Information in this blog post was obtained from HubSpot Blog, HootSuite, and SproutSocial.
Introduction
Learning how to use social media to market your brand can be difficult whether you’re a college student or a marketing professional. The experience of having the first few results on Google when you look up how to use social media marketing being spammy is a relatable one. And finding websites that are just trying to sell you an expensive marketing course from an underqualified business influencer that turns out to not be worth the money in the end can be frustrating. Spending hours scouring the internet looking for educational content on marketing is just not always practical when you’re busy.
With the challenge of going to work or school and doing homework once you’re done you are not left with much time to research upcoming news and practices in the marketing world that you may be unaware of. And looking for credible and easy-to-read sources takes time. This struggle is understood by many which is why the SMMU provides you and Fort Hays State University students concise articles about social media marketing to fit your needs and allow you to have time to read them and see the big picture about social media marketing. With this blog post about using Pinterest ads, you will have the knowledge needed to take your business to the next level on the platform.
You’ve likely come across Pinterest as a platform that’s growing in popularity. Often known for its visual inspiration, Pinterest is a goldmine for discovering trends and uncovering creative ideas. But it’s more than just a place to share DIY projects and recipes—it’s a powerful advertising platform for reaching a wide, engaged audience. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to effectively use Pinterest ads in your marketing strategy.
Why Pinterest?
Pinterest stands out in the social media landscape for its focus on visuals and discovery. With over 450 million active users worldwide as of 2023, Pinterest is a place where people come to find ideas, get inspired, and plan their future purchases. This makes it a fertile ground for marketers aiming to reach users in the consideration stage of the buyer's journey.
Pinterest users are highly engaged and open to discovering new brands and products. In fact, 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded, offering a fantastic opportunity for businesses to connect with potential customers who are exploring options without a predetermined choice.
Being a platform that has such an emphasis on visuals Pinterest allows marketers to use their creativity when coming up with ways to promote their products. And since a majority of Pinterest searches are unbranded there is a more even playing field to show up in searches. Searches for unbranded products can be an especially great opportunity for small businesses to gain attention.
Types of Pinterest Ads
Pinterest offers various types of ads to help you reach your marketing goals:
Promoted Pins:
These are standard Pinterest pins that you can pay to promote to a larger audience. Promoted pins blend seamlessly with organic content and are a great way to boost brand visibility. Their ability to blend in with other pins allows them to appear more organic than ads on other social media platforms.
Promoted Video Pins:
These are video-based ads that allow you to showcase your products or services in an engaging format. Videos can be an excellent way to tell your brand story and capture attention. Fun thumbnails or text over your video highlighting something that will happen in the video can help create interest to stop users from scrolling.
Promoted Carousels:
These allow you to include multiple images in one ad, allowing you to showcase a variety of products or different aspects of a single product. Carousels can be used to show product collections. They can also be used to show different variations of products such as different colors or different sized models.
Promoted App Pins:
If your business has an app to promote, these ads allow you to drive downloads directly from the platform. This can increase the number of app users you have and lead to more reviews.
Shopping Ads:
These ads integrate seamlessly with Pinterest’s shopping features, enabling you to promote your products directly to users who are ready to shop. You can target your ideal customer based on their searches.
Understanding Pinterest Ads
Before diving into Pinterest ads, it's essential to understand how the platform works and the nuances of advertising within its ecosystem. Pinterest is not just a social media platform; it's a visual search engine where users come to discover new ideas and plan for the future. This makes it a unique advertising space where users are often in a discovery mindset, making it an ideal platform for brands looking to inspire and engage their audience.
One of the key strengths of Pinterest is its ability to drive traffic directly to your website. Users often visit Pinterest with a specific goal in mind, whether it's planning a home renovation, finding new fashion trends, or searching for recipes. This intent-based user behavior makes Pinterest ads highly effective at driving website visits and conversions.
How Pinterest Ads Work
Pinterest ads operate similarly to other social media advertising platforms but with a few unique features that set it apart. When you set up a Pinterest ad campaign, you'll go through a series of steps to define your campaign objectives, target audience, ad creative, and budget.
Campaign Objectives:
Pinterest offers several campaign objectives to choose from, such as brand awareness, consideration, conversions, and video views. Your objective will determine the type of campaign you set up and the metrics you'll focus on.
