Most wedding and event pros understand the power of Pinterest when it comes to designing events or gathering inspiration. Many have probably dealt with a Pinterest-happy client or two who couldn’t seem to get enough of the endless creative ideas the platform has become famous for. But, most service based businesses in the wedding and event space don’t know how to turn their love-hate relationship with Pinterest into a lead generating machine to help them grow their business.
Engaged couples across the globe – and in your local area – look to Pinterest for inspiration as they plan their big day, while businesses and corporations are increasingly turning to Pinterest for ideas for their next meeting or event. Florals, venues, lighting, video, decor, cakes — with more than 450 million active users each month, Pinterest is vital for industry pros looking to generate new leads.
Though many refer to Pinterest as a social media site, it’s important to understand that it’s a “search and discovery” platform where users go to find ideas and solutions (think Google and YouTube). If you want to build a successful Pinterest profile that brings you the right kind of inquiries, you’ll want to develop a set of strategies that are different from the ones you use on social networking platforms, like Facebook and TikTok.
Pinterest is the long game, meaning it can take some time for your efforts to pay off, unlike social media or email marketing, which are quick, immediate hits. If you’re hoping to generate new business from Pinterest, now’s the time to dive in to set yourself up for leads in the future.
Here’s how to set your service-based business up for Pinterest success in 2023.
Get to Know the Platform
If more, different or better inquiries from Pinterest users is the goal, then it is important that you spend some time on the platform first. Before you just dive right in, use Pinterest yourself. Get to know it: understand how it works and start to think about how your potential clients are using the platform too. Putting yourself in their shoes as a Pinterest user will help you in the long run so that you can share the right kind of content that will gain your ideal client’s attention.
Remember the Basics
Once you know a little more about how Pinterest works, you might feel ready to get to pinning. But, the most successful businesses on Pinterest set a solid foundation and strategy before they ever share any content. Focus on your company profile and boards, as well as how best you can help your ideal customers on Pinterest. Much like trying to buy throw pillows and hang pictures before you’ve built your home’s foundation, many entrepreneurs want to jump right into pinning. But to succeed on Pinterest, you must first establish your profile and get familiar with the search engine. Your beautiful pin graphics won’t make an impact if you haven’t built your house first.
Conduct Keyword Research
Once you’ve laid the foundation for a successful Pinterest profile, it’s time to include the right keywords on your content. Remembering that Pinterest is not social media, always think about your potential customer first when it comes to keyword creation and posting content. What are their concerns? Where do they need help? Pinterest is a “how can I help you” platform, not a “get to know you” one. The best place to conduct keyword research for Pinterest is with the exact questions that your potential clients are asking you. The second best place is right in the Pinterest search bar. Start typing a keyword or a question and see what comes up.
Highlight Your Location
As you’re getting specific with your keywords, remember to keep your area of service in mind. This is especially important for service based businesses or local businesses that serve specific areas. Be sure to add specific locations, cities, or regions to all of your content on Pinterest. Because adding geographical keywords to your Pinterest content will attract interested clients who are in a position to hire your business.
Schedule in Advance
One of the best things about using Pinterest for your business is the ability to pre-schedule your content so that you don’t need to return to the platform every day to be successful. Tools like Tailwind and Planoly make it easy to drive traffic to your website on autopilot. Social media thrives on comments and likes, but Pinterest thrives on consistency. The platform will reward you for continuously showing up and sharing helpful and inspirational content — and the right scheduling app can help you do so, which is especially important during the busy event season.
Repurpose Your Content
One of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to using Pinterest for your business is that you need to have a blog. This is simply not true. You don’t need to have a blog to reach your ideal clients on Pinterest. The galleries on your website are prime content to share on Pinterest, as well as your past work from events that maybe haven’t made it into a gallery quite yet. You can also repurpose any of your content such as videos that you’re creating for social media. A good rule of thumb is that if you designed it or created it, it’s perfect for getting you future business. Pro tip: it’s important that your pins always link back to your website, never to a social media account.
Keep it Professional
When searching for a vendor, the last thing a couple needs is to see a beautiful tablescape paired with “10 Instant Pot Dinner Recipes.” Also, this is very confusing to the Pinterest algorithm. Is this account about recipes or about tabletop design? Yes, Pinterest is full of food, interior design ideas, and product recommendations — but that doesn’t mean it belongs on your company’s Pinterest profile. Avoid mixing personal pins with your business account. If you want to save those recipes, do so on a personal account, or use secret boards to keep them hidden.
Just as Pinterest is an incredible place to gather inspiration and ideas (and recipes!) for you, it’s just as effective of a tool for your potential new clients as well. Corporate clients looking to plan their next big leadership summit and engaged couples researching anything and everything “wedding” are all using Pinterest to cultivate their vision. Most importantly, they are using Pinterest to bring their ideas to life.
Pinterest is an ideal place to share your expertise and build that ever-elusive know, like, and trust factor with potential new clients. Lay your foundation, stay consistent, and you can turn those leads from Pinterest into bookings.
Julianne Smith is a nationally recognized wedding accessory designer, digital media strategist, and small business educator. In addition to being the owner of The Garter Girl, a stylish wedding garter design company, Julianne helps creative small businesses throughout the wedding industry who are struggling with their online presence.
