Why Pinterest and Social Media are Different
It wasn’t too long ago where little ‘ole me was using Pinterest to search for new recipes and cute outfits. But after hearing a lot about how we should use it as a search engine rather than a social platform –I listened up. Here’s why Pinterest and social media are different.
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IT ISN’T A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
So, stop treating it like one!
You see, Pinterest organizes its search results by identifying key words that relate as close to what is being entered into the search bar as possible (very much like Google). Think of it as a visual search engine –not a social media channel. Now, those who are using Pinterest for their own personal use might see it as social media because they aren’t trying to sell or promote anything. They’re simply using it for inspiration, or to even buy or try something later. But business owners –you’ll want to make sure you have a completely different strategy.
THE ALGORITHM IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Hands-down, my favorite thing to tell folks is Pinterest’s effectiveness in driving visitors to their websites FOR FREE. With the constant algorithm changes happening on social media these days, the only way you’ll really get anywhere, is if you pay an arm and a leg for Facebook or Instagram ads. But not with Pinterest. Pinterest’s algorithm (aka, smart feed) is sorted by key words and relevancy, not the amount of money you’re spending or followers you have. In fact, it’s very common for your pins to appear in searches for years – whereas with Facebook…well…you’re looking at a mere 1-2 days if you receive any type of engagement.
IT REQUIRES A SEPARATE POSTING STYLE
Unlike posting updates on Facebook or other social media channels, Pinterest is a completely different animal. For example, the frequency of pins you post daily is significantly higher and should have a good mix of original content and re-pins from users in similar niches. I’ve also found that top-performing Pinterest accounts pin at least 10-15x per day (and the top TOP performers pin between 30-40x/day). And while that might seem like a lot, you can easily create multiple pin designs for one piece of content to stretch it out. Tailwind (the number one Pinterest scheduler) makes it super easy to batch content and schedule ahead of time. Try it out for free, here.
ITS DISCOVERABILITY IS BASED SOLELY ON KEY WORDS
Since Pinterest’s discoverability is based off searchable key words, you’ll want to make sure your board titles, board descriptions, and pin descriptions are optimized accordingly. A good tip is to always imagine yourself in the head of your ideal client. What kinds of things are they typing in the search bar? How can you anticipate their needs and translate that into a concise label for your pins? You also want to make sure that your pin descriptions aren’t too broad that you get completely buried in the search –so make it specific enough. A good example of this would be describing a pin as “marketing consultant benefits,” versus just “consultant benefits” (see my Essie Brands pin below? Two are at the very top!).
PINTEREST USERS WILL DO THE WORK FOR YOU
Pinterest is one of the only platforms where users will regularly do the work for you –without even knowing it! Yeah, other social media channels have have sharing capabilities, but nothing catches fire quite like a Pinterest pin. And with Pinterest, there’s millions of users pinning and sharing content like crazy. I mean, isn’t that the whole point? To hop onto Pinterest for inspiration, save, then refer to later? Pinterest users are literally doing the advertising for you.
SIMILAR NICHES CAN PROMOTE YOU, TOO
And to amplify your exposure even more, Pinterest has group boards where users in similar niches can post and share each other’s content to an audience of interested followers. Tailwind Tribes operate in a very similar fashion, as well. This is a feature available to all Tailwind members and allows users to share each other’s content to their followers. Talk about opportunities!
Looking for a bit more direction? Then, click here to learn more about my Pinterest services.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to pin it below! 🙂
