Lindsay Peragine is a business coach and marketing specialist that is particularly obsessed with Pinterest. She is the owner of the digital marketing agency, Key Lime Media, host of the Caffeinate & Create podcast, and the founder of the Chaos to Clarity Accelerator, where she helps take overwhelmed entrepreneurs from confused to crushing it with simplified, profitable offers and a killer marketing plan in 90 days!
She confesses that she is a lover of coffee and good books, with a weakness for ice cream. As a wife and mom to two little ones, her passion is to help other female entrepreneurs grow their businesses without feeling overwhelmed, no matter what season of life they are in! In this episode we talked about all things Pinterest marketing! If you have a Pinterest account for your business or are thinking of using the platform for promoting your products or services, definitely check this episode out!
Kenny Soto 0:00
So we are recording now and I’m gonna do a quick countdown 543 Hello, everyone and welcome to Kenny Soto’s Digital Marketing Podcast where I, Kenny Soto, interview the best digital marketers in the world. And today we have a very special guest one that I’m personally excited to interview, mainly because I don’t have a lot of experience with Pinterest. And she does. But that’s not the only thing that’s great about her. Her name is Lindsay, and she has a lot of experience as a digital marketer. Welcome, Lindsay.
Lindsay Peragine 0:39
Hi, Kenny. Thank you for having me.
Kenny Soto 0:41
Now, Lindsay, I have to ask just not only for myself, but also for the listeners. How do you pronounce your last name?
Lindsay Peragine 0:50
It’s Per-a-gine. So like the best best way to remember it is “pair of jeans.”
Kenny Soto 0:56
Pair of jeans. Perfect. So Lindsey, I did a little snooping around your website and your Instagram and all your other social platforms. And it seems that you’ve had a lot of experience not just with marketing, but in business in general. And I wanted to start the interview by just going over that first getting a better understanding of your professional background. And then we can segue into some other questions. How does that sound?
Lindsay Peragine 1:24
That sounds great.
Kenny Soto 1:25
Perfect, so can you give us a general understanding of what got you into digital marketing in the first place?
Lindsay Peragine 1:34
So, my journey into digital marketing really kind of started when I was in a multi level marketing company, I, you know, did that and within the cosmetic space, because that’s something I really enjoy. And so I got into that, and really fell in love with like, the social media marketing aspect of it. And through that, I just kind of fell in love with it.
And when I was pregnant with my son, who’s now you know, one and a half, I had been doing, I had been growing my own accounts, I had actually helped some friends grow their accounts and out of financial necessity, because my job did not pay maternity leave. So out of that necessity, I said, I enjoy it, I already had people asking me to help them with it.
Let’s just try and make it a business. Let’s see where it goes. So I did that to kind of supplement my income. And it has grown and blossomed. And I’ve been doing this for a while now. You know, it obviously, longer outside of it being an actual business. And then, you know, almost two years as an actual business now.
Kenny Soto 3:01
Impressive. And I saw on your website that you also created your own digital marketing company, is that correct?
Lindsay Peragine 3:09
Correct. Yes, I created I formed a you know, LLC, and turned it into a company. I have a little small team. And we specialize in Pinterest and Instagram marketing, although we do pretty much every platform.
Kenny Soto 3:30
And speaking of Pinterest, and that’s mainly the main thing I want to talk about right now. Why Pinterest of all the platforms, what, what makes Pinterest so special?
Lindsay Peragine 3:44
Well, aside from you know, just enjoying it, personally, you know, because I think especially, I know men are starting to get on the platform a lot more. But as a woman, we’ve been using Pinterest for a while for just planning and finding pretty things.
And you know, just, it’s just fun platform to be on. And I started using it for a blog I had once upon a time as well as to market my cosmetic company at the time. And I noticed the growth and the traffic and the impact that it was bringing and said hey, I look. Let’s see how this goes. And it just made a huge impact on that blog and that business.
And when I started doing it for clients, it continued to make a big impact for them and it’s truly become my favorite platform to work with. There’s so many reasons why it is beneficial for digital marketer to be Utilizing Pinterest not just for themselves, but for their clients as well. Because I mean, you truly could be leaving money on the table. By not. Because you know, you’re in this industry too. So you understand that you post something on most platforms and you know, the shelf life for lack of a better word of a any post, maybe three days.
