Back in 2019 I did a post entitled “Is Pinterest Dead?” And the answer back then was NO! Well we are back to the same conversation in 2022 and the answer is still..NO! Let’s chat about it.
I recently attended an online chat with Jennifer Priest from ‘Smart Creative Social‘ and she asked the question “is Pinterest still good for traffic?” And the final conclusion was YES but the platform has changed and adaption is needed.
Viral pins and high number of clicks on pins are not like they used to be. Just dropping a pin and watching the stats go thru the roof in just one day or two is a thing of the past (yes that can 100% still happen but I don’t relay on this when I help my clients these days). You have to continue to plug away at it and know that the LONG GAME is one of the reasons why Pinterest is so good to be on.
Let me remind you what that means.
When you pin something on Pinterest, the pin will enter the search engine (the basis of the platform) and remain there for eternity (it is NOT a social media website). When someone searches for say, “balcony garden tips”, pins that are about this topic and have been optimized to be found (seo tactics come into play here) will appear in the searches…forever! Social media channels like Instagram / Facebook can’t do this for you. They give you maybe a day to get your post off the ground and then it’s dead. Not the same with Pinterest.
Another note that Jennifer mentioned in her chat is that, no matter how Pinterest is changing (I just read an article that it is aggressively moving into the online shopping world), they will continue to serve search content. This is how the platform is built and how it continues to work. IT NEEDS CONTENT for the platform. If they don’t have content from users then it dies.
Don’t put all your eggs into one basket
Now just like any marketing content strategy, putting all your eggs into one basket does not make sense. You should be on other platforms that are good for your business. So yes, be on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. Focus on Google SEO (very important for all businesses) but know that all of these alternatives take work… a lot of work. So why not invest time (or get help with it from experts like Killer Diller Social) into Pinterest, that will continue to serve up your content for years to come?
“Pinterest is 15th in ranking of the world’s most ‘active’ social media platforms and has Over 240 Billion saved pins (plus 433 million uses). IT DOES NOT make sense to have no presence on Pinterest”.
What can you do now if you are either seeing a drop in stats or looking to get on Pinterest for you business?
First up if you are not on Pinterest yet, let’s chat! Drop me a line and we can talk about your business goals, what you need to be on Pinterest, and more. I specialize in small businessess and would love to be able to guide you on your journey.
DON’T STOP PINNING! You can scale things down (or get help to keep content flowing) but just know that the pins you save today will give you traffic in years to come. Why? The older the pin, the more info that pinterest has about how it is going to perform and will continue to show it in the searches. So if are seeing only your old pins getting traffic, it’s because of what was stated above and is proof that the system works. Now a pin cannot become “old” if it’s never been pinned, so get those pins on there!
If you want fast traffic-You have to pay for ads (aka ‘Promoted Pins’). Pinterest is still very affordable compared to other platforms and since the ads are actually “pins” with a prompt that this is an ad, it is not intrusive in a users feed and they are more open to seeing and clicking on them. Give them a try!
Continue to pin organically because no business can sustain only paid ads as a strategy (this is my favourite way to pin because I love working on keyword lists and SEO strategies). Note: If you are doing an SEO strategy for Google, then apply it to Pinterest (using keywords, and optimizing pins with those words). Don’t recreate the wheel.
Optimizing your pinterest account-Do a Pinterest Audit. This means looking over all your boards, pins, the backend etc. and ensuring that everything is setup correctly.
Check your stats! See what is working and what is not. If you don’t review at least once a month how can you know if you should continue? What you should consider posting more of etc? Pinterest stats make it simple to understand and to change course if needed. BUT DON’T EVER DELETE A PIN!!! Remember that Pinterest is all about the long game, so that pin could 100% gain traction in months or years down the line (mine do).
Optimize your pins! Research keywords and build a competitve pin for that search results. Where do the keywords go? Description, title, boards and don’t forget when you save the image before sharing it.
Have a lead magnet (email signup) pin-Once they signup continue to serve them up with content that matches their needs, why they are interested in you and more. This is why your on Pinterest to find and nurture potential new clients thru the sales funnel.
Note: Even if you are a blogger (like my Pinterest content for my blog, the Vintage Inn), you still have a place on the platform.
In the end, our expectations have to change about the platform. Quality of traffic is important. Get them on email lists, think beyond the platform. AND don’t worry if others are leaving, you will be on there gaining traffic and building a solid strategy, while they work on other sites. When they decide to come back you will be much further ahead with pins being found etc. then they will. So win win for you!
If you think that maybe Pinterest is right for you, KDS would be happy to chat next steps (or even if your still unsure, let’s chat! Contact us today!