How Pinterest Ads Work and How You Should Use Them

Before diving into how to run ads on Pinterest, let’s start with this: do Pinterest ads work? The numbers speak for themselves.

• Pinterest has about 431 million active monthly users.
• Seventy-seven percent of active Pinterest users have discovered new products or brands through the platform.
• Pinterest has a 78% customer satisfaction rate in the U.S., the highest of any platform.

In other words, Pinterest may rank 14th in terms of active users on each social media platform, but they’re the right users.

Pinterest attracts shoppers. People use it to browse trends or look for particular solutions. It’s a powerful — and sometimes neglected — marketing opportunity. Here’s how to seize it.

How Can Your Business Implement a Pinterest Ads Campaign?

First, you’ll need a Pinterest business account, which will allow you to post unpaid content as well as create ads. Fill out some basic information, and you can start posting.

Make sure to claim your website to help people find your products. You’ll also want to connect to other social accounts, integrating Pinterest into your overarching social media content strategy. 

Then it’s time to work with the Pinterest Ads Manager to direct your ads according to the campaign types most likely to be effective. You’ll set your:

• Campaign objective. Do you want to drive brand awareness, video views, consideration (web traffic), conversions, or catalog sales?
• Budget. Set your budget according to the amount your Pinterest ads cost per day or over the full campaign. You’ll also select whether you want your ads to run continuously or on selected dates.
• Ad group. Who do you want to see the ads? You can select multiple ad groups for any campaign.
• Target audience. Refine these groups according to multiple categories in order to optimize your target audience. Note that larger advertisers can also take advantage of dynamic retargeting.

Practice makes perfect, and the tool will prompt you throughout, teaching you how to set up Pinterest ads in the process.

How Are Standard Pins, Shopping Pins, and Video Pin Ads Different?

Once you’ve input the above information, you’ll create your actual ads, selecting the pins you want to use for the campaign.

Standard pins. Pinterest standard ads resemble your average pins but come with a tag indicating that it’s a promotion. You just choose the static image you want to promote and make it an ad. 

Unlike regular pins, clicking on ads takes people directly to your website instead of first opening up a second, larger window, streamlining the purchase process.

Shopping pins. Pinterest shopping ads are basically linked items from your catalog that you’ve uploaded to Pinterest. You can attach all product information, giving users a seamless shopping experience. The platform has even started to release in-app purchase features that will make it even easier for interested parties to buy.

Video pins. Pinterest video ads are short videos that play on the platform. When they meet Pinterest video best practices, they tend to drive more conversions than static (standard) pins. Increase video views by keeping content short and silent. Make sound optional rather than having any audio play immediately.

What Are the Benefits of Running Pinterest Ads?

Pinterest ads aren’t for all companies, but the social network is one of the best platforms for B2C marketing around. It lends itself to consumer research and acquisition, making it ideal for eCommerce businesses.

Use Pinterest ads to improve your conversion rate, brand awareness, and web traffic. The Pinterest Ads Manager also gives you access to sophisticated tools for ad analytics and trend research.

Attracts Potential Customers With Relevant Product Pins

People who click on product pins in their feed have demonstrated a clear interest in giving you business. They’re more likely to become customers than viewers of general brand content.

In addition to running in the home feeds of your target audience, your pins will function as organic content. When someone uses the search bar to perform relevant searches — again, demonstrating clear interest — your pin will appear.

Improves User Traffic On Social Media Platforms and Website

While Pinterest may rank comparatively low in terms of independent users, it ranks high for total visits. In fact, it comes in second, accounting for almost 10% of social media site visits in the U.S. (Admittedly, Facebook’s number-one status at 71.8% leaves all others in the dust.)

Get people interacting with your Pinterest board and ads. It’ll lead to more website traffic and even cross-platform referrals. 

Refines Advertising Strategy and Content With Pinterest Analytics

When it comes to ads, Pinterest analytics are hard to beat. Not only can you track how well your own content performs, but the Pinterest Trends feature also provides insight into the general popularity of terms.

A recent update will dramatically improve the effectiveness of Pinterest Trends. It includes:

• More precise audience tools
• Real-time search data
• More trend types
• Personalized trend recommendations

Update your advertising strategy with data-driven insights that cover your industry and audience as well as your own business.

Increases Conversions, Sales, and Audience Range

One of the major benefits of social media marketing for companies is the ability to target demographics. You can create profiles of your customers and find more people like them. 

Unlike regularly posted content, the ads Pinterest uses allow you to reach an audience beyond the immediate connections of your established fanbase. Get your products in front of more — and more appreciative — eyes.

Hire a Growth Marketing Agency for Better Ad Campaigns

Ready to grow your business? We’ve literally written the book on growth marketing. 

We’ll help you cut through the noise on social media and generate Pinterest ads — and ads for any other social network — that surpass your campaign goals. 

Our ROI-focused approach starts with an in-depth strategic growth assessment. We then move forward with a series of intelligently designed growth tests. At every stage, our experts refine based on data-driven insights that allow us to work with you to build up your business more efficiently.

We love what we do, which is to help you do even more of what you do. Learn more about our services.

Better yet, schedule a free strategy call, and let’s talk about how to take your business to the next level.