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Pinterest is where it’s at. If nobody has told you this yet… I will. Pinterest is the platform that should be used to leverage your business and take it to the next level.
Easy for me to say, right?
You’re probably reading this saying, okay… and exactly how should I be doing this? Well, let me give you a complete rundown of Pinterest for beginners and explain everything you need to know when just starting out.
This Pinterest beginner guide should answer any questions you may have as a newbie.
Pinterest for Beginners: What is Pinterest?
Let’s first start by clarifying exactly what Pinterest is. Pinterest for beginners isn’t always clear. When people hear the word ‘Pinterest,’ they automatically assume it’s a social media platform. I’m going to be clear… that’s NOT what it is.
Pinterest is a search engine. Just like Google. The only difference is, Pinterest is a visual search engine.
You search Google looking to find something specific. You type keywords into the search bar and a bunch of websites related to those keywords will appear. This then allows you to filter through them and find exactly what you’re looking for.
If you come up empty-handed, you simply change how you phrased the keywords and try again. That’s exactly how Pinterest works.
You type in the keywords or key-phrases of what you’re looking for and everything Pinterest deems relevant will appear in the results in the form of a picture and/or short video. These are called Pins.
How Does Pinterest Work?
Understanding Pinterest for beginners is really important. Maybe you already have an account. If that’s the case, you probably do what most people do.
Create boards and Pin the things you like, DIY projects you want to try, things that inspire you, countries you want to visit, or possibly things that you want to purchase.
This is how most people utilize Pinterest.
Perhaps you were looking for ideas for the charcuterie board you just purchased. (You should check out my board. I just purchased a new charcuterie board myself. There are some great ideas on there).
What about the vacation your family likes to take every year? You could have a board filled with ideas of new places you and your family would like to visit.
Or maybe you already have a destination in mind. Perfect. Pin the famous landmarks. Look up the best places to eat. And don’t forget to Pin the most popular things to see and do during your visit either.
Another possibility is that you could be looking for ideas to build an outdoor fire pit to use during those fall and winter months. You will find plenty of inspiration and ideas for you to create the perfect fire pit for your backyard.
Whatever you are looking for, chances are pretty high that you’ll find it on Pinterest. Just keep searching because it’s probably out there for you to draw inspiration from and create something perfect for you.
Example of How Someone Uses Pinterest
Pinterest for beginners can be a lot at first so let me use an example.
Let’s say that you’re on the verge of getting married. You’ve probably created a variety of wedding boards. One for wedding dresses, wedding cakes, wedding themes, wedding arrangements, flowers, honeymoon destinations, etc.
Next, you put those exact terms into the search bar. After the results pop up, you begin to filter through the Pins that appear related to those keywords.
You begin ‘Pinning’ or saving the Pins you like best to the most appropriately themed board. Ultimately, these boards will be used as inspiration for your wedding.
I want you to keep in mind, what attracted you to those specific Pins? Could it possibly be the lighting in the picture that inspires you? Maybe it was the color combination that drew you in. Whatever that reason may be, you Pinned it and it’s there for you to return to at a later time.
Don’t forget about the dress you fell in love with because you had to have it. You’ve been shopping for what seems like forever, yet you haven’t seen a dress quite like this one. When you click on the Pin, it will take you to the website designated for that Pin.
That website could possibly be a blogger who tailors their blog to everything wedding-related or maybe even the dress-maker themselves.
Anyone could have Pinned it. The nice thing is that you have a pretty good chance at hunting it down. You should be able to track the source of where that dress came from and where you can purchase it.
That may have seemed long-winded, but Pinterest for beginners should be broken down to fully understand what it is and how it can be used.
What’s My Point?
My point is, that’s exactly what you do to leverage your business. You were in the market for things you needed for your wedding.
You searched those items and it led you to various boards full of Pins that were tailored to those specific wedding items.
Boards that probably belong to business owners who sell those wedding items that you wanted to purchase. You went to Pinterest looking for ideas and they were right there and ready to deliver them to you.
Look back at that dress you fell in love with. If you end up buying it, that in turn will ultimately result in a sale for that dress-maker. She will make a profit because you bought her dress as a result of your search on Pinterest.
Now imagine if that were you on the other end of that deal? What if it were you making that sale?
That’s how you need to look at Pinterest as a business owner. How do you create boards full of Pins that will draw in potential customers and will hopefully convert into a sale for you?
What You Need to Do Next
Now that you’ve gotten a quick rundown of Pinterest for beginners, you’ll need to set up your business account on Pinterest and get the ball rolling if you haven’t already. If you’d like some advice on what to do next, check out my article, Why Setting Up Your Business Account Correctly is Key to Your Success.
There, I’ll be able to share some tips on what I didn’t know when I first started my business account now that you’ve finished the Pinterest beginner guide.
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