When it comes to Pinterest, the beauty lies in the discovery of new products and fresh ideas, and as 2021 unfolds it’s clear there’s no sign of slowing down in getting inspirational. Content on this platform continues to be centered around products, ideas and hobbies that are directly linked to purchasing as compared to other social media platforms that are mainly focused on sharing of personal opinions and information.
This explains why Pinterest marketing is more attractive to advertisers and consumers alike. It’s a visual search engine with a solution to almost anything under the sun.
And it’s also why Pinterest has constantly been improving on its monetization tools such as the latest introduction of automatic bidding that enables marketers to effectively manage their campaigns.
Here are a few statistics to help put things in perspective:
Pinterest Statistics
Pinterest boasts of over 300 million global users monthly and Pins that spill over 200 billion. And here is something good for people interested in Pinterest marketing. Shopify the e-commerce platform found that Pinterest was their 2nd source of referral traffic, where a huge percentage of their users were using Pinterest to plan their purchase with an average resulting order value of $50. Which is above other social media platforms.
These are such impressive statistics that prove a huge opportunity for marketing on Pinterest in 2021 going forward.
Why Use Pinterest for Marketing?
Besides the attractive statistics above, there are quite a number of solid reasons why you should pick Pinterest as your ecommerce channel of choice completed with a Pinterest Marketing Strategy in place.
You Get a Competitive Edge
A huge number of Pins are directly linked to your business website. Even the largest brands are using Pinterest, so your competitors as well as your potential buyers are using it, you shouldn’t be left behind.
It Helps You Get More Discoverable
77% of users discover new products or brands when surfing randomly through Pinterest. Therefore it can help you get discovered with the advantage that your pins will link back to your website and thus keep driving organic traffic.
This has been made possible by the fact that Pinterest allows you to link both your visual and text content to your website. It’s a great feature that boosts e-commerce since it allows brands to showcase their products or services through attractive images. Ensure to optimize for SEO.
Engage with Your Audience
The unique thing about Pinterest is that it’s quite easy to get like-minded people together. Thus, having a community of people that consume your content is easy. So, it’s important to treat your boards as a place where you can engage and interact with your community with a big chance to turn “on-lookers” into customers.
You can also exploit this chance to build a loyal following by following accounts you think might follow back. Promoting your Pinterest account through other social media platforms, effectively using relevant hashtags and keywords in your posts and keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing.
Another easy way to keep your followers engaged is by responding to them. It will give you a great opportunity to gain valuable information about their likes and dislikes which you can use to fin-tune your Pinterest marketing campaign.
Reinforces Brand Image
When you use stunning styled stock photos effectively and regularly appear on the pages of your followers, you create a brand identity that they can easily notice. And this builds a strong brand image. Pinterest marketing is made easy because it easily suggests your images to relevant people who have searched for similar content.
Pinterest Content Lasts Long
Most social media platforms have a time frame from which your content stops appearing on your followers pages, unless a follower goes out of their way to search for it. But Pinterest pins stick forever. They can be pinned and repined over and over again. They don’t fade into oblivion, they last long. And when you have spent time picking the best styled stock photos for Pinterest Marketing, you want your effect to last for days.
It’s Inspirational
People feel their way to reason, and emotions constitute the foundations of decisions. As such it’s simple to understand that most purchases are made out of an emotional influence, and inspiration is at the center of this.
Pinterest is known for inspirational content, it’s where people come with open minds to hunt for new ideas. This gives marketers a chance to inspire their followers buying journey from the beginning to the end. It motivates conversion.
Why You Should Use Original Styled Stock Photos for Pinterest Marketing
Stock Photos are simply a collection of professional photos taken with businesses in mind, available for brands and individuals to use. And can either be slathered on various websites or hosted by a single website.
Today, the best professional photographers have their own websites where they offer their best work at a fee. There are also a number of other sites that offer stellar images that have been taken by professionals with advanced skills in visual content and photography and that would be ideal for Pinterest marketing.
