics, scheduling, and other resources. You will also have different terms and policies to comply with. Pinterest for Business was made to give you insight on your Pinterest so you can actively grow.

Are business accounts on Pinterest free?

Yes, Pinterest for Business is free to access. Anyone can sign up for an account or you can convert an existing personal account into a business account.

How do I make popular Pinterest pins?

Pinterest favors vertical posts, so vertical design will help push your pins. Also, as a visual platform, strong imagery and videos are a huge plus for you. Adding text as an overlay can also give users context about your post. Instructional content and infographics are very popular on Pinterest.

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Business Pinterest Account For Marketing and Brand Growth Conclusion

Social media marketing is crucial to building brand awareness and steady relationships with customers. Pinterest is one channel that can help you do the same thing for your business. As a visual platform, it stands out because it acts like a visual search engine tailored to user interests. With the right strategy, Pinterest can improve your SEO, your customer outreach and help your business gain new fans.

How will you use a Pinterest business account to amplify your marketing?