How to Use Pinterest to Grow Your Private Practice

You might be familiar with Pinterest as the go-to spot for your favourite recipes or home decor inspiration, but are you using it to grow your private practice? Pinterest is often viewed as another form of social media but it is actually a search engine! People use the app to find solutions to their problems and content that inspires them so it is possible to use the platform to showcase your services, content and resources to your ideal client. With a strong Pinterest strategy, you can increase your website traffic, broaden your reach and connect with potential clients using your existing content!

Getting Started with Pinterest

There are a few steps you will need to take to start using Pinterest for your business and see effective results.

First, start by ensuring that you have signed up for, or migrated your existing account to a business account. This will enable you to use a variety of analytics tools to understand how your content is performing.

Be sure to optimize your profile for your ideal client. Choose an eye-catching profile image that clearly depicts you or your business logo and choose a username and account name that indicates who you are and what you do.

Use your bio section to describe the services you offer and be sure to include keywords that your ideal client may be searching for when using Pinterest. The goal here is to entice your ideal client to follow you by outlining what they can expect on your profile and your pins.

Finally, create a handful of boards based on content that you will create or other user’s content that you will repin that is aligned with your audience. Ideally, your profile will include a board about your services and a board with helpful information or resources at the very least. Depending on your ideal client you might consider using boards such as ‘Quotes for Mental Wellness’, ‘Mindfulness Tips’, ‘Relationship Tips’, ‘Grief and Loss Resources’, etc. Your board descriptions should also include keywords that your ideal client will be searching to increase your visibility in Pinterest’s Smart Feed.

What To Pin

Once your Pinterest account has been created and optimized to reach your ideal client, it is time to start pinning! As the Pinterest search algorithm continues to update, the best practices also evolve. As it stands currently, Pinterest is favouring new and fresh content so generating new pins to share on your boards should be the top priority.

You can create pins for your blog posts and articles, podcasts or ebooks, freebies and resources and even your Instagram posts. Ultimately, any of your own pins that you share will be linked back to your website and blog or an opt-in form (which helps to build your email list).

Content marketing is an incredibly important component of small business marketing strategy as it allows you to build relationships with your audience by providing educational, entertaining or enlightening content. Your Pinterest marketing strategy is where your ‘anchor content’, such as your blog, Youtube channel, IGTV series, etc. will be used.

Ideally, you will share 1-2 unique pins per day that link back to your own content or website. This can seem overwhelming if you are just getting started but unique pins do not necessarily mean unique content. You can create and share numerous pin graphics for a single blog post. If you are feeling stuck on this, Canva is a great free program to create graphics and there are numerous templates available for your use that can be customized with your own brand colours and images.

Additionally, sharing other users’ pins that are relevant to your target audience is a great way to round out your daily pin content as it is recommended to share approximately 15-30 pins each day.

Take advantage of Pinterest’s built-in pin scheduler or programs like Tailwind to schedule your pins in advance rather than spending time each day sourcing and sharing content in real-time. By consulting the analytics in your Pinterest business account, you will also be able to determine when to post your pins so that you reach a higher percentage of your target audience.

Pin Graphics

By creating multiple pin graphics for a single piece of content (i.e. a blog post), you will be able to increase your reach within Pinterest without having to create new content for your business on a daily basis.

Aim to create 5-10 graphics for each piece of content. This can include a simple text graphic, a stock image with text overlay, an image of you with the content heading and subheading, a graphic with a quote taken from your content. You can also use entirely different content headings. For example, your blog post may be called ‘How to Use Pinterest For Your Small Business’ but your pin could include an alternative title such as ‘Pinterest Tips for Private Practitioners’.

You pin graphics should be reflective of your brand so keep the colours, fonts and logos consistent with the branding you use for other aspects of your business. Each pin should have a large, clear font and include your website URL so that users can easily identify your content.

Pin Titles and Descriptions

Pin titles and descriptions are the most important aspect of your pins (aside from a visually appealing graphic). They tell users what to expect from the content that the pin is linked to. Pin descriptions should include the title or header of the content, your name/business name and a 1-3 sentence description with strategic keywords. Your pin description should also include a clear call to action inviting users to visit your website, read your blog, download your free resource, etc.

For example, the pin description for this article would look something like this:

How To Use Pinterest Marketing for Your Private Practice | Build Your Private Practice || This article teaches therapists and counsellors how to use Pinterest marketing to grow their private practice. Learn about Pinterest best practices, Pin descriptions and more to increase your website traffic and grow your client caseload. Click here to read more!

A consistent Pinterest strategy can help increase your website traffic and help you develop relationships with your ideal client by positioning you as an industry expert and a reliable source of information.

To see how I can help you with your marketing strategy, book a free 20-minute Business Mentorship Consultation!