Ad Groups:
Once you've chosen your campaign objective, you'll create ad groups within your campaign. Ad groups allow you to organize your ads based on different targeting options, budgets, and schedules. Using ad groups you can organize your ads and analyze which groups perform better than others. This allows you to adjust future ad campaigns based on qualities you find perform well in your ads.
Target Audience:
Pinterest offers a range of targeting options, including interests, demographics, locations, and behaviors. You can also create custom audiences based on website visitors, engagement with your Pinterest content, and customer lists.
Ad Creatives:
Your ad creative is the visual content of your ad, whether it's an image, video, or carousel. High-quality visuals and engaging copy are essential for capturing users' attention and driving engagement. Make sure that the visual content of your ads reflects your target audience’s preferences.
Budget and Bidding:
Set your budget for each ad group and choose your bidding strategy. Having a budget going in helps keep you from overspending. Pinterest offers cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM), and cost-per-engagement (CPE) bidding options. When choosing a bidding strategy making sure that it aligns with your campaign objectives is important.
Setting Up Pinterest Ads
Getting started with Pinterest ads is straightforward. Follow these steps to set up your first campaign:
1. Create a Business Account:
If you haven't already, switch your personal account to a business account to access Pinterest’s advertising features and analytics. A business account allows you to create shopping ads and integrate your e-commerce store into Pinterest.
2. Set Up Your Campaign:
In your Ads Manager, choose your campaign objective. Pinterest offers several objectives, including brand awareness, consideration, and conversion.
3. Define Your Target Audience:
Use Pinterest's targeting options to select your audience based on interests, demographics, locations, and more. You can also choose to target lookalike audiences that are similar to your target audience or to retarget.
4. Design Your Ad:
Choose the type of ad you want to run and create your content. Make sure to use high-quality visuals and clear, concise messaging. Give your audience a reason to choose your brand over others.
5. Set Your Budget and Schedule:
Decide how much you want to spend and the timeframe for your campaign. Starting with a smaller budget to test how your content performs can be helpful when you are new to Pinterest. Try to post at times when more users are active on Pinterest so you have a better chance of your content being seen by more users.
6. Launch Your Campaign:
Once everything is set up, you’re ready to launch your campaign and start reaching potential customers. Be sure to check the analytics of your campaign after you launch it and make any adjustments needed to improve it as necessary.
Measuring Success
To ensure your Pinterest ads are delivering the results you want, it's essential to measure their performance. Pinterest provides metrics like impressions, clicks, saves, and conversions that can give you insight into how your ads are performing.
Track your key performance indicators (KPIs) regularly and use the data to adjust your strategy. For example, if you notice that one type of ad is performing better than another, consider reallocating your budget to maximize your ROI.
Clicks:
Measure the number of users who click on your ad to visit your website or product page. This metric indicates user interest and can be a good indicator of potential conversions.
Saves:
Monitor the number of saves your ad receives. When a user saves your ad, they are essentially bookmarking it for later reference, showing strong interest in your content.
Conversion Rates:
Keep an eye on conversion rates to understand how many users who clicked on your ad completed a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS):
Calculate your ROAS by comparing the revenue generated from your ads to the cost of running the campaign. A positive ROAS indicates that your ads are driving profitable results.
Engagement Rates:
Look at engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares to gauge how well your ad content resonates with your audience.
By regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics, you can refine your Pinterest ad strategy and optimize your campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
Conclusion
Pinterest ads offer a unique opportunity to connect with a highly engaged audience in a visually rich environment. By leveraging the platform's advertising options and following best practices, you can effectively reach potential customers and drive meaningful results for your brand.
Remember, successful marketing on Pinterest is about understanding your audience and providing value. Take the time to create compelling visuals and engage with your audience authentically. With the right strategy and a focus on continuous improvement, you can make Pinterest ads a valuable part of your social media marketing toolkit.
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
Resources
Chen, J. (2021, December 14). The complete Pinterest advertising guide to more valuable ads. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/pinterest-advertising/
Hahn, I. (2022, May 18). How to Use Pinterest Advertising to Promote Products and Attract Customers. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/pinterest-ads
Martin, M. (2023, December 21). Pinterest ads: The complete guide. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/pinterest-ads/
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
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