Most hospitality entrepreneurs are active on social media, often on Facebook, Instagram and Google. But did you know that it is also possible to advertise on Pinterest? As an inspiration platform, Pinterest is growing rapidly with more than 4 million Dutch users. There is still little competition, so now is the time to get in! You can read how Pinterest works and what you need for a successful campaign in this blog.
Why is Pinterest interesting for the hospitality industry?
Pinterest users, so-called pinners, are here looking for inspiration. For their interiors, wedding, dinner, you name it. As a hospitality entrepreneur, you can be a source of inspiration for your guests on Pinterest. For example, with special dishes, exotic drinks or festive decor. If Pinterest is still new to you, first read on to find out exactly how Pinterest works. Then we will show you how to reach more guests with advertising on Pinterest.
How does Pinterest work?
Pinterest, like Instagram, to beautiful images. So if you want to use Pinterest for your online marketing, it is important to have good quality photos and videos. An inspiring image, or pin, is posted as follows:
- You create a business Pinterest profile via ads.pinterest.com.
- You create boards by theme. For example, about a new menu or a theme party. You use important keywords in the descriptions of these boards. We will tell you later how to use them to advertise.
- Then create pins (images or videos) for these boards. You do this by uploading the images from your laptop or phone. Make sure to use vertical images!
Users can now repin your pins. That means they reuse your images on their own boards. Also, users can pin your pins, too. This means they save your pin on their own board for inspiration, for example, and find it easily later.
The possibilities of advertising on Pinterest
You understand that the more users repin your pins, the more your business will be visible. Normal pins already give you a huge reach. Let alone what you achieve with advertising on Pinterest!
If you rent out your business as a party venue or sell special dishes, for example, advertising on Pinterest is the ideal way. Inspire your guests with beautiful pictures of the decor or put special products in the shop window, for example. If guests are looking for the perfect location for their party, for instance, your business will be top of mind!
What are the benefits of advertising on Pinterest?
The purpose of advertising is to inspire your guests and ultimately entice them to make a reservation or order something. But why use Pinterest for this and not just advertise on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram?
Here, we look at some of Pinterest's advantages over other advertising platforms.
- The reach is great due to little competition. There is still little competition on Pinterest. At least... if you get in now. Especially when it comes to advertising, there are not many competitors. This is not only good for your wallet, but it will also get you more clicks.
- You are early. Users on Pinterest are still getting their bearings. They like to be inspired by others. So unlike other advertising channels, pinners do not yet really know what exactly they want. You can capitalise on this nicely with your products and services.
- Cost per click (CPC) is relatively low. Because there is still little competition, you pay less for an ad than, say, on Google. So you reach your target audience for a lower price.
- The ad stands out less on Pinterest. This is because the ad is displayed naturally on the overview. This makes it more likely that users will click on the sponsored pin and go to your website. With other ad channels, an ad very obviously has a different shape.
How do you start a campaign on Pinterest?
To start a campaign on Pinterest, you need a business account. Go to ads.pinterest.com and create a business account if you don't already have one. Then start setting up your campaign. This consists of several parts, which we will go through step by step below.
1. Choose your campaign goal
Once you have created your business account, click 'Create ad' in the menu at the top of your Pinterest page under 'Ads'. Now you will get an overview of campaign goals. Choose which target best suits your campaign.
- Brand recognition: introduce your pinners to your hospitality business
- Video views: increase your brand awareness with video
- Consideration: get pinners to click through to your Pinterest account or website
- Conversions: encourage pinners to take action, e.g. an order or reservation
- Catalogue sales: you use product pins to get pinners to buy a specific product
2. Set your budget
You now choose how you want to distribute your budget. Do you want to spend a maximum amount per day or do you want to spread the budget over the entire campaign period? Enter your spending limit per day or duration here.
Later when creating an ad group, you still have the choice of automatic bids and custom bids. With automatic bids, Pinterest itself chooses the best bid that generates the most clicks. With custom bids, you get to set your own bid. In the beginning, it is smart to choose automatic bids. If you are already experienced with advertising, you can of course experiment with bidding yourself.
3. Define your ad group
Before you create an ad, you need an ad group. This is the group you want to reach with your ads. To create the right ad group, there are several ways which we describe below.
New or existing target groups
As with Facebook ads, Pinterest allows you to set audiences in advance. This could be a new target group, an existing target group based on a customer list or people who have already interacted with your business on Pinterest. You can also create an actalike target group. These are pinners who behave the same way on the platform as your target audience.
Specific and broad keywords
If you choose specific keywords, your ad will only be shown to people searching on these words. Think of keywords like 'Italian food', 'venue wedding' or 'special cakes'. Use a mix of specific keywords and broad search terms for best results.
Interests
If you specify interests, users with these interests will see your ad. If you have the perfect location for a wedding, the interest 'wedding' is a logical choice. Within this interest, you will find even more specific interests. The same goes for other interests, such as 'food and drink'. If your ad is about the preparation of a dish or a certain type of dish, then different interests will fit.
Demographics
You set the basic details of your target audience under demographics. You also determine which location you focus on here. You choose the following properties of your pinners here:
- Genera
- Ages
- Locations
- Languages
- Devices (mobile, tablet and desktop)
Placement in search results, related pins and home page
Where your ad is visible to your target audience is up to you with placement. If you choose 'browse', your ad will be visible to pinners looking at their homepage or related pins. If you choose 'search', your ad will be shown in search results and related pins. The more your ad is visible to relevant pinners, the more guests you reach. Still, sometimes it is smart to be selective. You can also test with this by creating multiple ad groups.
4. Determine the shape of your ad
Depending on the purpose of your campaign and the images you have available, you choose the form of your ad. You can choose from static pins (one image), carousels (multiple images), collections (1 large image with 3 small images) and video pins (with standard width and maximum width).
What is the minimum a pin must meet?
- A vertical size (except for videos with maximum width)
- Attractive, sharp and beautiful imagery
- Logo or URL subtle and well placed
- Text to inspire and entice the user
- Focus on your product or service
- Reflect your corporate identity
5. Measure your results with the Pinterest Tag
You're ready to post your Pinterest ads! And then the party really begins. Because now you are going to optimise your ad to get the best results. Which ad leads to the most conversions?
For this, you need the Pinterest Tag. This is a piece of code that you add to your website. This way, you track pinners who click on your ad until the moment they place an order or book a room. See how to add the Pinterest Tag installs. By weekly monitoring the statistics, you will discover where there are still opportunities.
Ready to advertise on Pinterest?
That Pinterest is an ideal platform to advertise for the hospitality industry is obvious.
Are you ready to launch your campaign? Or do you need more inspiration? We are happy to give you tips and tricks to get the best results!
