As a visual-first search engine, Pinterest offers a unique opportunity for businesses and brands to reach and engage with their target audience. With over 400 million active monthly users, Pinterest can be a powerful tool for driving traffic, generating leads, and boosting sales.

However, many bloggers or businesses struggle to see the results they expect from their Pinterest marketing efforts. This is often due to common Pinterest marketing mistakes that can undermine the effectiveness of a Pinterest strategy. In this blog post, we’ll explore five Pinterest marketing mistakes you might be making and how to avoid them for better results that’ll help you grow your website traffic.

Avoid These 5 Common Pinterest Marketing Mistakes

When it comes to mastering Pinterest marketing, steering clear of common pitfalls is crucial for success. Let’s delve into the top 5 mistakes that can hinder your Pinterest strategy. From neglecting your target audience to overlooking the power of rich pins and analytics, we uncover the missteps that could be holding you back from maximizing your Pinterest potential. By understanding and avoiding these common Pinterest marketing mistakes, you can elevate your strategy, drive better results, and unlock the full power of this platform for your business or blog.

1. Neglecting Keyword Research

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make on Pinterest is failing to conduct thorough keyword research. Pinterest is a visual search engine much like Google, so optimizing your content for relevant keywords is crucial to get your content seen…

Keyword research allows you to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is using to search for products, services, and information related to your business or blog niche. By creating pins, Pinterest descriptions and boards that are optimized for these high-performing keywords, you can increase the visibility and discoverability of your content.

To conduct effective Pinterest keyword research to find these keywords:

• Use the Pinterest search bar to explore relevant keywords and phrases to drive blog traffic. Pay attention to the autocomplete suggestions, as these represent popular search terms.
• Leverage keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, Keywords Everywhere, or the Pinterest Trends tool to uncover additional keyword ideas and their search volume.
• Analyze your competitors’ most successful pins to identify the keywords they are targeting.
• Incorporate your target keywords naturally into your pin titles, pin descriptions, Pinterest profile descriptions,  Pinterest board names, and board descriptions.

Optimizing your Pinterest content and Pinterest account for the right keywords will help ensure that your pins show up in relevant searches, driving more qualified traffic to your website or online store. 

Related post: How to Use Pinterest for Bloggers: Drive More Traffic to Your Blog

2. Neglecting Visual Optimization

Pinterest is a highly visual platform, so it makes sense that the quality and appeal of your pin images are important! Poorly designed or low-quality pins are unlikely to capture the attention of users and may even be overlooked or ignored.

To optimize your pin visuals for maximum engagement keep these tips in mind:

• Use high-quality, eye-catching images that are at least 1000 x 1500 pixels in size. Avoid blurry, pixelated, or low-resolution images.
• Incorporate branded elements like your logo, domain name, color scheme, or font styles to reinforce your brand identity.
• Create visually appealing, cohesive designs using tools like Canva. 
• Test different image styles, incorporating stock videos, layouts, and formats to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Ensure your pin images are vertically oriented, as this is the preferred aspect ratio for Pinterest.
• Consider using lifestyle or product shots that showcase your offerings in use or in context.
• Don’t forget to use keywords on your pin designs. Pinterest’s algorithm does read what’s on your pin so make sure it’s optimized for SEO.

By investing time and effort into creating visually stunning pins, you’ll be more likely to capture the attention of Pinterest users and drive them to engage with your content. To save time and give your content a professional edge use stock imagery like Haute Stock which is a stock photos and video membership. 

Related post: How to Design Click-Worthy Pins for Pinterest

3. Neglecting Consistent Pinning

When it comes to Pinterest like many social media platforms consistency is key when it comes to successful Pinterest marketing. Sporadic or infrequent pinning can make it difficult for your audience to find and engage with your content, ultimately limiting your reach and results.

To maintain a consistent pinning schedule:

• Develop a content calendar and decide on the content quality you’re comfortable whether that’s 1,2 or 3 pins a day. Stick to a consistent posting schedule this will help boost Pinterest traffic.
• Use a Pinterest scheduler like Tailwind, Vistasocial or the native Pinterest scheduler to automate your pinning and ensure a steady stream of new content (aka fresh content).
• Mix up your pin types, including a combination of your own original and fresh content, curated content from other sources, and re-pins of your top-performing pins.
• Analyze your Pinterest analytics to determine what content your audience enjoys more to see what content types, niches, etc work well. 
• Experiment with different pinning frequencies, schedules and types (images or videos) to find the sweet spot that generates the most engagement and traffic for your business.

Consistent, strategic pinning will help you stay top-of-mind with your audience, increase your overall visibility, and drive more traffic and conversions from Pinterest.

Related post: How to Schedule Your Pinterest Posts with Metricool

4. Neglecting Measurement and Optimization

Finally, one of the most common Pinterest marketing mistakes is failing to track and analyze your performance. Without a clear understanding of what’s working and what’s not, it’s impossible to make informed decisions and optimize your strategy for better results. Make sure you have a Pinterest business account if not switch it to one, this will give you access to even more tools to help analyze traffic to your blog.

To effectively measure and optimize your Pinterest marketing efforts:

• Set clear, measurable goals for your Pinterest marketing, such as increased website traffic, leads, or sales.
• Use Pinterest Analytics to track key metrics like impressions, engagements, clicks, and saves.
• Analyze your top-performing pins to identify the content, visuals, and keywords that resonate most with your audience.
• A/B test different Pinterest pin designs, pin descriptions, and strategies to continually improve your performance.
• Monitor your competitors’ Pinterest activity and adapt your approach accordingly.
• Regularly review and adjust your Pinterest marketing strategy based on your performance data and audience insights.

By consistently measuring and optimizing your Pinterest marketing efforts, you can make data-driven decisions to improve your results over time and achieve your business objectives.

Related post:  7 Pinterest Tools to Help You Build an Awesome Pinning Strategy

Pinterest can be a powerful tool for online businesses and brands that can help grow your blog traffic. Avoid making these common Pinterest mistakes. By focusing on keyword research, visual optimization, consistent pinning, and measurement and optimization, you can unlock the full potential of Pinterest and drive better results for your business.

Remember, successful Pinterest marketing is an ongoing process that requires patience, experimentation, and a willingness to adapt to the Pinterest algorithm. Stay committed to learning, testing, and refining your approach, and you’ll be well on your way to Pinterest marketing success.