Did you know Pinterest is the 3rd largest search engine in the world, only behind Google and YouTube? Pinterest is a force to be reckoned with and having a good strategy in place could make or break your business.
Just like any digital marketing, Pinterest has its own set of rules, algorithms, and challenges. It’s not as easy as just throwing up some pictures, it’s about consistency and intentionality. Today, I want to share 7 major mistakes I see businesses make in the Pinterest marketing strategy.
1. You’re using the wrong Photo Size
Pinterest is a visual platform, so the quality of images you use is super important. The aspect ratio of pictures uploaded onto your Pinterest board should be a 2:3 ratio, Pinterest says the optimal size is 1000 x 1500 pixels, but sticking with the 2:3 ratio is most important. The most important thing to remember, the graphics and images you use on Instagram and Facebook WILL NOT perform very well on Pinterest.
While uploading images on Pinterest is fairly simple; low-quality images and randomly placed images take away from the effectiveness of the pin. Try to ensure that your pictures are arranged in a vertical form and stay within the correct size.
You should also try and include your logo and a call to action for best results. Here are a few recent pins our Graphic Designer has created for clients.
2. Forgetting about Your Keywords
Keywords are everything on Pinterest because it’s a search engine! It’s so important to do your research and know the phrases you need to be working into your profile and your pins. I like to have a running list that I use depending on the account. For example, for your profile, you want to think in broad terms. If you are a soy candle maker, you want to make sure those terms are obvious in your profile and your profile name. For individual pins, you can be a bit more specific. You might use things like “lavender soy candle or “lavender essential oil candles” if the pin is a lavender candle. Be specific and think in search terms!
Check out our guide to How to Find The Pinterest Keywords That Will Bring You the Most Traffic
3. Your boards aren’t optimized.
This goes along with knowing your keywords, but you want to make sure every board and every board description has the right keywords. So many people go for cutesy board names ( i.e. C A N D L E | LOVE, you know what I am talking about!). When it comes to board names, use the keyword phrases! Back to our candle example. One board could be “Essential Oil Soy Candles”, “Unity Candles for Weddings”, “Soy Candle Scents for Fall”. Things people will search for! You will want broad and niche keywords. You can have as many boards as you want on your account as long as they are relevent to your brand. Then be sure your keywords are also in the board name description. One thing to note, you want your keywords to be in sentences, not just a list of keyword phrases.
We always recommend when people are starting with a Pinterest strategy that they take time to create a list of their top 50 keywords to guide them in their pinning. Use these keywords in your board names and descriptions.
PS- How to Set-Up a Business Account on Pinterest
4. Not Claiming your Website & Adding Your Products.
Claiming your website on Pinterest is easy and opens up a whole new realm of opportunity. You’ll get access to website analytics and your pins will be branded with your logo or profile picture. Knowing this info will help you hone in on the content your audience is responding to and the keywords they are using. You can also claim Etsy pages, YouTube and Instagram accounts! Learn how to claim your website.
You can also add your entire product catalog to Pinterest, which means your products will appear in searches. Did you know 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded? This is a great opportunity to reach people right when they are searching for your exact product!
5. Having Links that Lead Nowhere
Once something is pinned it’s hard to reign it in again, but it’s important to try and make sure your pins are active links. If you’ve changed websites or moved your blog, try and delete old pins that don’t work anymore. It is a huge missed opportunity to have someone click on your content and then for them to be taken to a dead end!
6. You’re not consistent.
Pushing out regular content is the key to success on Pinterest. It’s not enough to just go in and pin when you have a couple of extra minutes, you want your content to be pinned every day, several times a day. This is where having a scheduler will help hugely. One word: TAILWIND. TailWind makes staying consistent east. You can not only schedule your pins months out, but you can also see analytics, keywords and join Tribes to get your content seen by more people.
7. You’re not using Idea Pins & Video Pins
Idea pins are Pinterest’s version of Instagram Stories or Reels, but the nice thing about Pinterest is that your Idea pins live forever! They won’t disappear after 24 hours. Idea Pins can’t link to your website, but they do provide a great opportunity to raise awareness and gain followers on Pinterest. Pinterest is highly favoring them, so it’s a good idea to incorporate them in your strategy, even if it’s just a few a month.
Video pins are also playing really well, especially if it’s a video showcasing someone using your product or something that is instructional.
Idea Pin Examples
Need more help with your Pinterest Strategy? Here are some more helpful resources!
Happy Pinning!
