Pinterest Basics For Artists

Online art sales are increasing every year, and the competition is becoming fierce.

In 2019, online art sales amounted to approximately 4.82 billion U.S. dollars, up by four percent over the previous year. Worldwide, the estimated value of the online art market is forecast to reach a total of 9.32 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. (Source: Statista)

Opening an online art gallery is as easy as starting a Facebook business page. The challenge is to get your artwork in front of your target audience.

Pinterest Basics

Artists see great results promoting their artwork on various social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, many artists reach a broader audience by promoting their artwork on both Pinterest other social media accounts.

Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest is a visual search engine. This means that Pinterest posts can be searched by people who use relevant keywords in Pinterest and Google’s search bar. A Facebook post might be viewable for a day or two, while potential buyers can see a Pinterest post for years to come.

The best way to drive traffic to your artist’s website is to showcase your art on a platform where people are interested in purchasing items, and Pinterest is the perfect solution.

478 million people use Pinterest every month to discover new products to purchase. That is why business owners are spending time promoting their products and services on Pinterest, and so should you.

If you are new to Pinterest marketing or just having a difficult time driving people to your Pinterest page, this article will help. We have made a list of some Pinterest basics you can start implementing today to produce positive results and grow your fanbase. For more tips, visit 15 Pinterest Business Tips For Artists That Work.

What Is Pinterest

Pinterest is a unique visual search engine that allows people to discover and connect with other creative people worldwide.

Pinterest separates itself from other platforms because it is more than a social media platform. It is a search engine and a book marketing tool that allows users to collect and organize content found online. Pinterest is like bulletin boards that keep topics organized in groups.

Have you ever found some content you wanted to read but didn’t have the time to read it when you discovered it? Did you have a difficult time finding the article when you had time to read the post? Pinterest will save all of your favorite articles on different boards on your Pinterest account. You will never lose a blog article you want to read again if you pin the post on Your Pinterest account.

How Is Pinterest Social

Pinterest is a terrific way to form a community with other pinners. However, Pinterest is not known for users leaving comments on pins like Facebook posts or Tweets. People still occasionally engage on pins. Just not as frequently.

Communities are built on Pinterest by users following pinners, repining and liking pins rather than leaving comments.

Pinterest is a fabulous site to build communities without spending hours a week responding to comments.

Pinterest Best Practices

Before you start promoting your art business on Pinterest, you will want to convert your personal account to a business account.

For more information visit, Why Artists Should Create A Pinterest Business Account.

After you have your Business account activated, you will want to add your business information to your Pinterest profile.

Pinterest profile fields:

• Profile picture
• Name
• Username
• Pronouns
• About your profile, (This is a short description of your business and what you will provide in your Pinterest boards)
• Website URL
• Email address (not required)
• Phone number (not required)
• Retail location (not required)

Include keywords that describe your business and the artwork you create in your “About Your profile” section. The keywords will help people to discover you in Pinterest’s search results.

Pinterest Boards

Pinterest boards are a place where you can collect, save and organize the content you discover online. Pinterest boards have two functions for business accounts. 

One strategy is to have a place for content you want to save a read later. You can create a private board so nobody can see the content you save to your own board.

The second strategy is to create boards that will make it easy for potential art buyers to find content and products they search for on Pinterest.

It is a good idea to create boards that mirror categories on your website, for example, original paintings, giclee prints, commissioned artwork, etc.

You can also create different bards that separate subjects you paint. For example, if you are a wildlife artist, you might want to create boards like big cats, elephants, gorillas, etc.

It is essential to include searchable keywords in your board title. The keywords will make it easier for your target audience to discover your art on Pinterest.

How To Add Pinterest Boards

There are three different ways you will be able to add boards to your account.

Board List

You can add a board by going to your Boards list.

After you log into your account, click the Boards link located under your profile.

You will be directed to this screen to create a new board or view all the boards you have created.

To create a board, click on the Create a Board link and fill out the title and start pinning content to the board.

