This week, we’re focusing on Pinterest and what you and your small business can do to utilize all its features. While you may think of Pinterest as a platform with cupcake recipes or DIY crafts, it’s actually so much more. In other words, Pinterest can help to elevate your social media presence! Keep reading to learn what makes a successful pin and how to optimize your profile!

The tools you’ll need

First, you’re probably curious about which tools and apps are out there to create unique and eye-catching Pinterest graphics. Some of the top ones include Canva, Creative Market, Creative Cloud, and Ivory Mix.

Canva is a graphic design platform for creating advertisements, charts, social media graphics, and other visual content for your profile. It has hundreds of free templates, colors, and fonts. You can access it on desktop and on mobile!

Creative Market is an online marketplace for design assets including WordPress themes, stock photography, and graphics. The ready-to-use design assets come from independent creators around the world! 

Adobe produces the Creative Cloud. It is a collection of software that is used for web development, graphic design, photography, etc. 

Finally, we have Ivory Mix. This is a resource providing stock photos and marketing materials. These materials help businesses to create content that grows traffic, leads, and profits. 

Editing your profile

You’re going to want to edit your Pinterest profile in a way that allows your audience to easily get a sense of your goal or purpose. To update your page, click the small icon in the top right corner (this might be your profile picture or a simple icon if you haven’t chosen one yet). From there, click the pencil icon just below the search bar to begin editing. Here, you can add the name of your business and your contact information. anything else you would like your viewers to know. 

To convert your personal Pinterest account to a business account, simply click “Account settings” in the left column under “Edit profile,” and scroll to “Convert account” at the very bottom. This is important if you are a blogger or are just trying to build brand recognition. 

Now you can start creating what are called “Boards.” Boards act as categories to organize all different types of pins. For example, if you want a section on your profile with weekly inspirational quotes, you could add a board to your page called, “Monday Mantras”. To create one, click the “+” symbol next to the pencil as mentioned before and two options will appear. One is for creating a new board and the other is for a new pin. Now your pins will be more organized! 

Important terms

There are several key terms every Pinterest user should be knowledgeable about. “Rich pins” include extra, easily accessible information on the pin itself. In fact, there are a handful of different types including app, place, article, product, recipe, and movie pins. They are free elements available for anyone on Pinterest.

Keywords help to specify what each of your posts are about. They should also be included immediately after your business name on your profile, in your bio, and on your boards and pins. A common template for including keywords in your bio is “I help ____ to ____ by ____.” Your audience should read your description and immediately gain a better understanding of what your business does.

You’ve probably heard the term thrown around here and there, but what exactly is SEO? Well, it stands for “search engine optimization” and can be defined as the visibility of your website or web page to users of a web search engine. Getting your product or service on Pinterest provides you with more recognition and a greater following. 

One of the most used features on Pinterest is the search box. To make sure your profile and pins are seen, you need to add top keywords to all of your content. That way, users searching for your products or services will come across your posts first!

We hope you gained a better understanding of Pinterest with this breakdown. Start showcasing your business on this growing platform today!

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