ShareAre you thinking about advertising on Pinterest? Pinterest has over 4 million users every month that want to actively search for new products – they’re highly engaged and receptive to ads.
In this blog, we explore the different elements of advertising on Pinterest as well as the benefits it offers your business.
What types of businesses use Pinterest ads?
Did you know Pinterest users spend twice as much money shopping every month compared to non-pinners? Ads on Pinterest work best for businesses with products and services that are a good fit for the platform and in industries that are popular in feeds and searches, such as:
- Home décor
- Cooking
- Fashion
- Beauty
That’s not to say other industries won’t see great results, it may just need a bit more creative flare or specialist targeting.
What do I need and how do I advertise on Pinterest?
These are the simple steps you need to take to start advertising on Pinterest.
1. Set up a business account
First of all, you will need to set up a business account (if you don’t already have one). A business account will include features like the business hub and analytics, as well as allowing you to become a merchant and upload catalogues. Once you have a business account, you can run ads on Pinterest.
2. Create your first board
You will need a place to display your Pins, so you need to create a board for your brand. As your activity grows, you can expand your boards – for example, you may have different boards for different products.
3. Choose your advertising goal
You can choose different ads based on what goals you want to achieve, these goals include:
- Increased brand awareness
- Increased website traffic
- Increased app installs
- Increased video views
- Increased conversions
You will also be able to specify your geographical and demographical targets here, along with keywords and set the budget!
4. Create your ad content
Now for the fun part – well, that’s only if you’re the creative type! When you create your ads, some common best practices you will need to keep in mind are:
- Image size
- Image quality
- Image type
Pinterest ad types
There are a wide variety of ad formats that can be used to showcase your products and content throughout the platform.
Standard pins
Standard pins are exactly the same as regular pins, either a vertical or square static image which can appear native in the feed. A logo, URL and short text overlay can be added as well as a longer description.
Video pins
Video pins are also known as ‘story pins’ that allow you to record multiple videos as well as add images, lists and custom text to a single pin. You can click through the pages just like you would an Instagram story, making them perfect for demonstrations or how-tos. This ad format can also feature music or even voice-overs. Video pin ads are an eye-catching format that allows room for creativity and grabs your target audience’s attention. Video ads give you the opportunity to showcase a range of products. The recommended video length is around 6 – 15 seconds per video; although you can use sound on the video, bear in mind that not everyone has sound enabled as they browse – so make sure you prioritise the visual elements first.
Idea pins
Idea pins are also known as ‘story pins’ that allow you to record multiple videos as well as add images, lists and custom text to a single pin. You can click through the pages just like you would an Instagram story, making them perfect for demonstrations or how-tos. This ad format can also feature music or even voice-overs.
Carousel pins
Carousel pin ads look the same as standard image pins, except you can click or swipe through to see more images. These need to have a minimum of 2 images and a maximum of 5. Carousels are perfect for sharing more information about a product or range of products.
Shopping pins
Shopping pins are pins that a user can click through to immediately make a purchase. Products can be imported from your product catalogue and a purchase will be made either within the Pinterest app or via the URL that takes them to your website. According to Pinterest, “When brands add Shopping ads to their Pinterest mix, they see 3x the conversion and 2x the positive incremental Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).”
Collection ads
Collection ads allow you to display your products in action with a hybrid format that mixes lifestyle, imagery and video. So the ad may appear as one image or video but when it’s clicked, it expands into a full-screen display which can show up to 24 secondary items. This type of ad only appears in the mobile app feed, but it can be a really effective way to gain interest.
What are the benefits of Pinterest ads?
Pinterest users continue to increase by 37% year on year, offering the possibility of reaching lots of potential new customers and increasing your brand awareness. Advertising on Pinterest provides a unique opportunity to engage with an audience that are more open to receiving and responding to ads, as they are actively looking for new ideas.
The platform is a great place to showcase your brand and business’ story helping others to connect to your brand – whether it be for inspiration, ideas or information. Compared to other social media sites, Pinterest users are 3 times more likely to click on a Pin to find out more information about a product or service, so there is a high chance of driving more traffic to your website and increasing conversions.
Although the likes of Facebook and Instagram have a lot more users, the difference is that Pinterest users are on the platform to discover and shop for products – meaning users are 7x more likely to say Pinterest is the most influential platform for their buying decisions.
So, what did we learn?
Pinterest provides brands with a unique opportunity to reach new audiences. Pinterest users are still continuing to grow at a fast rate and they’re actively looking to discover and shop, so advertising can be super beneficial!
If you’d like to start advertising on Pinterest or want to find out more about how we can support your paid social media, contact our friendly team today.
References
https://business.pinterest.com/en-gb/advertise/
https://blog.hootsuite.com/pinterest-ads/
https://help.pinterest.com/en-gb/guide/all-about-pinterest
https://digitalagencynetwork.com/benefits-of-pinterest-for-business/
https://help.pinterest.com/en/business/guide/becoming-an-advertiser-on-pinterest
https://www.shopify.co.uk/blog/pinterest-ads
