When most hairstylists think about social media, their minds go straight to Instagram. But did you know Pinterest can up your marketing game, and get more eyeballs on your work and butts in your chair?

You could get lost for hours and hours on Pinterest. And some of the most popular Pins on the platform are hairstyles. Let’s dive in.

How Pinterest Works

While Pinterest is a social media platform, it also works a lot like a search engine. Users can search for a specific subject (think: wedding hair, long bob, curtain bangs), and Pinterest serves up a feed of images on that subject. Like Instagram, it’s a visual platform, which makes it great for hairdressers.

Pinterest also has an algorithm that learns what images people like to see and generates that content directly in the user’s feed.

According to the company’s 2021 business insights:

• Pinterest has over 450 million monthly active users.

• 60% of Pinterest users are women.

• 89% of users are on Pinterest for purchase inspiration.

In other words, there’s a ton of opportunity here for beauty pros to expand their reach and audience.

Profile Basics

Pinterest is so simple to use, and it requires very little maintenance. You can post a photo, sit back, and let the Pinterest community do its thing. When you join, make sure to create a business account which gives you the ability to promote content via ads and get access to in-depth analytics.

Just like with Instagram, Pinterest thrives when you share stunning images that stand out. It’s also important to format your images so that they display properly:

• 600px by 900px in size

• 2:3 aspect ratio

Haley Garber (@beautybyhaleygarber), a bridal hair specialist and MODERN SALON Artist Connective member, finds that she can use her Pinterest for photos that don’t make her Instagram feed. “I can dual purpose images and videos from all other platforms, but I can also use images and videos that may not be as ‘highlight’ focused as Instagram,” she explains. “Pinterest is such a consumer-focused site that my everyday images (such as bridesmaid styles) are given the same opportunity to have reach.”

People will share your images and re-pin them, so it’s a handy trick to include a logo or some sort of branding on your images that marks them as yours.

Pinterest SEO

SEO helps increase your reach and drive more customers. Pinterest is all about visual discovery, and the content resurfaces for months – not minutes, like it does other on social media platforms. Because SEO matters a bit more on Pinterest, you can set up your profile and posts for success by using keywords.

You have the ability to add keywords to your display name (ex: balayage, brunettes & lived-in color), or put them in your bio. However, the most important places to use keywords are your board names, descriptions, Pin titles and captions.   

Garber feels like the focus on keywords and hashtags is a reprieve from the long, in-depth text that it takes to make a post perform on other social media sites. “Using hashtags and keeping my captions focused solely on search terms is a nice break from caption creating on other platforms,” she shares.

Still, you’ll want to capture the attention of your audience with a captivating headline and descriptive copy that tells people what they’re looking at, to get them to click and learn more. Your call to action could be driving to your website to see more of your work, your Instagram to give you a follow, or asking them to book time with you. Make sure every Pin drives to a link that supports your marketing efforts.

“I currently have the majority of my pins feeding back to my Instagram as a second touchpoint for potential clients,” Garber says. “Some pins do go back to my YouTube and others go directly to my website.”

Boards That Showcase Your Work

You can have as many boards as you’d like on Pinterest. If you’re using Pinterest as a way for clients to look through your work, you could create boards for your different specialties. If you’re a salon owner, you can even create individual boards for your stylists.

Garber uses Pinterest to create another form of relationship building with her clients. “I can send them my Pinterest and they can use that to look through a more organized book of my work to find inspiration for their event, and to send to their bridal party for the same purpose. This has been such a neat way to continue to build that relationship.”

Like most things in life, consistency on Pinterest is key. There’s no such thing as too much activity on Pinterest, and the more time you can invest the better your results will be.

While you start planning your optimized Pins, don’t forget to give MODERN SALON a follow for all your industry trends and inspo!