Pinterest has secured its place in the digital marketing world. It is increasingly acknowledged as a fantastic selling hub where brands and bloggers can fulfill their marketing dreams. If you have been using Pinterest for a while and you see no positive results, then it is probably because you are making some business-killing Pinterest marketing mistakes. From not being mindful of Pinterest Analytics to not posting frequently - some common errors can stunt the growth of your Pinterest account.
So, to make the most of your marketing efforts, you must understand the pulse of this platform which is different from Facebook and Instagram. Now let's identify some silly mistakes you've been making so that you can fix them and witness the desired marketing results.
Major Pinterest Marketing Mistakes You Must Avoid
1. Not switching to a business account
Before you come up with a Pinterest marketing strategy that works for you, the first thing that you need to do is use a business account instead of a personal Pinterest account. As a business entity, how can you dream of achieving excellent marketing outcomes from a personal profile?
So, it's high time you set up a Pinterest account specifically for your business activities and it isn't even difficult. It will take only a few minutes to convert your existing profile into a business profile. You can also create a new one from scratch and you'll find plenty of tutorials on the Internet.
2. Using poor-quality images
Many marketers don't pay much attention to the quality of their pins. That's because they don't realize Pinterest is a visual discovery engine and pictures are at the center of Pinterest's algorithm. When a person is searching for home decor ideas or gardening inspiration on Pinterest, nothing frustrates them more than poor-quality images. Hence, the images you use must be attention-grabbing, or else, the engagement will be low.
Another thing that you should remember is that most of the pinners are mobile users. So, use vertical images instead of horizontal ones and take the help of Canva, Tailwind, and other graphic tools to edit the pictures. You can also hire a graphic designer to design professional pins that stand out and help you gain followers on Pinterest quickly.
3. Not utilizing keywords
Posting a pin that attracts more audience is not just about using original and beautiful pictures. Not optimizing the Pin description and title is a common mistake that needs to be avoided. As Pinterest is a search engine, the description text and the title give Pinterest an idea about the topic of the pin. Based on that, your pins will be shown to the people if the keyword they type on the Pinterest search bar is present on your board description or pin title. Hence, making your pins keyword-rich is crucial and that's how people will find them.
4. Not keeping the Pinterest board organized
Newbies on Pinterest end up neglecting board organization and this creates a negative impression about them. If there aren't enough pins on your board, it will make a viewer assume you aren't that regular on Pinterest. So, they will be reluctant on Pinterest. Hence, your boards must have many pins to make your Pinterest business account appear compelling.
So, whether you are a blogger or a small business, if you hope your Pinterest presence will impact your online marketing journey, fill your boards with a variety of interesting and informative pins that people would like to explore. What's equally crucial is that you keep all these pins organized based on their categories to get rid of clutter. Lastly, board organization is incomplete unless you research trending keywords and use them in board descriptions.
5. Not pinning consistently
How often do you post content on Pinterest? If you aren't pinning dedicatedly, then inconsistent pinning schedule might be the reason why your Pinterest profile is not gaining the kind of visibility you want. Pinning daily for a few days and then becoming inactive for several weeks will also not work in your favor. Your existing followers will unfollow you if there is no activity on your account for days at a stretch.
On the contrary, when you begin pinning every day, page views will increase exponentially. Most successful pinners say that they pin 5 times per day, and it yields amazing results. Hence, whether you are a Pinterest marketer or a Facebook marketer, consistency is the key to success on any social networking site.
6. Overlooking audience engagement
Pinterest is fundamentally a social network and thus, interacting with people cannot be overlooked. When someone leaves a comment on your pin, what do you do? If you don't reply to their text, you are losing a big chance to please them. Similarly, when a user repins your pin or shares it, not acknowledging their activity is not wise.
As you aim to grow your followers, how can you build a strong follower base on Pinterest if you don't take the initiative to foster relationships? So, from now on, engage with your audience and other people in your niche.
7. Using the same photo for multiple pins
Pinning the same thing repeatedly is another ineffective Pinterest strategy. While expert Pinterest marketers recommend that you repin your best pins, that shouldn't be the case all the time. Wondering why?
Any person will get bored looking at the same pins and they will eventually unfollow you. Another risk is that using the same photo on multiple pins might create the illusion that the pin has no new information to offer. So, you should strike a balance between repurposing your old, popular content and using fresh content. And when you have resources like Tailwind, creating new images can be done within seconds.
8. Not fixing link issues
Have you checked that all your pins link back to your business website? Or do you forget to add links to your pins? In that case, you are losing opportunities to woo more people to your site. You should also fix all broken links as these things irritate users and can negatively affect your ranking on search engines like Bing and Google.
9. Ignoring Analytics
The biggest mistake one can commit is not utilizing Pinterest Analytics which should be at the core of every brand's marketing tactics. How will your marketing campaigns be result-oriented and effective if you don't track your performance?
The best part about this tool is that Pinterest allows you to use it for free (provided yours is not a personal account). With this tool designed specifically for business profiles, you can avoid common mistakes you've been making, optimize your Pins, and drive Pinterest traffic to your website organically. You can also take note of those pins that have maximum impressions and clicks and tweak your marketing strategies accordingly.
10. Neglecting Pinterest SEO
Misunderstanding Pinterest SEO will stunt your Pinterest success and you won't be able to grow your business at the rate you imagined. As Pinterest functions like a search engine, users rely on search terms when they want to borrow inspiration and ideas. If you learn Pinterest SEO, you can be aware of these best practices. Hence, analyze the difficulty level and search volume of keywords and then use them like a Pinterest expert on your board names, image names, URLs, profiles, and descriptions. Then it will become easy for your content to rank, and you will naturally get more Pinterest followers.
11. Pinning anything and everything
One of the most damaging mistakes on Pinterest is posting what interests you instead of what your audience will love.
Do you understand what kind of content your target audience would like to see? What kind of lives do they lead, and which brands are they following lately? If you don't have answers to these questions, how will you attract ideal customers?
The Bottom Line
By not reiterating the above-mentioned Pinterest marketing mistakes, you will notice that your website traffic increases like magic. Your sales will flourish, and your email list will grow. That's the power of informed and strategic Pinterest marketing.
Does your business have no presence on Pinterest? Then you are making a huge mistake and missing many opportunities that this lucrative marketplace has to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are common Pinterest marketing mistakes businesses should avoid?
These are some common Pinterest mistakes that a new Pinterest user can make when they are marketing on Pinterest:
failing to optimize for mobile screen, not engaging with the Pinterest community, ignoring keyword research, not using Analytics, not being active on Pinterest, overlooking video content, and not using 1000 x 1500 pictures.
Q. How can analytics be used to improve Pinterest marketing strategies?
If you are on Pinterest for business, this social media platform allows you to measure your Pinterest performance and stop repeating the silly mistakes that can ruin your chances of improving visibility on Pinterest. So, log in to your business account, go to the Pinterest Analytics tool, and make the most of Pinterest today.