Kenny Soto 5:31
At best. Yeah.
Lindsay Peragine 5:33
You know? if you’re lucky.
Kenny Soto 5:34
Yeah, for sure.
Lindsay Peragine 5:35
Whereas on Pinterest, it is a long game strategy, the average lifespan of a pin on Pinterest is upwards of 3000 plus days. You can be bringing traffic onto a web onto your website from a pin that you pinned to Pinterest upwards of years ago, my old blog because it still exists, even though it’s fairly dormant. The last time I think I pinned an article to that maybe five years ago.
Kenny Soto 6:16
What did you blog about specifically?
Lindsay Peragine 6:19
It was mostly beauty and family. And it was more of like a beauty and lifestyle type of blog. Whereas now obviously, I write about business and marketing. So, you know, I switch things over to that to a different, you know, blog platform for that, because totally different topic. Yeah. But that old website, the majority of the traffic that still goes to that old site is from one pin from like four or five years ago.
Kenny Soto 6:49
So there’s a lot of value in at the very least experimenting on a frequent basis with the platform because worst case scenario, you will still get traffic, but best case scenario, you will get traffic for a longer duration than you would see on other platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok, and LinkedIn. Correct?
Lindsay Peragine 7:13
Absolutely. I mean, if you have a blog, if you have opt-ins, lead magnets, ways that you are trying to grow your email list if you have anything to offer, including a podcast. If you’re putting marketing your podcast and you have your show notes on your website, you can create a pin and put that on Pinterest, you can take that audiogram and put it on Pinterest. So it’s very versatile.
And most of the searches on Pinterest are actually unbranded. So they’re very general. So people aren’t going on there looking for, you know, Gucci handbag they are going on, they’re looking for just fall handbags, or you know, something general, which is amazing, because that is a killer way for smaller brands and shops to be seen.
Kenny Soto 8:12
Now, I’m glad that you mentioned the example of four handbags. Is there a correlation? Or can you use keyword research, for example, that you would do for like a blog? And for SEO optimization on a web page? Can you apply those same principles of searching for the ideal keyword that your user and your client is going to search for on Google? And can you take that same list and create customized Pinterest content? To get your Pinterest audience to your boards? And inevitably, to your landing pages? Is that possible? Do you do use that in your strategies?
Lindsay Peragine 8:56
Absolutely. SEO plays a huge part in Pinterest strategy. So obviously, it works a little bit differently than it does on Google. But the misnomer is that Pinterest is a social media platform. It really is not. It’s a visual search engine.
It operates in funk. It operates and functions off of SEO just like YouTube and Google does. Which is why it almost becomes like an evergreen source for pulling in new leads or traffic to your site.
Kenny Soto 9:34
I’m glad you also mentioned evergreen, so would, in general, would you recommend to a newbie, whether they’re a small business owner, or just someone who wants to use Pinterest as a user? Would you recommend focusing more so or honing in on evergreen content specifically? Or do you also think that topical like recent content that’s dependent on the season? Again, for handbags. Do you think that’s also something to consider and integrate into a marketing strategy?
Lindsay Peragine 10:08
It is, because within Pinterest, when you’re able to create a business profile, it allows you to access a lot deeper analytics than if you were to leave it just a personal profile. And you know that switchover won’t have any negative impact on your account, nor is there any cost for it.
So I would recommend, obviously switching to business account so you can get access to that those analytics, and Pinterest has similar to like Google Trends. Pinterest has a trends section that allows you to see in different months in different seasons, the topics that are trending on Pinterest, and what is getting the most traction. So that seasonal content is something that you can revisit during those times when it peaks. You can repin it again.
Kenny Soto 11:04
Now, one question that has stayed in my mind since the beginning of this conversation, is Pinterest a platform that any brand and any kind of company can use? Or is it? Does it perform better for beauty, cosmetics, and fashion e-commerce?
Lindsay Peragine 11:31
Not necessarily. I’ve seen a lot of service-based providers have a lot of success. And I actually do work with several coaches and service based businesses, including my own on Pinterest, and we absolutely are seeing traction and seeing results and getting leads.
Kenny Soto 11:50
How does the strategy differ between providing marketing services and Pinterest for a service based provider, as opposed to a product based provider?
