How Businesses Should Use Pinterest in 2021

Pinterest is the ultimate destination for recipes, DIY projects and planning your wedding (whether you have a wedding to plan or not). While it is a popular platform, it’s not really the first one that comes to mind when most people think of social media marketing. A few recent changes to its algorithm, however, coupled with massive growth over the past year means that your business might need to take a second look at using Pinterest in 2021.

For many years, Pinterest had a reputation for being a platform that catered to an older, female-dominated audience, but that demographic is rapidly expanding. In fact, its number of male users and Gen-Z users have doubled over the past year. Overall, Pinterest now has more than 450 million monthly active users.

So what, exactly, has changed about Pinterest in the past several years, and how should your business be using it?

Pinterest isn’t a true social media platform.

While there are certainly still social aspects to Pinterest in 2021, it’s much more of a discovery search engine. It’s a place for ideas; a place where you can meet potential customers or clients in the brainstorming phrase.

According to Pinterest, 97% of its top searches are unbranded. That means potential customers are searching for a service or product that you might offer, making it the perfect time for you to jump in and show everything your brand or business can bring to the table.

Bye-bye, old algorithm!

In June of 2020, Pinterest hosted a webinar highlighting recent changes to its algorithm. One of the most significant updates? The algorithm would now reward what Pinterest calls “fresh pins.”

Fresh pins are described as new and unique to the platform. For instance, the same blog post uploaded 15 times with 15 different images would be considered unique, and therefore “fresh.” This helps to grow your audience and increase your brand’s reach.

These new changes do not mean Pinterest is looking for users to spam it with redundant pins, however. It’s actually the opposite: The new algorithm rewards quality over quantity. Quality pins are valuable, visually appealing, timely and link to high-quality web pages. Each time you share the same URL, you should present it from a new angle or with new content added.

Pinterest in 2021 isn’t just about uploading a certain number of pins; it’s about uploading good ones.

Before you get started…

So you’re ready to cultivate some quality content and (re)jump-start your Pinterest strategy. That’s great – but don’t get to designing on Canva just yet.

Remember that Pinterest is, at its core, a search engine. That means you can’t skip one of the most important parts of search engine optimization (or SEO): keyword research.

Finding the right keywords is incredibly important, as you’ll want to include relevant keywords in your pin titles and descriptions, as well as the names and descriptions of your boards. Google Keyword Planner is a great tool for keyword research, and creating an account is free. Hashtags are also important to include in your pin descriptions to help the right people find your content.

One more thing – be sure to claim your website, online shop and any other social media platforms before you start uploading so that users can easily access them when they see your pins.

Get pinning.

Now it’s time to create your pins – fresh pins, that is! Make sure you’re using a Pinterest business account, which will give you access to valuable insights about your audience and how your pins are performing.

Choose content that establishes you as an authority with your target audience. Whether you’re selling a product (high-quality product images are a must) or a service (a blog post answering a common industry question is always a good idea), it’s important that your content is visually appealing and easy to read. Always include your brand name or logo.

Pinterest in 2021 is very different than the Pinterest that launched in 2010. Once you’ve mastered the new algorithm, however, it’s full of opportunities to build and connect with your audience on a personal level. Because it’s a platform that tends to skew more toward “cutesty” content, it’s a great place to be personable and fun while driving traffic to your website (or even making sales directly through promoted pins).

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your social media presence, reach new clients with digital marketing or give your website a refresh, Fiore Communications can help you get the attention of your target audience. Call 850.668.0510 or click here to learn more.