I recently got to chat with Shanelle Kunz, the amazing and down-to-earth powerhouse behind the podcast, Sales Strategies with Shanelle, for part of her series on using social media for lead generation. Pinterest is an often-overlooked platform for marketing so I was excited to share with her listeners 6 effective strategies for lead generation using Pinterest.

Take a listen to the podcast HERE.

With over 350 million active users (and rapidly growing), Pinterest is an amazing platform for lead generation.  It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that Pinterest is just another social media platform, but it’s not. No, Pinterest is a search and discovery tool.  People go to Pinterest find a solution to their problem AND to get inspired. This sets it apart from other social media platforms and even from Google.  

The key to using Pinterest as a marketing platform is being completely clear on who your audience is. If you go to Pinterest with your guns a-blazin’ and no strategy, you will definitely attract people, but they won’t be YOUR people.  So the first thing you need to do is identify who your target audience or ideal client it.  Take a peek at this post HERE to learn how to read your Pinterest Insights and see if you are targeting the right audience. 

If you are new to Pinterest marketing check out my free email mini-course that will get your account set up and fully optimized to attract your ideal audience in just 3-days. Click here to sign up and get started. 

Now, let’s jump into my 6 tips for lead generation using Pinterest.

 

1. create a freebie

Consider what you know about your audience. What are they going to Pinterest to search for?  Do your research – look at what are other people offering. What could set you apart? Create something that provides a ton of value like an e-book, a guide, a checklist, a mini-course, a webinar, swipe-files, etc.  Or create a fun personality quiz.  Did you know that quizzes have a 50% conversion rate for lead generation?!  My favorite tool is Interact quiz maker. (affiliate link) 

2. create pins that lead to your Instagram

Do you create quality content for your Instagram?  Some people even use their Instagram as a pseudo-blog.  So why not drive Pinterest traffic to your IG account?!  Especially, if you tend to get a good amount of leads already from Instagram.  Leverage that!  You can pin your existing Instagram images or, even better, create new, Pinterest-optimized images (2×3 ratio and a text overlay) and pin them to specific Instagram posts.  This is a great way to breathe life back into old posts on Instagram. 

3. pin your portfolio work

Showcase your portfolio on Pinterest! If you are a photographer or designer, create boards that feature your beautiful work.   Depending on the amount of content you have, you can create separate boards for each individual project or boards by project category.  *If you are not putting a text overlay on our portfolio images make to at least include your logo.  Write a clear title and description so that your image shows up in the right search results.

4. Utilize your Pinterest Bio 

Use your Pinterest bio strategically by describing who your target audience is and how you serve them.  If you have an awesome freebie, try to showcase it here. Use a link-shortener to save on character space and include a CTA if you can. The Pinterest bio has a limit of 160 characters so you have to get creative! 

5. Create a variety of pins (test different creatives, CTA’s, etc)

You never know what will resonate with different folks in your audience so try to mix up your pin images.  Create 4-5 different images and then wait 3-4 weeks to check Pinterest Analytics to see which pins are working the best.  Use Tailwind (affiliate link) to schedule out the pins to stay consistent and get more reach.  Don’t forget to add your pins to Tailwind Communities (formerly Tribes) too. 

6. Accelerate your efforts with promoted pins

Either kickstart a new lead magnet you have or boost a pin or two that you already have with promoted pins. Run a low-budget Pinterest ad campaign for as little as $5-10/day for a month or two to get massive growth to your email list.  *Tip – before you run an ad campaign, I recommend you have a funnel set up so you can nurture your new subscriber into paying customers and leads!

 

The best part about Pinterest is that the content lives on FOREVER! It can perform for you now and then trend again two years from now, continuing to generate followers and leads.