Lindsay Peragine 12:01
So product base is a little bit different, because they have something tangible that someone can go on there and buy immediately. So there’s not there’s not a lead and there’s not, they’re not trying to necessarily source a lead. Whereas with a service-based industry, you’re usually trying to pull someone in through value-added.
So through a blog, or through a freebie through some kind of lead magnet to kind of pull them in, get them into your world and usually on your email list. And, of course, you can get a lead, you can get people on your website, but usually, there’s a little bit more nurturing that goes on. Whereas a product-based business, it’s usually a little bit more, you know, high quality, good SEO click, go to site buy, done deal. So it’s a little bit different.
Kenny Soto 12:59
And have you interacted with the paid side of Pinterest using ADS and paid media to grow your audience and grow your website traffic?
Lindsay Peragine 13:10
Surprisingly, I have not had to do that yet. So far, my clients have gotten really, really good results just from the regular pinning. And I have not had to do that yet for them. However, that’s something I’m working on exploring right now with my own accounts, I always like to play with my stuff first before I start farming different strategies to my you know, clients to get them to see results like greater resul
That adds power to Pinterest is growing and optimizing. It’s definitely not as sophisticated as you know, Facebook or Instagram yet. So the the analytics you get are not as straight from a platform are not as beneficial. So Google Analytics plays a huge part in that to try and make sure that things are tracking well. And you’re seeing the results that you want to see on your ad spend. The ad spend on Pinterest is usually a bit lower than it would be on Facebook and Instagram right now. But it is growing as the platform adds new features.
Kenny Soto 14:19
Got it. That’s that’s good news in a way. I have a follow up question where let’s say I want to start not only creating a Pinterest account, but also leveraging the paid side to grow both as a brand awareness play and lead generation whether that’s an email opt-in, or any other avenue of that.
How would you just in general, allocate spend, especially because it’s less, which is a good advantage for the platform, although the disadvantage is again, as you just mentioned, it’s not as sophisticated as Facebook’s advertising system or LinkedIn advertising system is, so how would you consult someone in or advise someone in the allocation of spend overall with Pinterest?
Lindsay Peragine 15:16
I would start Pinterest is very much a long game platform strategy. So it’s not as quick as jumping into Instagram or Facebook. So and Pinterest really likes and favors the people on their platform, that are truly using all aspects of the platform, just like Instagram, and showing that they’re putting original content of their own on there, they like seeing that.
So, when you’re doing all of those things, when you’re connecting all the pieces, Pinterest is rewarding you with extra, you know, impressions and reach, and you’re higher up on the feed when people search. So, I very firmly believe in growing an account that can reach some of those markers before employing an ad strategy.
Kenny Soto 16:16
Got it.
Lindsay Peragine 16:17
Because an ad strategy is great on Pinterest, but you’re going to get some people that are not interested in maybe the ad per se but want to see your account, they go to your account, there’s nothing there. They might stop.
Kenny Soto 16:33
Because there’s no there’s no experience to actually engage with with the brand.
Lindsay Peragine 16:39
Exactly. So you know, the only if they look and they see that the only thing that they’re running is an ad and there’s nothing else there. They might be turned off by that and might go elsewhere. So, but, I mean, the nice thing is, is that Pinterest as a platform, they’re not trying to keep you on Pinterest.
Kenny Soto 17:03
Why do you say that?
Lindsay Peragine 17:06
Their goal is for people to live life, like legitimately the creators, the CEOs have all said this, they want you to go live like they don’t want you spending three, four hours on Pinterest, they want you to find what you’re looking for, and be able to click to that and head to whatever site that is, whether that be a recipe that you’re looking for, for dinner or a gift for a friend or whatever that is, they are not contrary to some of the social media platforms, they’re not trying to keep you there. They are trying to make sure that you find the value you’re looking for, and move on.
Kenny Soto 17:44
That’s a very important distinction that you just highlighted that I think not only myself, but the listeners should also just keep in mind. And I didn’t know that. And it’s certainly something that I need to consider as well, not only for my own marketing efforts, but just in general. So with that being said, it seems like Pinterest should be approached as a search engine, more so than a social media platform, although it has some of those features where you can message other people and engage with their content. Is there a way to collaborate on the platform? And if so, how would someone be able to use methods of collaboration to grow their business.
