Advertising on Pinterest: reasons to get started

Melanie Robin
November 11, 2023
11:09 a.m.
0 comments

Pinterest may not be the first social network you think of when thinking about a marketing strategy incorporating Social Ads. However, it is a real search engine that is particularly relevant for e-retailers, mainly in the fashion, interior design and beauty sectors. What are the characteristics of Pinterest? What are the advantages of advertising on Pinterest? We give you all the keys in this article, before you launch yourself on the platform.

Pinterest, a search engine like no other

With 444 million active users Worldwide, Pinterest is less used than other social networks like TikTok or Instagram, other networks based on visuals, images and videos. This is why it is sometimes neglected by brands and companies. However, despite a smaller audience, Pinterest has a ROI twice as high than that of the competition. Furthermore, the platform differentiates itself from its competitors because it is used as a search engine.

Internet users with a project (homestaging, renovation, shopping, etc.) surf this immense virtual library to find sources of inspiration. Thus, an Internet user, when he goes to Pinterest, is in a purchase intent. The social network therefore generates a qualified traffic with a high conversion rate. It is therefore relevant to be present on the platform but also to use Pinterest Ads in your strategy, to determine a marketing objective and target the public according to very precise criteria:

sociodemographic;
by interests;
customer base from a CRM;
act-like audiences (audiences similar to your customers).

Whether it is a brand awareness campaign or an operation which aims tosales increase, advertising on Pinterest is very effective.

The specifics of advertising on Pinterest

Pinterest Ads is:

5 ad formats;
multi-criteria targeting;
a network designed for e-commerce;
precise, real-time monitoring of campaign performance and ROI.

For optimized campaign performance, you must combine targeting and retargeting, manual optimization and

automation and do A/B testing until you find the combinations that work best.

Pinterest is more of a community search engine than a social network strictly speaking. It is based exclusively on the visual. The quality of content is therefore essential to hope that your advertising campaigns convert. From the visuals published on the network, to the graphics and ergonomics of the landing page, nothing should be left to chance. It is necessary to ensure the highlighting products throughout the customer journey, while following the codes and uses of the platform.

Advertising formats

L'sponsored pin is a vertical image, it can also be placed in a story. It is then possible to pimp it with stickers, hashtags, sound, etc. There is therefore a variety of different ad formats on Pinterest :

the format standard with picture;
the format video, between 6 and 15 seconds;
the format shopping which allows you to promote a product sheet with price, availability and customer reviews;
the format carousel which can support up to 5 visuals;
the format collections which allows you to create a slideshow;
,etc.

Note: the platform also innovates in the augmented reality with the Try On pins. The Internet user accesses a virtual fitting room using the camera of their smartphone. However, this feature is currently only available in the United States and United Kingdom.

What are the benefits of Pinterest Ads?

Advertising on Pinterest offers many advantages to e-retailers.

An active and receptive target to brand content

The platform generates traffic of 250 million monthly visitors including 10 million in France. They perform 2 billion searches per month and are aware that 75 % of the content on the social network comes from brands, publishers and influencers. The users of the platform are 60 % women (but there are more and more men). 34 % of them are between 18 and 34 years old and 35 %, between 35 and 49 years old. A large majority of them are therefore part of the active population and have a purchasing power interesting. Source: Pinterest, September 2023.

An audience with a purchasing intention

The digital library is used as a search engine by Internet users who have a design, furnishing, decoration or fashion project and who are looking for ideas and inspiration. THE conversion rate is thus elevated on this social network.

Acquisition costs still low

Advertisers have not yet massively inverted Pinterest Ads, which is why competition is not too high yet and lower acquisition costs than on other advertising platforms.

Immersive advertisements designed for e-commerce

Unlike other social networks, Pinterest is designed for e-commerce and online shopping. Pinterest Shopping improves the user experience with brands and promotes the purchasing process. Advertising formats, for their part, are designed to highlight brands and their products with in particular the try-on pins which allow you to experience a augmented reality experience.

And finally, an excellent way to generate traffic to your site

Where Pinterest really shines is in its ability to boost traffic to your website, whether organic or paid. The platform could even become your main source of traffic. So how can you put all the chances on your side? The golden rule is to create visually eye-catching Pins. No matter the quality, price or demand for your product, if you can't capture the attention of your target audience, all your efforts may be in vain.

Do you want to learn how to run effective campaigns on the platform? Join the Pinterest Academy.

What you must remember

Pinterest is becoming an essential asset for e-retailers thanks to its unique characteristics. With 444 million active users worldwide, it has twice the return on investment (ROI) of other social networks. In fact, the platform functions like a search engine, attracting Internet users looking for inspiration and ready to buy. Advertising on Pinterest is therefore a good way to increase your conversion rates and sell better and more. The social network offers various advertising formats, precise targeting and real-time tracking with an affordable acquisition cost. A word of advice: visual quality is essential to success! Finally, never underestimate the ability of this large image library to attract qualified paid traffic to your website.

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