July 29, 2024
When most people think of Pinterest, they picture fashion tips, DIY crafts, mouth-watering recipes, or home décor ideas. But what if I told you that Pinterest is also a treasure trove for B2B marketers? With over 500 million monthly active users constantly seeking ideas and solutions, this platform offers a unique and powerful opportunity to showcase your business in a visually engaging way. Let’s explore how you can leverage Pinterest to supercharge your B2B marketing efforts.
Why Pinterest Matters for B2B
First off, Pinterest is fundamentally about visual storytelling. It’s a place where your company can share its story, products, and expertise in a visually compelling format. Users on Pinterest are actively searching for inspiration and new ideas, which means they’re more likely to discover your content organically. This discovery aspect is a game-changer for B2B companies that often struggle with reaching new audiences.
The content on Pinterest has a much longer lifespan compared to other social media platforms. On platforms like Facebook and Instagram, a post’s visibility is typically short-lived and quickly buried under newer content. In contrast, a well-crafted pin on Pinterest can continue driving traffic and engagement for months or even years after being posted. This extended visibility means your content can have a lasting impact, continually bringing in new leads and traffic long after the initial push.
Creating Engaging Visual Content
The heart of Pinterest lies in its visuals. For B2B companies, this means investing in high-quality visual content such as infographics, charts, and even short video clips. Imagine turning a dense white paper into an eye-catching infographic or summarising a case study with compelling visuals. This not only makes your content more digestible and engaging but also more shareable.
Visual content is particularly effective because it can break down complex information into easily understandable titbits. For instance, a software company could create an infographic that visually explains the benefits of their product in a step-by-step format. This kind of content is not only informative but also appealing to the eye, making it more likely to be shared across the platform.
Infographics are a great way to present data and insights in a visually engaging manner. They can condense complex information into easy-to-understand visuals that can be quickly consumed by your audience. For example, if your company conducts an annual industry survey, you can create an infographic that highlights the key findings and statistics. This not only makes the information more accessible but also increases the likelihood that it will be shared by your audience, further extending its reach.
Optimising for Discovery
To make sure your content gets discovered, it’s crucial to optimise your pins for search. This involves using relevant keywords in your pin descriptions. Think about what your target audience is searching for and incorporate those terms naturally into your content. This way, when someone searches for industry trends or solutions that you provide, your pins are more likely to appear.
Keyword optimisation is not just about stuffing your descriptions with keywords; it’s about understanding the search behaviour of your audience and tailoring your content accordingly. Pinterest operates similarly to a search engine, so the more relevant and targeted your keywords, the better your chances of appearing in search results.
Another aspect of optimisation is ensuring that your pins are linked to relevant landing pages on your website. This not only drives traffic but also improves the user experience, as users can easily find more detailed information about the content they are interested in. Additionally, consider using high-quality images and compelling descriptions to make your pins stand out in search results.
Organising Content with Boards
Organising your content into themed boards is another key strategy. Boards help categorise your content, making it easier for users to find and follow what’s most relevant to them. For instance, you could have boards dedicated to “Industry Trends,” “Product Tutorials,” “Success Stories,” and “Marketing Tips.” Each board should be tailored to a specific aspect of your business or industry, providing a curated collection of valuable resources for your audience.
Having well-organised boards also helps establish your company as an authority in your industry. When users see that you have a wealth of organised, valuable content, they are more likely to follow your boards and engage with your pins. This increased engagement can lead to higher visibility and more traffic to your website.
Creating specific boards for different types of content can also help you target different segments of your audience. For example, if your company offers both products and services, you can create separate boards for each, allowing you to tailor your content to the specific needs and interests of your audience.
Promoting Webinars and Events
If you host webinars or events, Pinterest can be a fantastic platform to promote them. Create visually appealing pins that highlight what attendees will learn and include a clear call to action. This can help drive registrations and build anticipation for your events. For example, if you’re hosting a webinar on industry trends, create a pin that outlines the key topics and benefits of attending. Use compelling visuals and concise, engaging text to capture attention.
To maximise the effectiveness of your event promotion on Pinterest, consider creating a series of pins leading up to the event. These pins can provide additional details, such as speaker bios, agenda highlights, and sneak peeks of the content. This not only keeps your event top of mind for potential attendees but also provides multiple touchpoints to encourage registration.
In addition to promoting upcoming events, you can also use Pinterest to share content from past events. For example, if you recorded a webinar, create pins that link to the recording or a summary of the key takeaways. This allows you to continue deriving value from your events long after they have concluded.
Sharing Industry Insights
Establishing your company as a thought leader is essential for B2B marketing, and Pinterest is an excellent platform for sharing industry insights. Pinning industry reports, white papers, and insightful blog posts can position your company as a go-to resource for industry knowledge. Use engaging visuals to summarise key insights and link back to the full content on your website. This not only drives traffic to your site but also helps build your brand’s credibility and authority.
