Pinterest is on a mission to become the key player in eCommerce, a mission that's seen them introduce a raft of new ad options and tools in the last 12 months, including improved buyable pins, advanced image search capabilities (including their innovative Lens tool), remarketing and custom audience options, video Pins and on-platform search ads.
That's a lot to take in, and with so many new options and functions available, it can be hard to know which is the best way to go for your business, what's the best strategic approach to take - even how to create the most effective Pins.
To help with this, Pinterest has announced a new program called 'Pinterest Propel', which aims to connect Pinterest advertisers with platform experts to help maximize their efforts.
As explained by Pinterest:
"Pinterest Propel provides one-on-one support from ad experts that will help you make the most of your marketing budget. You'll learn to build effective campaigns, gain new customers, and analyze your traffic, sales and online actions so you get results."
The program is available to businesses and agencies in the U.S. and Canada who are looking to spend at least $100 a day, and will provide them with access to the following:
- 30 days of one-on-one phone support from Pinterest experts
- Custom-made Pins to promote, made in-house by the Pin Factory
- Education and training on using Pinterest to grow your business
- Access to guides, insights and industry best practices
- Agencies get customized tips for up to 3 clients
Pinterest says that businesses using the program in pilot stage have already seen performance gains, generating up to 3x more clicks while seeing a 38% decrease in CPCs.
The program is free, provided you meet the eligibility criteria outlined.
YouTube offers a similar option, where a filmmaker will come to your business and help you with your video content, free of charge. To qualify for YouTube's program, you need to commit to spending $150 on YouTube ads (and it's only available in selected U.S. cities).
Given the creative focus of Pinterest, it makes sense - Pinterest can be a tough platform to crack, and there's a lot of artistic and creative elements that will make or break your content performance. That might not seem a lot different from, say, Instagram, or even Snapchat, but given Pinterest's more refined audience focus, it's likely easier for them to offer such a service at scale, and without charging any additional, dedicated fees.
One particularly appealing element of Propel, as noted by Marketing Land, is access to Pinterest's 'Pin Factory' team, who can create custom Pins on your behalf. Given their knowledge of the platform - and their added motivation to show you that Pinterest advertising works - that could prove particularly valuable - potentially even worth the $100 a day spend in itself.
Also, if you're not in the U.S. or Canada, or you don't have the budget to spend, Pinterest does provide a range of online guides and resources to assist.
If your business is ready to use Pinterest Propel, you can sign up here.