Pinterest is a great but often overlooked platform for advertising, as you can use it to reach an audience while they actively decide what to do or buy next.  For businesses looking to take advantage of this Pinterest audience, it’s all about Promoted Pins. These ads look just like regular pins, only you pay to have them seen by more users.

Promoted Pins are seamless and don’t interrupt or distract users.  In fact, they actually improve the quality of the Pinterest experience, because they directly help people find new products and ideas.  Experts say that more than 70% of Pinterest users even report that the branded content actually makes the platform more useful.

Promoted Pins allow your brand to be front and center in the eyes of a wider audience.  Since people use Pinterest to shop and plan, they’re excited to see your brand, products and ideas right at their fingertips, and what’s more is they’re ready to act.  In other words, they’re looking, they’re engaged, and they’re ready to buy.

Pinterest is a fantastic resource that drives a lot of organic traffic.  The platform has even become the number two driver of social traffic after Facebook.  Promoted Pinning is just as much fun for the brand as it is the user, and the pins you post can still send traffic your way for years to come.  So, the question isn’t so much, “Should your business be using Promoted Pins on Pinterest? The real question is, “Why aren’t you already using Promoted Pins on Pinterest?”  

Here’s why you should be using promoted pins to drive business:

  • People shop on Pinterest.  Users aren’t just looking, they’re acting.  In fact, 93% of active Pinners say that they use the platform specifically to shop and plan their next purchases.  
  • People save promoted pins.  That’s right!  Users are actually engaging with promoted pins by liking and saving them.  Promoted Pins have a higher engagement rate than organic posts. And, because the Pinterest platform is all about upholding a certain “beautiful” aesthetic, Promoted Pins are held to a higher standard, and seamlessly blend with other content to where users can’t even tell that they’re advertisements.  Promoted Pins are simply part of the landscape.
  • Promoted Pins are proven to work.  Users who engage with your pins are nearly 15% more likely to buy from your business.  Promoted Pins also enhance brand awareness and overall conversion rates.
  • Promoted Pins ensure that your pins are seen.  As Pinterest can be a bit crowded as far as available content, it can be hard to grow a following and get noticed through your standard, organic posts.  But, paying for pins to be seen and clicked is a great way to overcome this disadvantage so that your content gets noticed and drives traffic.
  • Promoted Pins are cost-effective.  While organic pins are free, Promoted Pins have a better chance of engaging with the user, and they can be quite cost-effective.  For first-time Promoted Pin campaigners, you may have been surprised at the initial “suggested” starting bids, as they can be as high as $5 per click.  But, depending on your target, you can find spots without as much competition with much lower starting bids. Plus, you can always go in with a low bid and just see what happens.  You never know; your bid may be accepted as is.

Promoted Pins are such a useful way to advertise, as people actually save them to their own boards to revisit later.  And, when this happens, that individual’s Pinterest followers will also see your ad in their feeds. So, you gain earned media on Pinterest, plus additional sales as more and more users discover your brand.  It’s a huge win for your business! Whether your goal is to build your brand, increase sales or drive online traffic, Promoted Pins just may be the key you’ve been looking for.