SOCIAL
Pro Tips: Pinterest Provides Insights into How to Maximize Your Pin Strategy in 2021
Are you considering adding Pinterest into your digital marketing process, or looking for ways to improve your existing Pin presence?
You should be. The platform has seen a significant increase in usage over the past two years, with the rise in eCommerce activity, sparked by the pandemic, leading more and more people to the app for increasingly personalized product discovery and browsing options.
Indeed, Pinterest is now up to 478 million active users, higher than Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit, and with a dedicated shopping focus, it could be even more valuable as a promotional platform, depending on your brand offering.
So what’s working on Pinterest in 2021, and how can you go about tapping into that rise in activity?
In the first of our new Pro Tips series, we spoke to Elizabeth Mansfield, Head of Americas + APAC for Pinterest Business Marketing, to get her insights into the key shifts and trends of note.
Q: What ad/promotional elements are seeing the best response on Pinterest right now?
EM: As more and more people use Pinterest as a shopping platform, we’re seeing a hugely positive response to ads targeting people who truly love shopping.
Pinterest is not about shortcuts, one-click ordering, and mindless consumption; it’s inspiring, and it’s intentional. So the brands that can harness the magic of browsing, discovery and finding inspiration on the way to buying are winning here. In fact, when brands add Shopping Ads to their campaigns, they drive 3x the conversion and sales lift.
Q: What’s the key to an effective Pin strategy?
EM: Pinterest is fundamentally different from social media platforms. People come to Pinterest to focus on themselves – their real selves. They’re finding inspiration to build the lives they want to create. And brands actually add to that experience instead of interrupting it.
The key to an effective Pinterest strategy is playing within that inspiration ecosystem by using strong imagery, video, and Idea Pins. It’s really about creating inspiring content that will help Pinners turn ideas into reality – and making your brand or product exactly what they need.
Q: What’s the most common mistake you see brands make with their Pin approach?
EM: Brands that aren’t using Pinterest’s rich audience insights to inform their campaigns are truly missing out.
Pinners are planners, so we have insight into not only what ideas and products they’re looking for now, but what they’ll be looking for in the future. Trends grow faster and last longer on Pinterest, so whether it’s a beauty trend like “skinimalism” or a snack trend like watermelon jerky, Pinners are on the leading edge of culture.
Our annual Pinterest Predicts report is a treasure trove of these audience insights!
Q: What’s a good example of a brand that’s achieving strong results with Pin marketing?
EM: Anheuser-Busch InBev’s BON V!V brand absolutely nailed a recent campaign by pairing their sugar-free spiked seltzer with images of occasions that were trending on Pinterest. This was during a U.S. pandemic lockdown, so it was all about ways to create a cozy brunch experience at home.
The colorful, fun creative was built around trending Pinterest ideas like “self-care checklist” or “brunchable bites.” By building their campaign around Pinterest trends and insights, BON V!V saw 100% full-funnel lifts across brand awareness, message association, brand favorability and purchase intent.
Q: What would be your top tip for someone starting out with Pinterest ads?
EM: Set up shop! Upload your product catalog and install the Pinterest tag, which makes your content shoppable so your brand can get discovered organically.
People on Pinterest outspend people on other platforms by 80% every month, and you want your products in front of this audience that loves to shop. You want to be their next discovery, their next inspiration, their next purchase! Our Shopping Solutions guide will help you get started.