Here are good reasons why you should consider original styled stock photos when planning how to use Pinterest for business marketing:
Using Styled Stock Photos for Pinterest Marketing Will Save You Time
Think about the hours and planning that goes into a single photo shoot, from styling to shooting and editing. It can take a tremendous amount of time.
However, when using original styled stock photos, you can plan a months’ worth of work and even schedule it because all you need to do is identify the ideal images from your preferred collection and go.
Using Styled Stock Photos for Marketing on Pinterest Will Save You Money!
A photo shoot costs good money because most talented photographers charge quite a high fee for their excellent work. Alternatively, if you have photography skills, you’ll agree that a good camera and equipment don’t come cheap, neither do the editing software or the props.
And while stellar styled stock photos also come at a price, you simply cannot compare the amount you’ll spend on them to what you will spend hiring a photographer or investing in photography gear yourself. Buying original styled stock photos for marketing on Pinterest is an investment worth making and one that offers endless variety.
Using Styled Stock Photos for Pinterest Marketing will Build a Cohesive Brand
Your brand is identified by your brand images and Pinterest is all about building that brand image. When you use styled stock photos you get to pick a consistent look to earn you the identity and recognition.
People will identify and recognize your content, products or services and your brand will easily be visually represented. Styled stock photos will easily enable you to create a cohesive, stunning and professional brand image.
Marketing on Pinterest Using Styled Stock Photos Will Amplify Your Professionalism
As said, there are some very professional styled stock photos created by some of the best photographers out there. When you’re not able to create your own photos or hire a photographer, do not compromise on your brand image. Using elegant stock photos will increase your professionalism and help you maintain a legitimate and trustworthy image in your Pinterest marketing campaign.
Great Images Will Attract Buyers and Boost Conversions.
People who scroll through Pinterest know it’s all about the pictures. Great images have a way of showing trustworthiness. They show that you know what you’re doing and thereby people will want to purchase a product or service that looks reliable. And in the end will boost your sales and earn you more customers.
How to Use Styled Stock Photos for Pinterest Marketing
Here are a few tips to have in consideration for effective marketing on Pinterest.
- Use a pin ratio of 2:3 which is the most suitable for Pinterest, it’s also important to remember that the vertical posts perform better with a recommended size of 600x900px.
- Use fonts that are easy to read and don’t use more than three fonts. Avoid extra-large or very thin fonts because you want you text to be read quickly and easily.
- Include an attractive CTA and copy it to your images. Let the important phrases pop.
- Let the images you use match your brand theme and topic at hand.
- Avoid distractive graphics to prevent your message from getting lost.
- Use fresh copy on each Pinterest pin you create to increase the possibility of reaching a larger audience or even going viral. Try out different phrases and keywords to see what works best.
- Remember to use relevant keywords and key phrases in your description.
- Ensure that your pins link back to the correct page or site.
What Makes for a Great Pin in Pinterest Marketing?
What’s the anatomy of a pin that has the potential of going viral? When selecting styled stock images for your Pinterest marketing, there are four key elements to use in order to have a perfect pin:
Stunning Pin-worthy Photos
Pinterest is not a place for dull images. It’s a platform for colorful, bright and high-quality stock images. After all, this is a visual search engine and great visuals will attract the most attention. They will do a better job at convincing the customers that your images are worth getting a re-pin. Beautiful images are eye-catching and users will want to re-pin them on their feed as well and are likely to go and check out more of your content.
Use Complimentary Fonts in Your Catchy and Clear Titles
When you clearly tell your viewer what your blog or page is all about, you instantly eliminate guess-work and invite them to learn more. This will only be possible when you use two, not more, two complimentary fonts featuring clear and catchy titles.
When you use more than two fonts you run the risk of clashing and presenting a visual mess and viewers will move right along to the next more appealing pin.
Include the Correct URL
Using the right URL whether for your blog or website will beat two birds with a single stone. First is that you will reinforce ownership of your styled stock photo and secondly you will draw more traffic into your site.
This will make you look like an expert because you will be the original source of stellar content.
