Did you know that 93% of Pinterest users use Pinterest to plan their purchases? As a seller, you’d want as many of these purchasers following you as possible. But how? Does this question constantly bother you?

Here are 7 proven hacks to grow your audience.

1. Keywords can make or break you:

Since 2014, Pinterest has been showing pins based on a complex algorithm called Smart Feed. It no longer matters when a pin was pinned. Keywords are an essential component of Smart Feed. You need to pay special attention to them because they will help you in being found. Make sure to include your keywords in—

1. Business profile: The importance of keywords isn’t limited to pins, boards and descriptions. They are equally important for your business profile. Identify the most relevant keywords for your brand and include them in your Business Name and the About section.
 
Eg: José Keijman, a travel agent, has the keyword ‘travel’ at the end of her name. In the search result, the word 'travel' isn't visible to her users. However, because she has used the word "travel" in both her account name and account section, she will appear for that keyword search.

2. Insight - Having keywords in your business profile helps Pinterest index your account in related searches.

3, Source - Pinterest also takes into account the keywords in the link of the pin while deciding whether the pin is relevant for a particular search or not. When curating/repinning content from a particular source, pay special attention to the keywords used in the link. If the keywords aren't there in the link, be sure to include them in your description so that you're found.
 
Eg: The pin below was in the search result for ‘Bohemian Jewelry'. As you can see, the pin description and the board name do not have the word ‘boho’/’bohemian’. However, the word ‘Boho’ is there in the source link.

4. Board name - Your boards should be around very specific themes. Having an interesting name will definitely set you apart, but see to it that the theme is not lost. The best practice is to either have the keyword in the title of your board or the ‘about’ section.
 
Eg: Here’s what I got when I searched for jewelry.
 
- Jewelry in the board name

 
- Jewelry in board description
‍This is the search result for ‘Victorian Jewelry’. The board name doesn’t have the search term ‘Jewelry’ in it, but the description does.

5. Pin description - Whereas users come to Pinterest for visual content, Pinterest itself relies heavily on descriptions when deciding which pins to show for a particular search. Here are two quick ways of finding keywords -

- Autocomplete: Enter your keyword in the search bar and Pinterest will suggest other keywords that you can use. This is also good for long tail keywords.Eg: For the keyword - craft - here are the other keywords that I can use:

- Guided search: These are broader keywords suggested by Pinterest that you might not have thought of. For instance, for a pin on craft, you could include summer, organization, sharpie, toddler, etc as keywords.

2. Content rules:

As tempting as it maybe to pin only your product images, doing this will not help you with your followers.

Here are some content ideas that’ll keep your account fresh and have your followers asking for more -  

IdeaHowIdeas/inspirations/example board - what do you think are the interests/hobbies or your target audience? Think of things that can inspire them and pin those on this board.Drake University pins articles and infographics that can be helpful or inspiring for students to its ‘Study Inspiration’ boardVideo Board - Do you come across a lot of interesting videos? Dedicate a board to these.Marketing research firm, Econsultancy, pins video content to its ‘Video’ boardTestimonials/reviews - flaunt your happy customers. This will also help in further trust building.Secret Fashion Fixes, a quick fix-fashion site, has a customer feedback board where it pins customer testimonials and feedbackProducts - Categorize your offerings and have separate boards based on themes. As much as possible showcase how your products can be used rather posting product picturesThree Bird Nest, a free spirited fashion botique, has carefully designed boards around specific themesBehind the scenes - Let your users see how you design, pack, dispatch, etc - behind the scenes of your storeErin Wighton, in her board A Peak Inside My Shop, likes to give her followers a sneak peek into her Etsy store.Contest - have a separate board for contests. Have this board in the top two rows during an ongoing contestGeneral Electric runs a contest on Instagram with a hashtag #GEInspiredME and pins the images submitted by followers on its contest board. It attributes each image to the follower who submitted itGroup board - this will help you put your pinning on autopilot. Promote your group boards on team, forums, social channels, etc.Kids Group Board is a group board started by Stephanie who is a non-profit founder. Anyone who is interested in pinning content related to kids can email her and become a member of the boardBlog/tips - In addition to interests, users like to follow accounts which constantly share valuable content. Even if you don't have your own blog, you can curate content from other sites and pin. Pinterest itself is a great repository of tips and articlesRachel Rice, independent artist, has a board dedicated to tips and tricks on increasing sales on EtsyBonus info:

Image creation:With OrangeTwig, you can design and schedule social media posts to promote your products and discounts in matter of minutes.

