Pinterest Ads: What is ad creation and how does it work

 

Pinterest is a photo social network, it emerged in 2010, and is increasingly gaining strength among its adherents. In recent years, it has become a widely used marketing tool, including by companies, which has made the use of Pinterest Ads something common.

According to Pinterest itself, about 450 million users currently use the social network. About 97% of the searches carried out within the App are made by people, who are looking for the most varied types of photos: memes, clothes, decorations, objects, drawings, notebooks, landscapes... In short, an infinity of images.

In fact, the number of people looking for purchases on Pinterest is growing all the time. Very common with what happens in the Instagram Shop.
 
 Also according to the company, about 84% of users use Pinterest search to decide what to buy, and 77% discover new brands or products within the platform. 

With this large volume of users in mind, Pinterest also enables users to run campaigns to reach specific audiences using Pinterest Ads.

To understand how to run campaigns within the App, we first need to understand how the platform works: 

How does Pinterest work? 

Pinterest lets you discover, share, and save ideas (photos, GIFs, or short videos). Within the application, you are able to browse, according to pre-defined preferences, or searches made in the search bar.

 You can search for many different ideas, from inspirations for decorating environments, the composition of clothes, website design, or even ideas for posts and photos for your website or profile.
 
 In order for you to post your photos or media for people to find, you need to create an account and select an image from your device or your website. And that's where Pinterest comes in!

By choosing an image from your website to be posted, it is possible to post an image of your products, promoting your brand. 

Understanding Pinterest terminology

Pinterest works differently from Facebook and Instagram, as it has other goals within the platform. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the terms and functionalities:

• Folder: Your profile is made up of boards. Each folder represents a specific theme and you can create as many folders as you like;
• Pins: Perhaps the most important term within Pinterest. The pins are what will fill the folders, they are the files, content, and photos and they must be inside the folders according to the themes. You can add pins by uploading your files, taking a link from the internet or a link from your website;
• Repin: This is when a user saves a Pin from another user or tag in their own folder;
• Feed: The same way it happens on other social networks. It's a space where the contents (folders and Pins) of those you follow are available.

What are the advantages of using Pinterest Ads? 

There may still be doubts about the advantages and importance of using Pinterest in your online store’s marketing strategy, so we separate some of them here: 

Increases traffic to your blog/website

Pinterest is an excellent tool for increasing people's traffic to your website, as it includes a link on each Pin and that link can and should be from your store/website. 

Free promotion

Promoting your business for free is already a good reason to have a Pinterest for your business, isn't it? Although it seems like a lot of work, creating an account on this App can bring good results and help you to be present on digital platforms. 

A higher number of conversions

With Pinterest, it is possible to convert visitors into leads faster, as they are actually looking for something, unlike what happens on other social networks. With that, they're intent on finding that product, so it's very important to be where it is, too. 

How to use Pinterest? 

When setting up your account, Pinterest needs to know some points and preferences, such as what you sell, what type of business you have, etc. It is also possible to add a link to the website and integrate other social networks and select the subjects that interest you most.

That way, your account has already been created. Now it's time to select your folders! For each folder, it is possible to define the name, description, and category, add a cover and even invite collaborators. 

To create a Pin, you can upload media from your device or website, as well as schedule the post for a different time, and use hashtags if you like. 

How to create ads on Pinterest? 

Now that you have an account and know how to create Pins, it's time to learn how to advertise within this platform. To advertise on Pinterest, your ads must meet certain requirements, such as:

• There must be a destination URL (external link);
• Destination URL and description links cannot be shortened;
• The Pin must be saved on the business profile itself in a public folder;
• Follow the Advertising Guidelines established by Pinterest;
• Do not use GIFS or videos from other people or companies.

Install the Pinterest tag on your website

The Pinterest Tag is a tracker that must be installed on your website to identify visitors who come to it through your ads. 

To install the Tag on your online store, you must access: Home > Top menu > Ads > Conversion. 

Understand how Pinterest Ads charges work

Charges are made in two ways: by the accumulated expenses (from the previous month on the platform) and the second is by reaching the charge limit that Pinterest itself determines. 

This limit happens according to the maturation of your account, that is, the more you use the tool, the more limit you will have within the platform. An important point to consider is that for now, Pinterest Ads payments can only be made via credit card. 

You can configure your payment method as follows: Pinterest Business Home > Top Menu > Ads > Billing.

Think about your campaign goals in Pinterest Ads

No goal, no campaign! Is not true? Therefore, it is necessary to think carefully before starting an Ads campaign, after all, you need to think not only about the objectives but also about the formats that will be used. 

Campaigns can aim to:

• Brand Recognition: Increase the reach, making more people discover the brand;
• Video View: Increases the number of views and average viewing time of videos;
• Conversion: Encourages the conversion of leads in your ads, with the use of buttons or calls to the website.
• Consideration: Focused on increasing the number of clicks on the Pin, generating more traffic to your account or online store;
• Shopping catalog: It's really a catalog, the person discovers your products while searching through the app. 

Create your ad on Pinterest Ads

For your ad, you need to go to Pinterest Business Home > Top Menu > Ads > Create Ad.

Then create a campaign and fill in all the data such as campaign type, name, status, and budget. Click continue.
 
 Now that your ad is set up, you need to create an ad group to choose your audience details.

Confirm that your campaign budget is in line with what was set in the previous step. You also need to set your ad auction bid (the maximum amount you're willing to pay for results). 

Bid optimization can be done automatically (determined by Pinterest itself) or customized (where you control the value of your auction). 

After that, just complete and create your Pinterest ad. Click on “Create pin” and select the image or video you want, putting the proper title and description. Add the destination URL and click “publish”.