Vertical Design
Pinterest boards naturally give a more eye-catching view with vertically oriented pins. Pinterest also recommends designing vertical pins that are 735 pixels wide and not more than 2061 pixels in length or else you’ll run the risk of getting your image cut off.
Even when using styled stock photos, you should adjust your images to fit within this recommendation to ensure they’re well represented thumbnails in feeds. They also ensure your image looks neat and complete.
Pinterest Marketing Strategies Using Styled Stock Photos
Don’t Get Sued
When using styled stock photography for Pinterest marketing it’s very important that you play by the rules. You don’t want to waste time and money and probably mess up your brand image dealing with a law suit. Avoid that by understanding the following types of licensing:
Public Domain – Stock images under this category simply mean that they are free to use without a license. They require no attribution, so ensure to look at the details of the photos before using them.
Royalty Free – This is the next most common license because you pay for the image once, but then you’re free to use it across several platforms without having to pay for it again.
Right Managed – This type of licensing only allows for the image to be used once after paying for it. If you need to use the same image for a second ad or use it in a different platform you’ll be required to pay for it again. You’ll find this mostly under the best of the best original styled stock images that are very unique and allow for manipulation.
These are important things to know when planning how to use Pinterest for marketing your business using styled stock photos.
Use Stock Photos That Look Custom
Probably this is one of those reasons that made people ran away from stock photos, it’s sensible to keep away from cliché things. But with Pinterest marketing through use of styled stock photos, it’s possible to use unique professional images that are less cheesy, with the possibility of adding personal elements to make them more custom.
This includes using or picking images that blend with your brand theme and color. As a matter of fact data shows that 67% of online buyers stated that high quality images contribute to their purchase decisions.
Your goal as you plan how to use Pinterest for marketing using styled stock photos should be to get high quality and unique images for each pin that will compel viewers to click through the several stages of your marketing funnel.
Have a Budget for Ad Stock Photos
When it comes to your crucial ad campaigns, you will avoid the public domain free images that someone else is likely using and instead opt for unique images to run your ads with.
This means that you will have to set aside a budget for buying the rights for these unique and beautiful images for your Pinterest marketing campaign to stand out. Think strategically to ensure you have the right source for those professional, unique and eye-catching images.
Use Images That Are Contextually Relevant to Your Brand Message
When your images show something contrary to what your message is saying, you come out as confused, unreliable and unserious. You will end up losing potential customers because they will just swipe and forget about you. It’s very important to choose a styled stock image that’s relevant to your goals, message and branding.
To ensure you achieve this you must carefully consider these elements and think about your ultimate goal. Will your selected image communicate and deliver this goal in the easiest way possible?
Use Human Photos with Emotion to Capture Attention
Studies have proven that images with human faces and emotion get more attention and reaction than those that don’t. Use stock images with genuine human emotion shown in the face for effective Pinterest marketing. People relate to emotions and this would inspire them to take the next step. When you look at the stock image, use your own intuition, how does it make you feel?
With that said, be realistic about what the image really shows. For instance, a man wearing a suit laughing alone at a corner seems cheesy, but an image with a baby smiling as he takes a step seems as genuine as can be. Focus on picking an image that has a human face with emotion and that can clearly support the message you’re trying to convey in your Pinterest marketing campaign.
Try the Minimalist Approach
It’s easy to pick an image that “says it all” aka a busy image that has all these fluorescent colors popping from everywhere. But this can be chaotic.
A decent Pinterest ad typically should have clean and simple images that will attract your viewers and still be able to convey your message clearly. When picking your styled stock images for marketing on Pinterest, think from your consumers’ point of view.
Would you like to see that image in your feed? How will it make you feel? Remember less is more. Intrigue creates curiosity which leads to more interest and enquiries. A good Pinterest pin will make the viewers want to see more.
It’s Ok to Customize It to Add Relevance
You cannot get it right without this step. You have to add your own touch to styled stock photos for effective Pinterest marketing. You have to remove that general feel from them by adding your personal elements that are relevant to your Pinterest marketing campaign. You can add elements such as you brand logo, a small amount of text with your brand tone and so on. But be minimal.
