1. Setting Up a Pinterest Business Account for Australian Business Owners

Step-by-step guide:
1. Create or convert your personal Pinterest account into a business account.

2. Optimise your business profile: Include your brand name, a short bio with keywords relevant to your industry, your website link, and your logo.

3. Claim your website to access analytics and insights. 

4. Enable rich pins to pull detailed information directly from your website onto Pinterest (e.g., product details, pricing, or blog content).

5. Set up your first boards, each focused on different aspects of your business (e.g., services, products, testimonials, or industry tips).

2. What Are Pins and Boards, and How They Drive Lead Generation

• Pins: Pins are visual bookmarks that users save to boards. For businesses, pins can be images, infographics, videos, or products. Each pin links back to your website or content, making it a powerful tool for driving traffic.
• Boards: Boards are collections of pins organised by topic or category. For lead generation, create boards that reflect your business’s key areas (e.g., “Marketing Tips for Small Businesses,” “Best Fitness Gear,” “Interior Design Trends”).
• Strategy for lead generation: Use boards to showcase products, services, blog posts, and testimonials. Optimise descriptions with keywords so users searching for related topics can find your content. Each pin should include a call-to-action (CTA) in the description, encouraging users to click through to your website for more information, free resources, or consultations.
• Lead generation example: An Australian fitness coach could create boards for “Healthy Meal Plans,” “At-Home Workouts,” and “Client Success Stories.” Each pin can lead back to a sign-up page for meal plans or fitness consultations.

3. Using Pinterest for Business Marketing in Australia

• Search behaviour: Pinterest users are search-driven, often using the platform as a discovery engine to find inspiration, products, and solutions. This is key for businesses—Pinterest functions much like a visual search engine. Australians commonly search for trends, solutions, and ideas.
• Optimising for search: Use SEO strategies on Pinterest. Include relevant keywords in pin titles, descriptions, and board names, and add hashtags specific to your niche (e.g., #smallbusinessmarketing, #Australianfitness)
• Hashtag strategy: Use 3-5 relevant hashtags per post to increase visibility, focusing on what users would search for when seeking your content or services.

4. Content Frequency and Types for Australian Businesses

• How often to post: For maximum reach, aim to post 5-10 times a
  day. Consistency is important, but you can schedule posts in
  advance using tools like OBMHub

Type of content:

• Infographics and guides: Australians value educational content. Share “how-to” guides, tips, and infographics that relate to your industry.
• Product pins: Use lifestyle images that show your products in use.
• Seasonal content: Plan pins around Australian holidays and events (e.g., Australia Day promotions, summer fitness tips). Seasonal content helps attract users searching for relevant content.
• Video pins: Videos get higher engagement, so use short, snappy clips showcasing your business, behind-the-scenes content, or tutorials.

How Long Are Videos on Pinterest?

Pinterest allows videos to be between 4 seconds to 15 minutes long. However, the most engaging video pins are typically under 1- 2 minutes. Videos should be eye-catching in the first few seconds to grab attention and encourage users to watch the entire clip. You can use videos to showcase products, offer tutorials, or provide quick tips, keeping them short and to the point to maximise engagement.

5. Understanding Pinterest’s Australian Demographics

• Pinterest in Australia has a strong user base, with the majority of users being female (around 70%), aged 25-54. This platform attracts users who are ready to engage, plan, and buy. Many users come from middle to higher income brackets, making it ideal for businesses selling products or services with visual appeal.
• Lead generation opportunity: Australian users use Pinterest for ideas and planning, which means they are often looking for solutions and services. Position your business as the go-to expert in your niche by offering helpful, actionable pins that link to lead capture forms (like consultations, free downloads, or newsletters).

6. Lead Generation Strategies on Pinterest

• Create content that solves problems: Pins that offer free resources (e.g., eBooks, guides, or checklists) are great for capturing leads. Include a link to a landing page where users can sign up with their email in exchange for the resource.
• Use compelling CTAs: Always add a call-to-action in your pin descriptions. Examples: “Download our free guide,” “Book a free consultation,” or “Shop now.”
• Pin product or service highlights: If you offer services, create pins showcasing client testimonials or case studies. For eCommerce, use rich pins that display your products with real-time pricing and availability.
• Collaborate with influencers: Partner with Pinterest influencers in your niche to create content and share it with their audience, expanding your reach.