Browser Button

The easiest way to pin content and create new boards is to use the Browser Button.

The browser button will be located on your bookmarks toolbar. You should be asked to add the button to your bookmarks after you have created your account. If you did not see this option, click on this link Pinterest Browser Button and you will be directed to a page where you can upload the button.

This button will allow you to pin any content you find interesting on the web to a board on your Pinterest account.

When you use the browser button, you will be shown a list of the boards you have already created.

You will also have an option to create a new board. The only problem with adding a board this way is that you do not have the option to set the board’s category or description. You will want to remember to do this later.

Secret Boards

Like we have mentioned earlier, you have the option to have your boards viewable by other pinners or keep your boards private. There are reasons why you would want to take advantage of both.

A secret board is created like any other board in your Pinterest account. The only difference is it will only be visible to you.

Secret boards are useful for collecting personal content that you do not want to make public. If you create a business account, you do not want to confuse your audience by creating boards that do not relate to your business or brand. Use secret boards to separate your personal and business content.

You might also want to use secret boards for gathering research material for upcoming projects.

Pins

Pins are bookmarks that you collect on your boards. You can pin content you find on Pinterest or your favorite websites.

All you have to do is click the Pinterest Browser Button on your bookmark bar to pin content onto one of your boards. A pop-up will appear with a list of all the boards you have previously created. Pick click on the board you want to pin the content to.

Some sites will have social share buttons displayed on the post to share the post on your favorite social media site easily. Click on the Pin button (if available) to pin to your account. You will have the option to decide what image you would like to pin and what board you would

You will have the option to decide what image you would like to pin and what board you would like it pinned to.

Pinning Content From Your Computer

You also have the option to pin content that is stored on your computer.

This option makes it easy for you to keep everything organized in one place.

Click the Upload a Pin link and pick an image from your computer’s drive. The image will load into a pin box where you will pick a board, add a description, and add a website link.

You will have the option to “pin it” or “edit” the pin by hovering over the image. Click the image to choose a board, edit the description or edit the website link.

Pin Description

When you pin a blog post from your website, you will need to include a title, a pin description, and the URL address of the post. Include keywords that describe what the blog post is about to be searchable by a wider audience.

You are only allowed 500 characters for a Pinterest description, making sure you make every word count. Adding hashtags will also make it easier for potential customers to discover your online store. Writing a well-written art description will help you to reach a broader audience.

Follow Pinterest Users

As you regularly visit Pinterest, you will start to find Pinners that provide content that interests you. You will have the option to follow their accounts, or you can select to follow specific boards.

When you follow their boards, their new pins will appear in your Pinterest stream.

Repins

Pinterest makes it easy to pin content that is on Pinterest to one of your boards.

Instead of clicking on the Pinterest image to find the original website, all you have to do is “repin” the image.

Everyone following you will be able to see what you have repinned. This a great way for you to build your community and brand awareness.

Note: always check the link to the image you are repinning. People use Pinterest to spam by changing the website URL and redirecting them to their own website.

Group Boards

Grup boards are a collection of pins from different Pinterest users. Most groups have a specific theme, and people have to request and be accepted to a group before adding content to the board. The benefit of small businesses joining groups is that they will have an opportunity to increase their interest followers because more people will see their pins.

Consistent Pinning

The final step is to develop a pinning calendar to make sure that you are sharing fresh content on a regular basis. Just like other social media sites, posting new content daily will increase the odds of new people discovering you online.

The struggle many visual artists face is the lack of time to accomplish all of the tasks required to operate and grow an online business. The good news is that there is a powerful tool called Tailwind that allows you to schedule pins that will save you time promoting your artwork online.

Final Thoughts On Pinterest Basics

As you become familiar with Pinterest marketing, you will start to become familiar with more creative ways to reach a broader audience, but you must get the basics down first. Spend time thinking of a profile name that people will remember and write descriptions with keywords.

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