Offer a Diversity of Pins
Just like all social media, it’s good to offer more than one type of content to avoid being static. It’s not enough to only post images with your products. It’s important to pin related content that will still be of value to your followers.
You need to show that you care about them, throw in something relevant but less salesy occasionally. You can show a short ten second behind the scenes video or a user generated image of a happy client’s feedback and so on.
Create a Unique Board for Blogs Only
This is another simple way to drive traffic to your website. Make it easy for users to find your blog content by organizing all your Rich pins into one board and let this board be among the most popular pins for easy access.
A/B Test Your Pinterest Ads
The beauty of becoming a heavy stock photo user is that you get better at picking out the best and relevant original photos to your Pinterest marketing campaign. You can slowly but successfully figure out how to use varying images for the same Pinterest ad.
What this will do is give you the opportunity to run two ads at the same time to the same targeted audience but switching half by half to see which ad gets the most response.
For styled stock photos specifically, the best approach would be to keep both ads identical in terms of the elements you add such as your copy as well as your call to action. And only use a different stock image for each to find out the type of stock image that’ll work best for your Pinterest marketing campaign.
Testing your styled stock images on your Pinterest ads is a crucial step as it will give you insights as to what kinds of original styled stock photos resonate most with your audience. This will enable you to leverage on them and get as much conversion as you can. You will see the worth of paying for those rights.
You can use Pinterest Analytics to see:
- The images that people save most from your page
- The pins and boards that get most interaction
- The location, gender and other interest of your Pinterest audience
- What devices are being used to pin your content
- The effects of the pin it button as far as traffic is concerned and many more insights.
Source: YouTube
Bonus Pinterest Marketing Strategies
Here are some bonus tips to help you thrive at Pinterest marketing.
Use a Business Account
This is a free account that will enable you market your brand better especially because it will give you access to Pinterest analytics. Which as seen above, will give you valuable insights to guide you on the most ideal stock photos to use for your campaigns.
Pick the Right Category for Your Brand
You become easily discoverable when you are in the right category because it will make it easier for users to find you when they search. When anyone searches for content that’s similar to yours, you will most likely be suggested. This will boost your visibility.
Maximize on Those Keywords
When you use keywords throughout your content, your pins, profile and boards, you’ll organically show up in users’ feeds and searches. Keywords also help in the sense that they put you in your relevant niche. So, anyone looking for something in that niche will most likely see you among the search results.
Some locations that you can include keywords in your Pinterest marketing include:
- Your profile as well as your brand bio
- Your pin description
- Your board titles and descriptions
- Your image copy
Leverage on Hashtags
This is another way to organically reach your audience. In Pinterest just like other social media platforms, hashtags work the same way and they’re basically meant to make specific content search friendly. When a user clicks on a certain hashtag that you have used, your content automatically appears in their search results. Sums up: hashtags are great for visibility.
Share Your Pinterest Marketing Content on Other Social Networks
It’s ok to spread your tentacles beyond Pinterest and improve your chances of being noticed. When people like what they see, they will get into Pinterest and follow you.
Interact and Follow Other Accounts
As a brand, it’s important to have personal relationships with Pinterest users. This is a way of gaining new followers, building loyalty, boosting sales and also getting new ideas. Through getting feedback, you will gain valuable insights about how to improve your product or service.
Follow Social Media Best Practices
These include remembering to post new pins on a regular basis, ensuring you’re offering your audience value and making sure your sales method is not too pushy. It also involves encouraging them to use your products by offering discounts and so on.
Conclusion
Pinterest is all about creating powerful inspirational visual content that will offer people solutions to their everyday life issues. And original styled stock photos are just what you need for an effective Pinterest marketing campaign that is stress free.
These strategies and tips are the knowledge that you need as far as the question on how to use Pinterest for marketing your business using original styled stock photos goes. Open that Pinterest business account and start scouting for beautiful, unique and professional stock images.
