Is Pinterest marketing worth it in 2024?

Adding another marketing channel is the last thing you need, am I right?

Here’s the thing. You’re right. You DON’T need all of the marketing channels. Where you choose to show up depends on your business goals — and your bandwidth.

We looooove Pinterest around here, and whether you’re a product based business, a service business, or something in between, it’s definitely worth considering. Why?

It’s much more reliable and less flakey than Instagram. And the best part is, your results snowball overtime (instead of your content dying on the shelf)!

Why Consider Pinterest?

Here’s why Pinterest might be the perfect fit for you. If you’re looking for:

• More website traffic (the good kind): Pinterest will help you attract ideal clients who are actively searching for what you offer. According to the Pinterest newsroom, 1 in 3 Pinterest users has an income over $100k. [source]
  
• More inquiries and leads: People on Pinterest are looking for solutions, not just scrolling mindlessly. (Did you know that 85 percent of weekly users have made a purchase based on a pin they saw? That’s some serious buying power! [source])
  
• A break from the “highlight reel”: No need to worry about grabbing b-roll videos when you’re out to dinner with the kids. Aesthetics are important on Pinterest, but they’re MUCH less gimmicky than on social media.

We’ll dive deeper into the pros and cons of Pinterest in a sec, but first, let’s chat about how to make sure it’s actually worth it for YOUR business.

How to Make Sure Pinterest is Worth It for YOU:

• Identify your target audience: Before diving deeper, take a moment to consider your ideal customer. Are they likely to be on Pinterest?
  
• Analyze your product/service: So, you’ve determined your ideal customer is on Pinterest. But is your product or service a good fit for the platform? Some offers are super tough to represent visually, so that’s something to keep in mind.
  
• Set realistic goals: Focus on website traffic and brand awareness initially — then we’ll move down the funnel to conversions (and those sweet dollah dollah bills in your jeans!)

Pros of Pinterest

It lasts forever

Pins can drive traffic to your website for months, but even more likely – for YEARS, unlike fleeting social media posts. This is a huge advantage, especially when you compare it to a platform like Instagram where (I love it there, but seriously!) content lasts for a couple of days at best.

Less fickle algorithm

Instead of sacrificing something at the altar of the fickle social media algorithm, focusing on Pinterest SEO is fairly predictable. When you focus on targeted keywords, high-quality visuals, and trending topics – all of which are absolutely findable – you’ll get discovered more easily.

Your clients are coming to you

Unlike social media platforms, Pinterest is a visual search engine. That means instead of popping up between a post about dying orphans and the easiest way to make a million dollars in six seconds, you’re coming up when someone is actively searching for a solution or inspiration in your specific niche.

They’re typing “website template” into the search engine, and instead of a boring ol’ Google text result, they’re seeing your beautiful thing and it’s wonderful. They’re inspired. They click. They save. They buy.

That means your content has a much higher chance of reaching folks who are genuinely interested in your offer! (And they don’t have whiplash from scrolling social.)

Here’s a fun fact: Pinterest’s annual trend predictions, Pinterest Predicts, have boasted an 80 percent success rate for four years in a row! This means you can use their insights to see if Pinterest aligns with your audience’s interests. Take a peek at the 2024 guide right here!

Cons of Pinterest

It’s not all sunshine and roses. Here’s a reality check: ALL marketing requires effort and takes time to see results.

The long game

It can take a while to get results (expect 3-6 months at least), but once you do — that content will work for you for the rest of the whole internet, aka forever. That’s pretty stinkin’ cool.

Time investment

Creating high-quality pins consistently takes time and effort. We recommend pinning 5-10 pins per day for the best results (although we’ve got ways to make it quicker – swipe for our workflow!).

Creating high quality pins consistently requires time & effort, but a study by Sprout Social showed that businesses using Pinterest saw an average increase of 26 percent in website traffic!

Not ideal for all businesses:

While Pinterest is great for many, it might not be the best fit for everyone. Businesses selling very specific services or B2B products that are tough to represent visually might see better results with other marketing channels.

How to make sure that your Pinterest efforts pay off

Okay now that you’ve read all of that and you’ve decided you’re all in, you want to make sure your efforts actually get results.

Welcome. So glad you made it. 🤣

Seriously, I’m so glad. There’s no bigger bummer than seeing someone using a platform just because they feel like they should. It means they get all of the stress, and none of the reward!

(I’m talking about when you tackle all of the shiny new hacks without backing it up with a real strategy, not having a game plan to take it seriously. Don’t waste your time!)

Here’s how you can ensure that you’re getting results from the efforts that you’re putting in on Pinterest.

STEP 1 :: Optimize your profile

YOUR BIO

Craft a clear and compelling bio that tells people what you do and who you help. Include relevant keywords (always!) and a link back to your website. We’ll talk specifics in a sec.

CURATE YOUR BOARDS

Your boards are like mini-magazines showcasing your expertise. Create boards dedicated to specific topics that are relevant to your perfect fit persons, and pop in a few high quality pins. (Ideally they’re from your own content!)

Each board needs to have an optimized description as well — including the keywords you’d like to target.

We did this for a client and within seven days, her impressions were up by almost EIGHT THOUSAND PERCENT. [share screen grab here, as well as a link to our services]

STEP 2 :: Create content.

If you’ve been following the Pinterest updates these past couple of years, you know that they’re looking for fresh pins — of your own content. Posting 5-10 pins per day of your own stuff feels like a BEAST to tackle!

Luckily, you don’t have to create 150 new pieces of content per month. Rather, you’re pointing to existing content multiple times, so it can live a longer life!

RESEARCH YOUR KEYWORDS

Figure out what people are searching for on Pinterest, that’s related to your offerings. (We have a post on exactly how to do that, right here!)*** Use those keywords or phrases naturally in your pin titles and descriptions. Use strong calls to action (on both the photo and in the description!) to encourage people to click through to your website.

MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL

High-quality visuals are not negotiable on Pinterest. Use eye-catching images (or better yet, videos!) and clear graphics across your pins.

STEP 3 :: Track & iterate!

This is the most important step of all! Keep an eye on what’s working and what’s not. Track things like impressions (great! your keywords are working!), saves (awesome! folks want to come back to your content, which means it’s high quality!), and clicks (best of all! that’s where your sales come from!).

When you see something working, double down on it! Doing more of what’s working is key to maximizing your results.

This might seem like a lot. It IS a lot. But hey, if you need someone to do the heavy lifting for you, that’s what Knap Creative is all about! Check out our Pinterest services right here.