While your brand may have a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, chances are slim that it has its own Pinterest account. Pinterest is a social media handle often overlooked by small and growing businesses, but it has potential to draw in new customers and keep current ones interested through normal postings (aka. “pins”) or through formal advertisements. Though it may not be obvious, Pinterest is a huge part of the online advertising market, making it a great handle for your company to spark growth and engage customers.
Using Pinterest for Advertising:
Pinterest is a great place to advertise as it collects plenty of information about 
consumers’ interests via their “pinboards”, allowing advertising to be extremely targeted and effective. Because many people use Pinterest for curating unique ideas (think recipes, DIYs and fashion trends), small businesses—especially those in niche markets—can see extreme success thanks to advertisement that resemble typical pins that catch their customers’ attention.
To emphasize their advertising focus on small and medium sized businesses, Pinterest recently released Pinterest Propel, an advertising service that targets users who are unfamiliar with the logistics of the Pinterest website. The service provides support, tips, education, and even designs advertisements for businesses who pledge to spend up to $100 daily on Pinterest ads. For small and growing businesses, this is a great way to raise brand awareness while reaping the benefits of Pinterest advertising support.
Using Pinterest for Social:
If Pinterest Propel advertising is out of your budget, or you simply don’t want to pursue formal Pinterest ads, your brand should still be on Pinterest! Regularly posting to your brand’s pinboard will keep your customers interested and show them a more in-depth look at your brand’s identity.
When making pinboard categories for your brand, try to include a variety of boards that range in focus. Some boards should be brand or industry specific (this is where you highlight your product or service), while others might be something more unique and less business-oriented (this is where you highlight your brand’s identity and message through photos, quotes or tips).
To highlight this balance in action, check out Pinterest boards like Seam Siren and Rip van Wafels for inspiration! Both brands have location boards for their brand’s “home,” DIY/recipe/tips boards that relate to their industry, quotes boards that give a glimpse into the brands’ message and boards that specifically highlight the brand’s own products. The diverse postings give a unique voice to the brand, while still staying true to the brand’s social media identity. While Pinterest boards should certainly include a variety of photos, remember to always keep your company’s aesthetic in mind when posting online! This ensures consistency among all social media platforms, making your brand recognizable and impressive for customers!
To learn more about how LMS can help you develop 5-star social media handles, click here! Feel free to check out our very own Pinterest board full of inspiration and highlights.