Trade secret : the best content marketers constantly use trends to shape their strategy.
A common misconception about trends is that they are fads, fleeting, and should be ignored. But that’s not necessarily true! Trends give us quick, actionable insights into where our audiences are at and what they value.
Just take a look at the 2020 Pinterest Trends, which the platform forecasted with 80% accuracy. Those aren’t just about fads – they are a window into the deeply-held values and growth people are looking to achieve in their lives!
It’s big stuff, and it’s valuable. That’s why you should never ignore a trend report.
Speaking of, SEMrush’s Global Content Marketing Report for 2020 offers a perfect opportunity to learn from others and take a second look at Pinterest for content distribution and promotion.
If you’re on the fence about using Pinterest for your marketing strategy, this report may just change your mind.
So, ready to learn about the immense power of Pinterest?
We’ll dig into SEMrush’s report to show you how Pinterest can help your content succeed in 2021 – and beyond!
About the SEMrush Report
SEMrush’s report includes 63 pages of insight into everything that has happened in content marketing this year.
The data came from 1,500 survey responses, 1.2 million blog posts, and 600k tweets.
To say that it’s thorough is an understatement, as it examines everything from the most expensive keywords to popular distribution channels and more.
And here’s what it reveals about the importance of content marketing on Pinterest:
1. Most Content Marketers Aren’t Relying on Pinterest
But they should.
Brands are always trying to find new ways to stand out on social media, especially when they’re using social as a part of their content marketing strategy.
It’s no surprise that “social media content marketing” is the 20th most popular search query related to content marketing, according to the report.
The report explains that 69% of marketers use social media marketing tools to improve their content marketing.
Another 87% use social as a form of content distribution (or, in other words, extending the reach of their content and getting it in front of more people).
Despite this, only 4% said that Pinterest is the most effective platform for content.
This is at least partially likely because many aren’t even using Pinterest!
A large number of businesses focus almost exclusively on Facebook, Twitter, and possibly LinkedIn.
Pinterest is a relatively new platform to many content marketers, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth investing in.
It was created as a content-sharing and content-saving platform in early 2010, so there are plenty of opportunities to drive traffic from Pinterest directly!
However, about 4% of marketers have caught on and say that it’s the most effective platform, not that it’s an effective platform.
That’s an important distinction, especially since a study from Merkle demonstrated that Pinterest had the largest year-on-year referral traffic growth in Q4 of 2019.
So what’s the deal?
The biggest reason that most content marketers haven’t made the leap to Pinterest is the misunderstanding that it won’t work for them.
They associate Pinterest exclusively with DIY content like how to make homemade gourmet dog biscuits or motivational quotes.
While this content is on Pinterest, it’s also more nuanced; people are researching buying decisions, and the audience has diversified significantly over the past few years.
Did you know men signing up at higher rates than ever before? And take a spin through Pinterest’s 2021 Trend report – people are using Pinterest for eco-sustainability, entrepreneurship guides, and global connection.
This isn’t just dog biscuits, people, so just because you haven’t used Pinterest yet isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t!
2. Visuals Are Crucial, and Pinterest Is All About Visual
Everybody likes visuals. Visuals can increase views by up to 94% when they’re added to articles and blog posts, and they can also help users retain information more effectively.
Posts with even a single image get 2x as much traffic as text-only posts, and they receive 30% more shares and 25% more backlinks.
And here’s another marketing secret: Social posts with visuals are prioritized by algorithms because people engage with them more consistently.
They’re also more attention-grabbing in busy newsfeeds and can add additional context to a post.
You should be using images and videos on your blog posts whenever possible, and those visual components can then directly be used to create Pins on Pinterest!
Infographics can even act as stand-alone posts, and you know what performs well on Pinterest? Infographic Pins.
Pinterest, after all, is not just another social media platform; it’s a visual search engine. Visuals are everything there.
And since you’re already hopefully creating strong visuals for your blog and across other social media channels, why not add them to another platform for extended reach?
Especially since you can easily drive traffic back to your blog. Can you say win-win?
The Insiders Guide to Pinterest Visuals
In order to excel on Pinterest, you will need to lean on visuals, as they’re a crucial part of the platform.
Without images, after all, you have no Pins, and therefore no Pinterest content!
However, there is a tool you can use to remove all the guesswork out of creating beautiful Pin designs to showcase your content.
It’s… drumroll please … Tailwind Create!
If you have even one image in your blog post, this feature will make it easy to create on-trend Pin designs to promote it.
Here’s how it works:
Start by selecting your brand colors and fonts, and uploading a logo.
Then add the URL you want to pull the image from, select a stock photo, or upload your own site photo.
Next, choose the title that you want to appear on the image.
Tailwind will automatically create different images based on what you’ve inputted. Then, you have multiple designs to choose from!
Easy, right? You have to give Tailwind Create a spin for yourself!
3. Content with Lists Performs Best
Which is perfect for Pinterest!
According to the SEMrush report, content that features lists outperforms those that don’t.
Posts that contain at least one list for every 500 words of plain text see 70% more traffic than posts without.
Short bullet-point lists can increase page views, backlinks, and shares.
And good news: This translates well to Pinterest content, too!
Remember that people are on the platform to learn and discover new products and ideas, and information that’s conveyed through a list in the image itself can gain major traction on the platform.
Your Pin can then drive users to your blog for more information about how to execute each of the tips discussed.
4. Many Creators Are Publishing How-To Content, Which Performs Well on Pinterest
“Valuable” and “actionable” are two terms that you’ll commonly hear over and over again when people are talking about content marketing.
People want content that can help them solve a problem they’re searching to resolve.
That’s often why “how-to” guides and educational content are so popular and effective.
61% of those surveyed by SEMrush named “how to” and educational content as one of the most effective content marketing tactics they used in 2020.
This works for your blog, for social media posts, and for YouTube videos. It’s true for Pinterest, too.
Pinterest is an excellent platform for sharing your best tutorial and educational content; 85% of regular pinners will actually start research on-platform when they want to start a new project.
You can mention some of the steps in a list, as discussed above, or even consider sharing a video tutorial on-platform.
This makes Pinterest an exceptionally compatible marketing channel for your content marketing overall.
Final Thoughts
Pinterest doesn’t get all the clout that Facebook and Instagram always do, but you shouldn’t count it out. It’s users are highly engaged, and many start researching buying decisions on this platform first.
Since it was designed to be a platform to find and save great content, it only makes sense that it’s a strong candidate as a marketing channel for your content moving forward.
Interested in learning more about marketing with Pinterest? See how Tailwind can streamline and enhance your Pinterest marketing here!
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