How to Build a Vibrant Pinterest Following That Drives Sales

For many small businesses, Pinterest is an underutilized resource for selling products online. The platform reports that 85% of weekly U.S. Pinners have made a purchase based on products pinned by brands. Pinterest's visual-first format, coupled with its users' high purchase intent, makes it a powerful channel for driving sales. Building an audience of engaged, quality followers is the first step to taking advantage of Pinterest's big potential for sales.

Step 1: Optimize your Pinterest profile

The first step to driving sales through Pinterest is to make sure your page is set up properly. Marketing expert Neil Patel recommends approaching Pinterest the same way you would a search engine.

"Pinterest works just like Google in the sense that keywords drive results," wrote Patel. "So, if you start to search for digital-marketing-based keywords, you're going to get results on digital marketing. And on top of that, you'll see more and more pins in your feed on those topics, even from people you don't follow."

Treating your Pinterest page with a search engine optimization strategy can help you attract relevant, high-quality leads. Fill out your profile page and boards with keyword-focused names and descriptions that someone would use to find your products or services. Link your website to your Pinterest page. Add high-quality images with titles and descriptions (include keywords here too). Using hashtags can also help viewers find your page and pins.

[Read more: How to Build a Pinterest Board to Promote Your Business]

Step 2: Learn how to define your target audience

Pinterest users are unique compared to other social media platforms in that they arrive with high purchase intent and are easily convinced to shop. In fact, more than 70% of Pinners say that using Pinterest inspired them to buy even when they weren't planning to.

Pinterest offers advanced analytics to help you understand more about your existing audience and identify your niche.

"Pinterest users tend to be female, aged 25-44, with higher than average household incomes," reported Attrac, an e-commerce marketing platform. "You can utilize Pinterest's analytics to reveal valuable demographic and interest data on your existing audience. Pay attention to which types of Pins generate the most repins, clicks, and saves. You may find new potential customer groups to target based on people engaging with your top content."

Ultimately, it's about building a following of active followers, not casual browsers. Understanding your audience on Pinterest allows you to create content that resonates with those most likely to purchase.

[Read more: Pinterest Adds Tools to Help Small Businesses Get Discovered by Customers]

Step 3: Update your content regularly

Consistently adding content helps the Pinterest algorithms connect you with leads.

"The more you create, the more chances you'll have to get discovered. Aim to create fresh Idea Pins every week to engage your current audience and maximize your potential to reach new people," wrote Pinterest.

There are a couple of different types of pins to utilize on your profile.

• Product pins show products that are for sale and redirect consumers to your e-commerce site.
• Rich pins automatically sync information from your website to your pins and can be used for recipes, articles, or products.
• Video pins feature a single video or multiple videos and images in one pin.

Pinterest rewards profiles and creators who post regularly by showing their content in other users' feeds. Plus, creating text overlays with keywords and describing each pin you post, no matter what the format, boosts your discoverability and increases your chances of conversion.

Step 4: Promote your pins

Like other social media platforms, Pinterest has a paid advertising feature. If you have the time and resources to run a paid campaign, head to Ads Manager at ads.pinterest.com to get started.

You'll need a business account in order to promote your pins, but there are many different ad formats to choose from once you log in and get set up. This can be a good option if you're still growing followers on your profile.

"While organic content drives the core Pinterest experience, paid advertising opens additional discovery channels," wrote Attrac. "Promoted Pins function similarly to social media ads, allowing brands to boost existing Pins to wider audiences that may not follow you yet. Targeting options allow precision focusing on key demographics and their interests."

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