For example, if your company releases an annual industry report, create a series of pins that highlight the key findings. Each pin can focus on a different aspect of the report, providing valuable insights in a visually appealing format. This not only makes the content more engaging but also encourages users to visit your website for the full report.
In addition to sharing your own content, consider curating and sharing valuable content from other industry leaders. This not only provides additional value to your audience but also helps establish your company as a trusted resource for industry information. By consistently sharing high-quality, relevant content, you can build a loyal following and increase your influence within your industry.
Using Rich Pins
Rich Pins are a powerful tool for B2B marketers. They add extra information directly on the pin, which can include product details, article snippets, and more. For B2B marketers, this means your audience gets a richer, more informative experience, which can drive higher engagement. Rich Pins are available in several formats, including product pins, article pins, and app pins, each offering unique benefits.
Product pins include real-time pricing, availability, and where to buy. This is particularly useful for B2B companies that sell products, as it provides potential customers with all the information they need to make a purchasing decision directly within Pinterest.
Article pins include the headline, author, and story description, making it easier for users to save and share your content. This is ideal for blog posts, white papers, and other long-form content, as it provides a more engaging and informative preview that encourages users to click through to your website.
App pins include an install button, allowing users to download your app directly from Pinterest. While this may be more relevant for B2C companies, it can also be useful for B2B companies that offer mobile apps as part of their services.
To enable Rich Pins, you need to add meta tags to your website and validate your pins using Pinterest’s Rich Pin Validator. Once enabled, Rich Pins automatically pulls additional information from your website, providing a more engaging and informative experience for your audience.
Collaborating with Influencers
Influencer marketing isn’t just for B2C brands. Partnering with industry influencers can help broaden your reach and add credibility to your brand. Influencers can help share your content with a wider audience and bring a fresh perspective to your marketing efforts. When choosing influencers to work with, look for those who have a strong following within your industry and whose values align with your brand.
For example, if you’re a B2B software company, you might partner with a tech blogger or industry analyst who has a large following on Pinterest. By collaborating on content, such as guest blog posts, webinars, or co-branded infographics, you can tap into their audience and increase your brand’s visibility.
When working with influencers, it’s important to establish clear goals and expectations. Define what success looks like, whether it’s increased website traffic, lead generation, or brand awareness, and ensure that both parties are aligned on these objectives. Make sure to provide influencers with the resources and support they need to create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with their audience.
Measuring Success
To gauge the effectiveness of your Pinterest strategy, use Pinterest Analytics to track key metrics like impressions, saves, and clicks. These metrics provide valuable insights into how your content is performing and what resonates with your audience. Additionally, monitor your website traffic using tools like Google Analytics to see how much traffic Pinterest is driving to your site.
Engagement metrics, such as repins and comments, give insight into what content your audience finds most engaging. High engagement rates indicate that your content is resonating with users and is more likely to be shared, increasing its reach and impact.
In addition to quantitative metrics, consider qualitative feedback from your audience. Pay attention to comments and messages to understand what your audience likes and dislikes about your content. This feedback can provide valuable insights into how you can improve your Pinterest strategy and better meet the needs of your audience.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you’re a software company. You could create a board dedicated to different aspects of your product, pinning content such as tutorials, customer success stories, and infographics. This not only educates potential customers but also drives traffic to your website, helping generate leads.
For example, you might create an infographic that visually explains the benefits of your software in a step-by-step format. This could be pinned to a board titled “How Our Software Works.” By providing a clear, visually appealing explanation of your product, you make it easier for potential customers to understand its value and how it can benefit their business.
Additionally, you could create a board titled “Customer Success Stories,” featuring pins that highlight case studies and testimonials from satisfied clients. Each pin could link to a detailed case study on your website, providing potential customers with real-world examples of how your software has helped other businesses achieve their goals.
By organising your content into themed boards and optimising your pins for search, you can increase the visibility of your content and attract more potential customers to your website.
Pinterest might not be the first platform that comes to mind for B2B marketing, but it offers unique advantages that shouldn’t be overlooked. By creating engaging visual content, optimising for search, and leveraging the platform’s features, B2B companies can effectively reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals. So, start pinning and unlock the power of Pinterest for your B2B strategy.
Pinterest provides a powerful platform for B2B marketers to share their content, engage with their audience, and drive traffic to websites. By creating high-quality visual content, optimising for search, and leveraging the platform’s features, B2B companies can effectively reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals. Whether you’re promoting webinars, sharing industry insights, or showcasing customer success stories, Pinterest offers a unique and effective way to engage with your audience and build your brand.
Contact us today to learn more about Pinterest for your B2B marketing strategy and start pinning to unlock its full potential.