Lindsay Peragine 18:34
So they’re also in addition to there being regular boards on Pinterest, there’s also group boards. Some of them are open and public, some of them are private, and you have to request to join them. Almost like a Facebook group, except it’s except it’s just for pins. So typically, with a group board, you would want to find something in your niche. And the expectation is usually you pin some of your content to the board while sharing some other people’s.
Kenny Soto 19:09
Got it.
Lindsay Peragine 19:09
So it’s a way to circulate. It’s a way to circulate your content faster, get new eyes on it, and expand your reach and your audience a bit.
Kenny Soto 19:20
Okay, now, in terms of implementing action steps, right, so that not only the listeners, but the listeners that are listening right now, but people in the future if they listen to this, if they wanted to take something home and actually put it to implementation, what would you say is the best way to start to avoid any mistakes? And, what are common mistakes that you’ve seen in the past with using Pinterest?
Lindsay Peragine 19:54
So, number one mistake is not optimizing your account and Doing your keyword research.
Kenny Soto 20:00
Which should be the first Correct?
Lindsay Peragine 20:03
Oh yeah, that is like profile makeover first step. I actually have like a mini-course that is a good jumping off point it walks you through literally. It’s a little video mini-course and it walks you through everything you need to get set up and get quick wins.
So it’s not a huge Deep Dive. It’s not super overwhelming, but it gives you the ins and outs of exactly how to make everything over and gives you have basic strategy to employ to start seeing wins right away. So I would recommend optimizing your account, doing your keyword research, make sure your keywords are in your pin titles, the titles to your pin into your boards and your descriptions for your pins and your description for your boards.
So you really want to go on there, do some keyword research, jot everything down and make sure that you’re infusing those into all those places. Because that will make a huge difference in what you see happened to your account right off the bat. So profile makeover, and then making sure that you have your boards and your PIN set up.
And consistency is an important factor on the platform, as well as fresh content. So they like new content. So making sure that you’re pinning some of your own content on there daily pinning other people’s content or repinning because it’s already there. And being consistent with it, even if it’s as little as five pins a day, which if you’ve been on Pinterest, five pins you could knock out in probably a minute or so.
So it’s not hard to do. And if you’re someone that is extremely busy, like myself, employing automation, and scheduling your pins is also a huge game-changer. Tailwind is extremely helpful. That’s the platform I use and recommend I have I know that there’s pinning features on a number of scheduling platforms now but it is not the same as Tailwind.
Tailwind is basically it was created specifically for Pinterest automation, so they are definitely number one in the game in that and time saver.
Kenny Soto 22:36
Perfect, for the listeners. I’ll put Tailwind a link to Tailwind in the show notes just so that you can have a readily available. My last question would be how do you stay up to date on all things Pinterest? And what? What does it look like for you to basically educate yourself on the platform on a continuous basis?
Lindsay Peragine 23:01
So I have a number of sources I use to keep you know up to date on pretty much all things social media, whether it’d be the platforms themselves, other creators in the space that kind of center their businesses around tailwind kind of like my my own.
You know, we have our own little networking groups. And tailwind is really great because they’re a Pinterest partner. They are also extremely helpful in keeping every the users of their platform up to date on any changes. Sometimes I find out about the changes before, all of that drops in before other people find out which is extremely helpful, like hashtags on the platform, which are thankfully no longer a thing.
They messed around with that for a while and finally decided to get rid of that feature in this past month. And announced it I think about a week or two ago. So you know I have my own sources for staying up to date as far as like what to pin to Pinterest.
I have a wonderful Pinterest content calendar that is free to snap up and start utilizing it has some tips and tricks in there as well as a list of topics that trend each and every month and a list of planning topics to help keep you ahead of the game in your strategy and in planning all your content. So I will make sure that you get that link.
And that is something that everybody can grab for free. And obviously, I like to post when things happen on the different platforms so you can even just follow me to find out the updates instead of hunting around everywhere.
Kenny Soto 24:49
Sounds great. Thank you so much for your time, Lindsey. Thank you for your advice and expertise. It was fun picking your brain. This has been Kenny Sotos digital Marketing podcast, episode 16! Thank you Lindsay! Thank you listener! And we are going to sign off, Enjoy your week.