7. Industry-Specific Pinterest Strategies

• E-commerce: Focus on product pins with clear, high-quality images. Use rich pins to display up-to-date product info and link directly to your store.
• Service-based businesses: Highlight client success stories, share behind-the-scenes photos, or provide valuable tips in the form of blog posts or infographics.
• Health and fitness: Post workout guides, meal plans, or motivational content. Offer free downloadable resources to capture leads.
• Real estate: Use pins to highlight listings, neighbourhood guides, or home decor tips. Link to your website for property inquiries or consultations.

What Are Rich Pins?

Rich Pins are a type of enhanced pin that automatically pulls metadata from your website to provide more context and details.

There are four types of rich pins:

• Product Pins: Include real-time pricing, availability, and where to buy the product.
• Recipe Pins: Show ingredients, cooking times, and serving sizes.
• Article Pins: Display the headline, author, and story description.
• App Pins: Feature a download button directly on the pin for mobile apps.

Rich pins automatically update when you make changes on your website, ensuring that users always see the latest information. They’re a great tool for increasing engagement and driving traffic to your site by offering more detailed and actionable information right on Pinterest.

8. Best Days/Times to Post for Australian Businesses

• Best days: Friday and Saturday are the top days for Pinterest engagement in Australia.
• Best times: 8-11 PM tends to be the most active time for users. However, use Pinterest Analytics to check when your specific audience is most engaged and adjust accordingly.

9. Additional Tips for Success

• Consistency is key: Pinterest rewards frequent activity. Consistently pinning your own and others’ content will improve your visibility.
• Monitor performance: Use Pinterest Analytics to track which pins perform best and adjust your content strategy accordingly. This will help identify what resonates with your audience and drives the most traffic.
• Repurpose content: Content that works well on your website, Instagram, or blog can be easily adapted for Pinterest, offering a consistent brand experience across platforms.
• Automate: Use scheduling tools like OBMHub to plan and automate posts, ensuring you maintain regular activity without too much manual work.

10. How to Get the Right Followers on Pinterest

• Attracting the right followers on Pinterest is essential for building an engaged audience that will convert into leads or customers. Start by optimising your profile with keywords related to your business niche, as this helps users searching for those terms find you.
• Be strategic with your boards create boards that cater directly to your target audience’s interests and pain points, offering valuable content that addresses their needs.
• Consistently pin content that aligns with your brand, and engage with others by repinning relevant content, following accounts in your industry, and commenting on popular pins.
• Use Pinterest group boards in your niche to expand your reach and expose your pins to a broader audience. What Are Group Boards on Pinterest? Group boards on Pinterest are collaborative boards where multiple users can contribute pins to a shared space. The board creator invites other users to pin to the board, making it a powerful tool for increasing exposure and engagement. Group boards are particularly useful for businesses because they allow you to tap into the followers of other contributors, expanding your reach beyond your own audience.

How Group Boards Work for Business:

• Increased visibility: When you pin to a group board, your content can be seen by the followers of every contributor, which helps you gain new followers and drive more traffic to your website.
• Collaboration: You can use group boards to collaborate with influencers, partners, or industry experts, sharing relevant content that benefits all members.
• Niche targeting: Join or create group boards that align with your business niche to ensure your pins reach the right audience. Group boards can be a great way to boost your Pinterest strategy if you’re looking to increase exposure and collaborate within your industry.
• Promote your Pinterest account on your other social media channels, email newsletters, and website to attract followers who are already interested in your business. By focusing on delivering value and staying active on the platform, you’ll naturally draw in followers who are more likely to engage with your content and become customers.

Are you excited to explore using Pinterest in your marketing and for customer generation ?

Download our free social media content plan, and if you’re serious about creating a lead generation funnel that works, book a call with our expert marketing strategist Chantal Gerardy. We’ll help you craft a strategy tailored to your business and show you how to turn your content marketing into a lead-generating powerhouse!

Ready to elevate your social media game? Contact a marketing strategist today and transform your online marketing into a powerful growth engine for your business!