Pinterest Ads: Why Your Business Needs Them

Did you know, 60% of Pinterest users head to the platform before search engines, friends or other social media channels when beginning their shopping journey? Although visually powerful, Pinterest isn’t the first-place brands think to post their ads. Many businesses choose to run their paid social campaigns through more familiar platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, which is surprising given Pinterest users have increased to 291 million. This begs the question, why aren’t businesses capitalising on this growing platform within their paid media strategy?

With 66% of pinners saying they have bought something after seeing a brand’s Pin, advertising on Pinterest could be the answer to increasing brand awareness and your bottom line. Pinterest occupies a unique place within the buying journey with users typically browsing the platform during the influenceable consideration stage. Using Pinterest Ads, businesses can target, reach and engage during this active searching. Throughout this blog, we’ll discuss the rising star of social media advertising and how promoting your brand across this lifestyle inspiration platform could be the secret to success.

What are Pinterest Ads?

Pinterest Ads contain an image, caption and link displayed subtly among the user’s feed like this:

To advertise on Pinterest, a business account provides maximum benefit with analytical features such as targeting your audience based on demographics and search interests. Campaign results can be tracked to make informed changes and Pinterest offer different ads type which can be used to target different stages of the sales funnel in line with your objectives. These ad types are:

• Promoted Pins: Appearing alongside organic content, these ads look and act like a natural part of the Pinterest browsing experience. They are ideal for increasing brand awareness, boosting traffic and growing sales.
• Promoted Videos: Video Pins are very similar to Promoted Pins except the static image is replaced with either a standard, vertical or maximum width video. Videos are a great way to capture attention while users scroll, boosting brand awareness and helping to increase the chance of purchase.
• Promoted Carousels: Featuring 2-5 image cards that users can swipe through, each card can feature a different image, title, description and relevant web address, making it an effective method for promoting multiple products that boost traffic through one ad.
• Promoted App Pins: Featuring an ‘Install’ button, app pins help users discover and download apps without having to leave Pinterest increasing brand awareness and app download conversions.

Why should you be using Pinterest Ads?

Pinterest is a powerful marketing tool and the right choice for brands who are want to harness visual discovery. As people use the platform to proactively search rather than aimlessly scrolling through a feed, there’s no wonder half of pinnershave made a purchase after clicking a Promoted Pin.

These advertisements hold the ability to increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost sales and create memorable, long-lasting relationships with the target audience. As a platform containing high quality content, influenceable audience, cheaper advertising space and a less advert heavy feed, there are many benefits behind promoting your business with Pinterest:

• Consumers are in discovery mode: The discover platform serves 2 billion searches every month but 97 percent of these searches are unbranded. Essentially, the user is aware there’s something they would like to buy but they need ideas on what and where to purchase. Shoppers are open-minded but have the intention to buy, presenting the perfect opportunity to introduce or remind them of your brand, products and services. 

  Unlike social channels such as Instagram where the aim for many is to gain followers or keep up to date on the world of influencers and celebrities, Pinterest users are content with simply finding and sharing what they like based on trends. This works well with the rise of influencer marketing and is a key reason why Pins are highly engaging. In terms of product discovery, Pinterest is rising through the ranks with 59% of millennials saying they have discovered products through Pinterest, putting the platform on par with its social competitor, Instagram, which is particularly impressive considering Instagram has four times as many users.

• Users want Pinterest’s content: 78 percent of users say they find content on Pinterest useful. The platform is particularly engaging and makes relevant suggestions to user searches, for example, exercise adverts can be linked across to a healthy recipe search. Unlike Facebook, your brand’s ads aren’t competing with content from your family and friends meaning Pinterest drives more referral traffic to shopping sites than any other social platforms do:
  • 33% more than Facebook
  • 71% more than Snapchat
  • 200% more than Twitter 
• A relatively unsaturated advertising platform: With less competition, media space is cheaper to purchase in comparison to other social platforms. This is good for the brand and the users as consumers aren’t irritated by the level of ads targeted at them and brands can cut through the digital noise of other ads. Take our example below, across a full search for bedroom ideas only five adverts were displayed.

• It’s perfect for eCommerce: High-quality, relevant images can help drive conversion rates making the visually powerful platform of Pinterest perfect for eCommerce brands. With Travel, Food, Health and Home being the most popular searched topics, it makes sense for eCommerce brands in these sectors to get in front of Pinterest’s active audience. 
• Users don’t search using branded keyword terms: When browsing Pinterest, generic search terms are used to gather inspiration allowing people to discover new brands and products. Brands can capitalise on this awareness stage by making the link between their products and what the consumer is looking for. As a more intrinsic method of advertising, it’s important that ads sit natively among the feed to enhance brand recognition, boost engagement and increase customer acquisition.  

However, if your aim is to boldly capture the attention of users, there are ways of making your ad stand out among the feed. This can be done by designing an ad that takes up the full width of the mobile device, demanding the attention of your viewers. With over 80% of Pinterest users using the platform on their phones this ad format is an effective option.

In a study completed by Pinterest, it was found that the platform’s primary role in the path to purchase is to shape which products people buy, the brands they choose and how much they spend. Since the introduction of the visual search tool, “Complete the Look”, where relevant products are recommended based on the context of an image, it’s clear to see the platform’s eCommerce capabilities are also being improved.

Advertising on a platform that isn’t saturated by other business adverts and content from family and friends allows brands to make more of an impact with their engaging and relevant content. Combining the power of visual search, influenceable users and the enormous marketing and sales opportunity of this growing platform is exactly why you should be considering it within your marketing campaigns. Contact us to find out how Pinterest could be introduced into your social media strategy.