4 Pinterest Tips for Small Business

By: Johana M. Caba, M.A. 

Pinterest has become the home of inspiration for everyone that uses it. This platform is simple to use, aesthetically pleasing and makes it easy to organize your ideas. Many event planners and individuals planning parties use Pinterest to get ideas of how they want to decorate. Others use it to get home decor ideas or outfit ideas for different events and seasons. We can even use it to pick out our next manicure design. Small businesses can take advantage of Pinterest to reach more people and to sell directly on the platform. Below are our 4 Pinterest Tips for Small Business and here is a Pinterest advertising guide for you to see: 

1. Advertise on Pinterest: Pinners aka Pinterest users, visit the platform when they are planning for something and when they want to purchase something. For example, a Pinner might visit the app to create a board of ideas for their home office. Small businesses can take advantage of this by promoting their items through ads. For example, furniture businesses use Pinterest to promote their desks, tables, chairs, etc. and make it easy for Pinners to purchase immediately by linking to their websites. Pinterest users spend 80% more in retail than people off of Pinterest. On Pinterest, brands provide the ideas for Pinners that spark their interest. Everything that they see on the platform is with an intent, either to do, to buy or to try, which leads them one step closer to becoming a sale for you. Take a look at my Pinterest Templates post for some great tips and pre-made templates for your pins. 

2. Use Boards to Showcase your Products: Like we said, Pinterest is a full-funnel stop for businesses. As a small business, deciding where to advertise can be harder because of limited budgets. Pinterest is great to use for advertising because it helps small businesses reach the audiences that they need to reach at the right time. A part of this, is also creating boards and pins that showcase the products that people are trying to find. Let's go back to our furniture store example. The furniture store can run ads targeting specific users, but they can also post pins and create boards of inspiration by showing their products in action. They can promote a modern office desk by posting a pin of modern office decor showcasing the desk. Here, they can include product information and link to their website listing for the desk. This is an engaging way to reach customers without necessarily paying for ads. 

3. Let your Customers do the Pinning: A great way to promote your items and get your brand out there is to allow visitors to your website to pin your listings. Add a "Pin It" button next to the items on your website to let them pin for you. By letting your customers pin your items to their boards, it expands your reach and allows more people to potentially purchase your products. 

4. Add Watermarks and Prices: Most people want to see prices when looking for ideas on Pinterest. The worst thing is when a Pinner sees the perfect item for them, Pins it, and later finds out it is above their price point. It is helpful for both the potential customers and the brand to include prices on their pins. Another thing to consider is placing watermarks on your images. This allows others to know where the products are from when users pin your items. By placing a logo watermark somewhere on your images, you allow others to immediately know where the item is from which simultaneously promotes your brand.