Pinterest may have started out years ago as a hot spot for recipe pins and DIY projects, but today it‘s so much more. With over 478 million monthly active users as of 2023, Pinterest has massively grown in reach and influence across niches. Whether you have an ecommerce store, blog, service business or information site – strategic pinning should be part of your digital marketing plan.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore step-by-step how to tap into Pinterest to take your website traffic to the next level this year.
Optimizing Your Pinterest Presence
Just like other social platforms, standing out on Pinterest starts with an optimized profile and intentional approach to posting. Here are some best practices to nail down first:
Complete Profile: Fill out your profile fully including links, headshots, descriptions and website verification to build authority with users.
Themed Boards: Create boards around specific topics that resonate with your target audience and fill them out with eye-catching pins. Keep your overall board strategy focused.
Follow Influencers: Take the time to identify and follow Pinners in your niche that create quality content. Engage regularly with their pins to build community.
Post Consistently: To see your followers grow, aim to share new pins at least a few times per week according to an editorial calendar.
By taking advantage of Pinterest‘s business tools for profiles, you can also easily track analytics to guide your efforts.
Designing Engaging Pins
While a stunning photo or graphic will draw attention, the real key to high engagement pins that drive traffic is all about the details you add.
Pin Size and Dimensions
With so much mobile usage on Pinterest, opt for vertical image dimensions at a 2:3 ratio for an ideal fit in user feeds. The exact pixel sizes aren‘t as important as shaping images that take up adequate space while scrolling.
Vibrant Colors and Text Overlays
Eye-popping colors naturally attract more repins, but don‘t overdo it. Find the right balance and enhance pins further with simple text overlays that share key details at a glance to pique curiosity.
Space to Brand
While keeping branding minimal on pins, do make your logo orwatermarks large enough to easily identify your content while browsing. This simple touch builds familiarity with site visitors.
Calls-to-Action
Every pin description should end with some type of call-to-action to click through. Phrases like "Learn more here" with a link back to your site persuade pinners to take the next step.
When to Pin for Maximum Visibility
As with most social platforms, when you drop new pins can impact their performance. According to analytics company Curalate, across niches the highest average click-through rates happen around the following times and days:
Peak Repin Times: Fridays from 12 PM – 4 PM and Saturdays from 8 AM – 11 AM
Peak Click Times: Saturdays 2 PM – 5 PM and Mondays 10 AM -1 PM
Beyond timing to align with peak traffic windows, concentrate pins around already proven popular content that generated high engagement previously. Recycling evergreen pins saves time while allowing you to build momentum around topics visitors clearly care about.
Strategic Group Board Collaborations
Joining forces with established group Pinterest boards related to your niche opens the door to expand your reach overnight. Not only do group boards provide more avenues to share your own pins, but your website also gains exposure when other members view and follow your profile after seeing collaborative pins.
A few smart ways to leverage group boards for heightened website traffic include:
Request to Join: Seek out popular group boards in your industry and ask the admin permission to pin content when a submission form or instructions are provided.
Create Your Own: If you have an engaged following already, launch your own group board inviting expert pinners to share their best tips.
Cross-Promote: Pin group board content back to your other boards and social accounts to maximize visibility. Encourage your current followers to join.
Tools to Elevate Your Pin Strategy
While Pinterest provides a sleek interface making it simple to manually pin content, to truly unlock growth at scale tools and apps to enhance efforts are a must.
Tailwind for in-depth analytics, scheduling pins in advance and engaging with influencer content in your niche.
Canva for creating completely custom pin designs with stylish templates.
The Social Snap WordPress Plugin to instantly add a "Save" button over images in blog posts so visitors can pin one-click.
Depending on your niche and objectives, promoted pins and Shopify integrations may also amplify success attributed to strategic organic pinning activities.
Tracking Performance and Doubling Down on What Works
With all growth strategies, continued analysis and refinements must happen for consistent results over the long-term.
Invest time each week to:
Monitor Analytics: Views, repins, clicks and traffic data inform tactical pivots.
Review Top Content: Identify specific pin themes and topics that out-perform continually. Triple down efforts in those areas.
Remove Poor Content: Pins that don‘t gain traction should get archived so you can focus on distributing more of the hits.
Engage With Followers: Comments, likes and repins keep your brand top of mind in your niche.
When it comes to elevating website traffic, a pinsightful approach pays off. Let these Pinterest best practices guide your journey to the next level in 2024!