These are examples of posts created by Etsy sellers using OrangeTwig:

SchmucktruheSilverJewelryOnline

Here are some additional tools that you can check out -
a) PicMonkey, b) iPiccy, and c) PosterMyWall

3. Piggyback on popular content:

This is an interesting and an easy one. It's not about content, keywords, time, etc. You simply have to find relevant pins and interact.You can find the trending pins in the ‘popular’ section.

A well thought out comment on relevant pins will help you in two ways -

1. Gain attention of the pinner - Every time you comment on a pin, the pinner gets a notification. Although, as a pinner I’d notice all the comments and likes, I’d pay special attention to a comment that adds value. Also, if an influencer follows you and repins your pin, you get exposure to his entire following.
    
   For instance, in the example below, I’d be sure to check out Kyle Reed’s profile. From his profile name, I know he is in a related field. He explains clearly why he thinks content calendar is important. In addition to this, he also mentions how he keeps it simple.
2. Gain followers of the pinner - Through your comments, you have an opportunity to get your word out to an extremely targeted audience. Users who like, repin or comment on the pin on which you’ve left your comment are much more likely to visit your profile and follow you if you’ve added value.
   In the example below, users who come to leave a comment are likely to visit Kyle's profile and also follow him.

4. Cross promote:

If you have a social channel where you’ve already built a following, take its help.

1. Include your Pinterest account details in the bio of your social channel. This will help you broadcast your Pinterest account to the following that you’ve build on other social channels.
2. Link Facebook and Twitter to your Pinterest account to share your pins and boards easily on these channels.You can -
3. Announce a new board
4. Share a pin of the day
5. Share a seasonal specific board
6. Share a pin that has received good engagement - likes, comments, repinsEg: This is how Jeep promotes its Pinterest account on its Facebook page.

5. Consistency, frequency, and timing will be rewarded:

After the introduction of Smart Feed, timing is not as important as consistency and quality of your pins. The more regular you are with your pinning, the better your chances of potential followers discovering your pins and following you.

1. How many times should you post?

1. Thanks to Smart feed, no matter how many times you post, you will not crowd your users' feed. The frequency will depend on how much time you have. Focus on quality rather than quantity.
2. When should you post?According to Pinterest studies, different interests and categories perform better on different days.
4. Which day is better for what?

1. Saturday, in general, is a good day to pin.
2. What time?Different interests perform better at different hours. To keep things simple, focus on how your target audience spends its time. Your audience is on Pinterest during their free hours.These times are generally good to post:Afternoon: 2 - 4pmEvening: 8 - 11pm
    
   To remembera) Focus on consistency rather than timing. As long as you have quality and relevant content, you should aim to post everyday, irrespective of the timing.b) Experiment with different strategies and find out what works best for you. Stick to that.

6. Capitalize on your existing real estate:

If you have a website and don’t have a Pinterest widget on it, you’re letting go of potential followers. Optimize your website to be Pinterest friendly. Pinterest lets you add 4 type of widgets - Follow, Pin, Profile, and Board.

Source - QUICKSPROUT

7. Get creative with your Offline marketing:

Here are a couple of ways you can let people know about your Pinterest account:

a. In your store - display your Pinterest account details in your store - checkout counter, window, etc.b. On your business card - mention your Pinterest username to make it easy for people to find you and follow you.

Conclusion

Growing your audience can be a daunting task.If you focus on these three things, you’re moving in the right direction:

1. Share the right content.
2. Be consistent with your posts.
3. Include the right keywords.

Happy growing your audience!I hope you this article helped you. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share them with us in the comments section below.If you found this article helpful, please spread the word on social media and forums.