In a world of social media, business owners sometimes wonder whether they are using the right social media tools to promote their businesses. And we’ve heard time and again from social media experts that using Pinterest is essential for our bridal business.
So we caught up with Pinterest Expert and Management Consultant, Alexandra Polunin to find out why the app can be an important tool for promoting your bridal business and how you can use it to generate appointments with your brides.
How did you become a fan and expert of Pinterest?
Before I even thought of becoming a Pinterest marketing consultant, I preferred to use the platform privately. Since 2011 I’ve found inspiration for children’s birthday parties, furnishings and recipes.
When I started my own business at the end of 2015, back then as an editor and copywriter, I was faced with a challenge that many self-employed people and companies understand: customer acquisition.
I read about the “secret weapon” Pinterest on US blogs, and I thought to myself: You should try this! I set up my company profile and started strategically pinning. In just three months, I had over ten thousand Pinterest website visitors, and there was a lot of interest in my online circles. Everyone wants more website visitors, interested parties and customers. And when I got the first request with “Alexandra, can you pin for me?”, I couldn’t believe my luck.
That was the summer of 2017 and the jump-start for my self-employment as a consultant for Pinterest marketing.
What is unique about Pinterest that Instagram or Facebook doesn’t offer?
It’s important to understand that Pinterest is fundamentally different from Instagram or Facebook: Pinterest is a visual search engine, while Instagram and Facebook are social media channels.
The people who are on Pinterest therefore primarily do not want to connect with other people, but are primarily looking for creative ideas, suggestions, instructions and inspiration. They go to Pinterest when they are deciding what to do or buy next and use the platform to plan future events.
Why should bridal shops consider using Pinterest as a marketing tool for their businesses?
I still remember how excited I was about my own wedding ten years ago. At that time there was unfortunately hardly any other way for me to collect ideas and inspiration for my celebration besides books and magazines.
Of course, everything has changed since Pinterest. Generation Z brides first set up a Pinterest account before they start planning their wedding. They look for clothes, cakes, invitation cards, decorations, hairstyles, hair accessories, honeymoon and pin them on their pin boards.
Bridal shops can of course start wonderfully here. If they manage to create spaces for inspiration, they will reach brides who not just like their posts, but who want to take action and implement ideas or buy products.
Can posts on Pinterest actually lead to appointments with brides?
First of all, I advise companies to play through the customer journey. It always starts with a search query on Pinterest. Users search for a certain term (e.g. “Fascinator Wedding”), see many pins as a search result and click on the pin with the fascinator that appeals to them the most. If the pin description makes users curious and if they want to know more, they go to the website.
And now it’s getting exciting. Is there an option here to buy the product online? Is a newsletter offered? Is the appointment clearly visible (or hidden somewhere in the corner where no one can see)? The easier it is for a website visitor to stay in touch with the company, the more likely it is that Pinterest will function as a channel and lead to new customers. And if it doesn’t work on the first visit, then maybe the next. On average, it takes 7–10 contacts with a brand before a purchase is made.
So it is important to understand that Pinterest never has to be viewed in isolation, but only ever viewed in the context of the website. Then it also works with the appointments.
How much time does a company have to invest to be successful on Pinterest?
I would differentiate here: Setting up a company profile on Pinterest is much more extensive than on Instagram, for example. At the beginning you should therefore plan 15-20 hours in the strategic alignment, the one-off keyword research, the setup of the scheduling tool, etc.
This one-time effort prevents many companies from using Pinterest strategically, but it is worth it: Once everything is in place, Pinterest is the most efficient marketing platform currently available. Most of my customers need – depending on their niche and skills – between 4–8 hours a month! That’s about a quarter of what most people need for Instagram and Co.
Can using Pinterest help a company grow its other social media sites too?
Yes, it is entirely possible. For some time now, we have been able to link Instagram, YouTube or even Etsy with Pinterest and pin the content of the other platforms on Pinterest.
How well this works depends heavily on the topic and the quality of the content. Of course, a bridal shop that posts high quality pictures on Instagram has a better chance on Pinterest than someone who wants to pin dark and shaky Instagram photos. But I would definitely test the link.
For those who may be overwhelmed with mastering social media tools, how long does it take to learn Pinterest and how do you help businesses better understand the app?
For many companies, Pinterest seems complicated at first. Maybe because it works so differently than the platforms you are familiar with! That’s why I’ve made it my business to support self-employed people and companies in the strategic development of Pinterest.
In my online program for Pinterest beginners, Smart Pin Academy, most participants have a finished profile after ten weeks, pin regularly and are already looking forward to the first Pinterest website visitors.
For bridal shops that are already using Pinterest, can you give us some top tips that we should be mindful of?
For advanced users, I would definitely recommend experimenting with the newer video pins. These are currently being pushed by Pinterest and rewarded with extra reach. If you want to reach brides in certain regions, you can of course also place advertisements on Pinterest. While in organic Pinterest marketing we naturally leave it to chance who sees our pins, in advertising campaigns we can define the people who should see our pins.
What is your advice to small business owners who say: I just don’t have time for social media?
Pinterest is the perfect marketing platform, especially when time is scarce. Because, unlike Instagram or Facebook, you don’t have to interact with users on Pinterest to be successful. Comments or likes don’t play a big role on Pinterest. There are no live videos or stories that disappear after 24 hours.
Therefore, busy entrepreneurs can completely outsource Pinterest marketing to a virtual assistant. This is an investment that is absolutely worthwhile from an entrepreneur’s point of view.
We would like to thank Alexandra Polunin for this interview.
For more information (in the German language only) visit Alexandra Polunin