Convince customers and professionals with Pinterest

Crafts 4.0: Around 16 million Germans use Pinterest as a social network and search engine for visual content. Craftspeople, in particular, find it ideal for reaching customers, apprentices, and skilled workers with their own content.

This article is part of the special feature on digital craftsmanship.

Pinterest occupies a special position among social networks . Although users can comment on posts and react with emojis, the social component isn't the main focus . Instead, Pinterest functions more like a search engine for visual content . This makes the platform a great opportunity for many craft businesses to reach customers, new apprentices, and potential skilled workers with their own content.

Pinterest's functionality differs in many aspects from other social networks . While Facebook and Instagram place great emphasis on the timeliness of posts, Pinterest focuses more on long-term user inspiration and the discovery of photos and videos . The name itself , a combination of "pin" and "interest," makes it clear that interesting content is meant to be "pinned" to specific pages. Pinterest "pins" consist of photos or videos accompanied by a comment and a link. These links lead, for example, to websites featuring products, services, reference projects, online shops, or job postings.

Set up thematic pinboards

User-generated pins can be distributed across various virtual pinboards, which each user can create on a topic-specific basis. For businesses, for example, it's a good idea to set up pinboards on topics such as "Handcrafted Products ," " Apprenticeships in the Trades ," or " Jobs in the Trades ." For specific trades, pinboards on topics like "Weddings," "Current Hairstyle Trends," "Original Baked Goods," or "Efficient Climate Control" are also suitable – the possibilities are endless.

Users can add posts from other users to their own pinboards to fill the space more quickly. Likewise, other users can copy photos and videos from your business to their own pinboards . The more users who copy your posts, the more website visits they generate in the long run.

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Build targeted reach

To quickly build a significant reach as a Pinterest beginner, group boards are recommended. Here, several users collaboratively publish posts on specific topics. The advantage: other group members quickly become aware of new posts, increasing the likelihood of your own photos and videos being clicked.

To increase their reach, businesses should also promote their Pinterest account on other channels , such as social media , email signatures , business cards , and their website. Another way to boost brand awareness, especially in the beginning, is through paid Pinterest ads – so-called " Promoted Pins ." These are then prominently displayed on the Pinterest homepage or in search results for the desired target audience, which can be defined using several criteria. This is particularly effective for online shops , as most Pinterest users are specifically searching for creative ideas or particular products – which means they are highly likely to buy.

Inspire skilled workers and trainees

When companies use Pinterest to recruit trainees and skilled workers, they can also reach potential candidates who aren't actively looking for a job. By authentically and humorously showcasing their work in pictures and videos, these individuals can become aware of the company – and land on the careers page of the company website with just one click . Creating different pinboards makes it easy to use Pinterest to specifically target trainees and skilled workers.

Efficiency through automation

Keywords play a crucial role in ensuring your photos and videos are found via Pinterest's search engine. Therefore, your posts should always include terms that potential customers will later search for. To save time when regularly publishing new content, this process can be automated : With tools like Tailwind (tailwindapp.com), businesses can pre-produce their posts and automatically publish them on desired days or at specific times.

Popular pin formats on Pinterest

• Standard pin A standard pin consists of a portrait image with or without text.
• Collection pin Collection pins allow you to link up to 24 products in an online shop.
• Catalog pin Using Pinterest's catalog feature, you can create catalog pins with individual products. With one click, users are taken directly to the product page in your online shop.
• Carousel Pin Carousel pins consist of two to five images that are displayed one after the other, like a slideshow. This can be used to display short instructions, before-and-after comparisons, work progress, or short stories.
• Video pin Video Pins are pins with moving images. The possible video length is between 4 seconds and 15 minutes.
• Idea Pin Idea Pins offer even more creative possibilities than carousel Pins: They consist of up to 20 images or videos.

Checklist: Pinterest for Beginners

• Concept What goals should you achieve with Pinterest: Increase clicks to your online shop? Promote products/services? Or target trainees/professionals?
• Responsibilities Who in their company produces content for the Pinterest channel? Who answers questions and comments from other users
• Profile Before you start, you need to create a Pinterest profile. In addition to your company name, you should also complete a brief profile and contact information. Providing an email address and phone number makes it easier to contact you.
• Pinboards To begin with, businesses should create several boards to cover relevant topics. Clear board descriptions and categorization help interested parties find their topics more quickly.
• laws All Pinterest activities must comply with legal requirements, such as copyright law and the GDPR.
• Pins Then it's time to create the pins—photos and videos. If your boards overlap in theme, that's not a problem; it's actually an advantage: This way, a pin can be posted on multiple boards at once.
• variety Diverse content piques users' interest. Therefore, in addition to standard pins, carousel, idea, and video pins should also be used.
• Quality Your photos and videos on Pinterest should be authentic and high-quality. Blurry or blurry shots should be avoided.
• Success control By analyzing your own successes, you can determine which content Pinterest users particularly value—and which pins best achieve your goals. Possible measures include tracking tools or links to specially created websites.

Important technical terms

• Pin Individual posts on Pinterest are called pins. Pins can be images or videos accompanied by short text and a link.
• Wall Each user can create multiple themed boards, which they can populate with pins. In addition to their own pins, they can also repin pins from other users. Group boards allow multiple users to post their posts simultaneously.
• Promoted Pin Promoted Pins are paid ads on Pinterest.
• repin Repins are other people’s posts that are added to your own pinboard.
• Recruiting agencies for the skilled trades If you don't want to handle the creation and placement of ads yourself, you can also outsource to specialized recruiting agencies. Some specialize in tradespeople. It's worth comparing offers, examining the agencies' working methods, and asking for references from the trades sector.

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