With more than 320 users, Pinterest ranks as the 4^th most popular social media platform in the United States in 2021, making it hard to ignore from a digital marketing perspective. There’s no question that we’re becoming more and more visual, especially online, and Pinterest offers the only social media visual search tool available.

More than 84% of weekly users use Pinterest to help with purchase decisions and 75% say they’re “very interested” in new products. Compared to other social media channels, Pinterest users are surprisingly open to marketing and influence. A well-researched social media content strategy can leverage Pinterest’s unique audience to grow your business in 2021.

Before you plan your Pinterest content…

It’s tempting to jump right into the fun part of content strategy, which is content creation, but if you want your content to be really effective, take some time to establish your direction and goals.

Defining goals and objectives for your Pinterest content will ensure that each post is working towards the results you want to achieve, as opposed to being content for the sake of content. Take a look at your past performance, your competitor’s boards, and your audience’s behavior to see what content they prefer and what gets them engaged.

Set KPIs

Now that you have some goals, you need to have a way to track your progress. For Pinterest, the best key performance indicators (KPIs) to track are your sessions and page views, repins and saves, and followers. With your goals and chosen metrics in mind, define what success looks like to you and narrow your goals to their specific metrics.

Figure out what your Pinterest audience needs.

Your content strategy should function as a working piece of your sales funnel, which means it should engage your audience with consideration for their current mindset and drive them further into the funnel.

Your Pinterest content can catch consumers in either the awareness or the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey. The awareness stage is when the consumer initially becomes aware of a problem. This is when you should push brand awareness and provide information that marks you as an authority on the topic.

The consideration stage is when the consumer is looking at the possible solutions to the problem, including your solution. This is where you can introduce your solution and focus on building your credibility. Instead of shamelessly advertising with “buy now” options, your message should say, “I can help.”

Be different.

It’s always nice to feel special but in this case, it can make or break your content strategy. Brainstorm an exhaustive list of what content your audience wants and needs and narrow that list down to content they want and need that is related to your industry.

Create another list of the content that’s already available to fill those needs. Are there any gaps? Is there anything your audience wants or needs that’s not already being published? If so, do it. If not, look for weaknesses in the current content offerings. Is there something you can improve on or innovate?

Create a detailed Pinterest content calendar.

Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest doesn’t have much wiggle room when it comes to posting frequency. If you want to keep your content in front of your audience, you really have to post every day. Schedule your seasonal content at least a month in advance.

As you develop your topics in preparation for content creation, be sure you’re offering real value that will entice followers who can be converted down the line. Identify some keywords and hashtags that you can use to increase content visibility. Users are able to follow hashtags and 97% of searches are unbranded, so using the right keywords can get your brand in front of a huge audience.

Prepare your graphics.

Pinterest is a visual platform, so you’ll need to prepare appealing graphics for your daily pins. Vertical imagery with a 2:3 aspect ratio is best for avoiding truncation.

Try to make every image the highest possible quality. Use descriptive copy to tell users what they’re looking at and make them want to know more. Use text overlay to create headlines that reinforce your message. Include your logo in a tasteful fashion on every pin, so your brand doesn’t get lost when your pins are repinned.

And of course, it goes without saying that Infographics are huge on Pinterest, and are extremely shareable, and can be incredible traffic drivers and brand builders.

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Create your Pinterest content.

Once your graphics are prepared, it will be relatively easy to polish up your pins and get them ready for publishing. Finish a batch of pins in one sitting to have them lined up and ready to post according to your calendar. Upload your polished pins to a content scheduler that’s compatible with Pinterest and set it to automatically post at specified times every day.

Include relevant hashtags with every pin. Pinterest Analytics will provide plenty of metrics you can use to analyze the performance of your content and adjust your content strategy as needed.