Are You Ready to Discover the Power of Pinterest? A Guide to Advertising Success
Advertising on Pinterest is not (yet) the first thing that comes to mind for companies in the context of e-marketing. Pinterest Ads are not as popular as Facebook or Google Ads yet, which makes it all the more worth taking a closer look to check its potential as a sales channel. Therefore, today we will tell you: who Pinterest ads are for, what targeting options are available, and whether this form of promotion is worth considering for your business.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest describes itself as a visual search engine for ideas and inspiration. We live in an era of images, and Pinterest is perfectly designed for sharing visual content.
Importantly, organic content "lives" on Pinterest significantly longer than on other social media platforms, making it much easier to achieve true virality that can work for the brand even several months after creation. Although the platform has recently focused more on content quality rather than quantity, and positioning content will take longer, its visibility and effectiveness will ultimately be longer.
The ability to comment, repin pins to one's boards, and share - all this allows users to freely manage content and gives true freedom of expression. Based on browsing data and previously set preferences, Pinterest will "suggest" and recommend the best content for them.
Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest is not about documenting our lives or talking about the past. On the contrary.
Users often turn to it when thinking about changing some aspect of their lives - also in a shopping context, as the numbers clearly show:
60% of users find ideas for what to buy on Pinterest;
72% say Pinterest inspires them to shop even when they are not looking for anything specific;
66% of consumers purchase something after viewing a brand's content;
Pinterest results in a 33% higher increase in traffic to shopping sites than Facebook;
41% of in-store shoppers use Pinterest during their shopping.
Who are Pinterest ads for?
If you are already active on social media and wondering whether to present your offer on Pinterest as well, remember one thing. Pinterest is a source of inspiration and a kingdom of visually beautiful but also natural content that will capture users attention. This applies to both organic pins and ads. There is little room for meticulously prepared graphics with a glaring 50% off everything message.
Contrary to popular belief, men use Pinterest, although women do make up the largest group. So, what industries most often find their customers on Pinterest?
Take a look at the numbers:
88% of users look for fashion inspiration;
83% seek inspiration for architecture and interior design;
84% look for cooking, recipes, and diet inspiration;
78% search for beauty inspiration;
67% seek inspiration related to the broad concept of automotive.
This doesn’t mean that only these industries can be successful. Other industries can be successful in attracting audience interest.
A good idea with well-planned and prepared content can help even so-called difficult industries achieve their business goals when advertising on Pinterest. These efforts can improve brand awareness, reaching specific audiences, redirecting traffic to a website, or increasing sales. This is particularly important since there are fewer advertisers here than on Meta or Google and much lower advertising costs.
Pinterest Ads - Advertising formats and goals
Several advertising formats are available on Pinterest based on Pins. You can create dedicated content or promote Pins that are already pinned to your page or board.
Promoted Pin
A static Pin can be in vertical or square format, aiming to increase the visibility of Pins on your board.
It will enable you to redirect the Pinner to a landing page (this could be your online store, a landing page, a specific URL, or one of the most visited and business-critical places on your site).
IMPORTANT: If such a Promoted Pin is saved to a user's board, all signs of advertising will disappear.
When preparing creatives, remember that photos and graphics should be high resolution, so everything is perfectly visible both on desktop and mobile devices.
Promoted Video Pin
For video Pins and ads, you have two options:
Standard-width videos (same dimensions as normal Pins - square or vertical in 2:3 or 9:16 ratios; length from 4 seconds to 15 minutes, size up to 2 GB)
Maximum-width videos (upon display, they take up the entire width of the Feed on a mobile device; available ratios - square or widescreen 16:9; length from 4 seconds to 15 minutes; maximum size up to 2 GB)
Those formats are ideal for all kinds of tutorials, guides, or telling stories about the brand or products. Remember to add subtitles to the video, this is considered a must have. This way, you won't create bad experiences for potential customers (many people scroll through their feeds with the sound off).
Carousel Pins
Carousel pins and ads consist of several images/photos/graphics that users can freely slide and scroll through.
On the cards, graphics, or photos, you can promote several products at once or show several features or functions.
Each collection should consist of at least 3 advertising materials, and you can use up to 24.
Don't forget to describe it well. The title is incredibly important - you have 100 characters at your disposal. The first 40 characters will appear in the news, and the title will also appear in search results. So, think carefully about what you write there and how it will start building brand awareness.
Pinterest Ads campaign goals
Essentially, the following campaign objectives can be distinguished within the Pinterest advertising ecosystem:
Brand awareness (users get to know you, your products, services, and the entire offer - settled in the CPM model, i.e., cost per 1000 impressions);
Video views (the campaign will be optimized for audience engagement - viewing time, completion rate, and quality of views - settled in the CPV model, i.e., cost per view);
Consideration (campaigns optimized for increasing clicks on advertising Pins - settled in the CPC model, i.e., cost per click);
Conversions (actions focused on specific actions within the site, such as proceeding to checkout, registration, adding to the cart, or purchasing - settled in the CPA model, i.e., cost per action);
Catalog sales (such campaigns facilitate getting to know the offer and increasing interest in specific products while using Pinterest - settled based on the established budget and/or costs in the CPA model).
Shoppable Pins are a great way to increase sales, just remember to advertise products that are actually in stock.
Analyzing the Effectiveness of Pinterest - Do Ads Work?
A significant advantage is that you can monitor and respond to your campaigns in real-time on Pinterest Ads.
Pinterest Analytics can be divided into two parts: general and detailed.
In the "Overview" tab, you'll find basic information and metrics, such as advertising expenses, number of impressions, or link clicks.
To learn more and truly assess the effectiveness of your actions, go to the "Reports" section.
There, you can check detailed parameters, such as impressions, clicks, CTR, ROAS, cost/result CPM, engagement, or conversions.
Regarding conversions, thanks to the installed and correctly configured Pinterest Tag, you can very precisely track events on the page or online store: from searching, visiting a page, registration, filling out a form, to adding to the cart, proceeding to checkout, or custom events, such as actions on the thank you page.
Is it worth investing in advertising on Pinterest?
Although Pinterest may not be as widely used as other social media platforms it offers unique opportunities for brands and businesses, especially those related to creativity, design, fashion, beauty, interior furnishings, and many other industries where visual presentation is key.
One of the main advantages of Pinterest is the ability to achieve wide organic reach. The platform acts as a visual search engine, meaning well-optimized Pins can be displayed to users for a long time after they are published, providing long-term visibility without the need for continuous advertising investment.
Moreover, advertising costs on Pinterest are often significantly lower compared to other platforms, making it an attractive place for companies with limited advertising budgets. With lower conversion costs, which are up to 2.3 times lower than on other platforms, Pinterest is an effective channel for achieving specific business goals, such as increasing sales, promoting new products, or building brand awareness.
However, to effectively utilize Pinterest's potential, it's important to understand the platform's specifics and its users' preferences. This requires a strategic approach to creating and optimizing pins, including the use of relevant keywords, high-quality images, and engaging descriptions. Additionally, regularly adding new, valuable content is key to building an active and engaged community.
In conclusion, investing in advertising on Pinterest can be extremely beneficial, especially for companies looking to take advantage of the unique opportunities offered by this platform. With lower advertising costs, long-term organic visibility, and high conversion potential, Pinterest is an attractive marketing channel that can bring significant benefits to your brand.
