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As a business owner, you know that Pinterest is a critical part of promoting your brand and connecting with your customers. Hiring a Pinterest manager is an investment in your business marketing. But what happens when you start to feel like your Pinterest manager is falling short?
In this article, we'll explore some signs that your Pinterest manager might be ineffective and offer some advice on what to do next.
Looking for more on finding a quality social media manager for your business: How To Grow Your Business: 6 Ways To Judge A Social Media Manager's Effectiveness Before Signing.
Pinterest Mismanaged?
If you're wondering whether or not your Pinterest manager is being ineffective, there are a few things you can look for.
First, check to see if your Pinterest bio is well written. If it's shorter than 500 characters, you may ask them why they haven't added more keywords in the description. This is one of the spots the Pinterest algorithm draws information from to know what your account is about.
Second, take a look at the saves on your pins. If people are barely saving them, it could be a sign that your content isn't interesting enough or that your manager isn't promoting your pins effectively.
Third, consider if you are paying by the hour or a package rate. If you are paying by the hour and aren't giving the manager enough time to work in extras like keyword research, pin template creation, or competitor research, then you may actually be responsible for the lower quality of your account. As a Pinterest manager, it takes me a minimum of five hours per week to run an account effectively. If you are paying by the package per month, look at your contract. Is the manager fulfilling all the tasks set out in the contract?
Finally consider if you're expecting results too fast. Pinterest is a slow-growth, visual search engine. It really takes 3-6 months to see anything exciting happen. If you're not seeing results in the first month it may be because your pins haven't been ranked by the algorithm yet. If after six months nothing is happening it's likely there is an underlying reason. It's okay to ask an outside person to see if they see any errors with your account.
Note: If you are working with a Pinterest manager who isn't fulfilling their contractual obligations be sure to read the fine print regarding your ability to release them from service.
Understanding Pinterest Metrics
Let's face it, you hired someone else to manage your Pinterest account because they claimed to be an expert. But when you do run into issues or don't see the results you were hoping for, it's important to know how to look at your Pinterest metrics.
Here are some things to look for when evaluating your Pinterest manager:
1. Saves: Are people repinning the pins that your manager creates? The entire point of Pinterest is to share pins. So if your pins aren't being reshared, then this will definitely affect your account. That said, Pinterest has several ways to look at the save rate. The easiest one to read for you will be to go to the metrics overview. Pull down the small menu and choose Save. I suggest this because it has a clear line graph which will show you how many pins are being saved. Looking at the actual number can get more confusing as I find it's not always accurate.
2. Click-throughs: Under the same overview of your metrics, you can see the click-throughs. How many people are clicking through to your website from Pinterest? If this number is low, it could mean that your posts are not relevant to your target audience. It could also mean that they aren't ranked just yet-remember it can take 3-6 months for newly scheduled pins to rank. One of the reasons that you need to post seasonal content well in advance is
3. Engagement: Is your audience engaging with your pins? Look at the number of likes, comments, and shares to get an idea of how engaged people are with your content. Honestly, Pinterest isn't a social media site, so engagement in terms of comments isn't as important as saves.
4. Followers: How many people are following your Pinterest account? This number can give you an idea of how much reach your account has. It's not a good indicator, though, of your overall growth because followers aren't as important as the fact that people are saving your content.
If you're not happy with your Pinterest manager's performance, it's important to have a conversation about what you expect from them. It could be that they need more time, direction, or content to work from, or have a personal issue they haven't shared that's taking time away from the quality of their work.
Pinterest Metrics vs. Tailwind Metrics.
As a business owner who's hired a Pinterest manager, it's important to track your account's progress and performance over time. You can ask your manager to submit reports. Generally, a monthly report is sufficient because Pinterest is slow-growth, so day-to-day changes in your account are not a good indicator of growth.
If it's not in your manager's contract to give you a monthly report, then you can take a look at your metrics. I shared what to look for in your Pinterest metrics, but Pinterest metrics are not always so reliable. For example, when you see your notification that x number of people have saved your pins, that number is not the same when you use the closer look feature on each individual pin. So while the notification tab can say you have 23 people saving that, when you look closer it may say zero. That's why Tailwind metrics can be a bit easier to read.
Tailwind is an integrated platform that provides scheduling and more in-depth analytics for Pinterest users. In addition to the standard Pinterest metrics, Tailwind also tracks things like engagement rate, which shows you a percentage of the number of your pins versus pins that have been saved at least once. This data can be extremely valuable in understanding how your content is performing and what changes you may need to make in order to improve your results.
Which Metrics Should You Use?
Both Pinterest and Tailwind offer valuable insights into your performance as a Pinterest manager. However, Tailwind's more comprehensive data can be easier for a novice to read.
Google Metrics For Pinterest.
As a business owner, you're always looking for ways to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. It's a good idea to be able to read your metrics on Google. Google metrics are vastly different from both Pinterest metrics and Tailwind metrics, but you should be able to see how much traffic you are getting from Pinterest.
You will also be able to see what pages are getting the most traffic from Pinterest. That's something to share with your Pinterest manager so they can promote that content more frequently.
Saying Goodbye to Your Pinterest Manager
Not all Pinterest managers are going to get you the results you want. There are a variety of reasons this may be from mismanagement due to a lack of experience, work ethic, or strategy. It's okay to end a contract with your manager if you feel they aren't giving you the results you were hoping for. Look again at your contract if you have one in place for guidance on ending the working relationship professionally. Using the preferred method of communication, be sure to let them know you appreciated their help but would like to end it at the end of the agreed upon project period.
Be sure to offer feedback on their services should they ask. Be professional in letting them know how they can improve their services and why you are moving on.
I found a new Pinterest manager.
If the Pinterest manager was unprofessional or didn't do the work effectively, it can leave you feeling unsure of where to go next. Should you simply give up on Pinterest? Or look for a new manager?
If you are wondering if Pinterest will actually work for your niche or what to ask a new manager, please feel free to contact me. I am more than happy to help you answer these questions. (While I may be fully booked, I do limit the number of clients I work with, so each one gets enough of my undivided attention.) I am still happy to set you on the right path.
For more on Pinterest best practices, pinning strategy, and business, be sure to follow along with Blogatcha! Written by Pinterest manager and mom, Amber Flinn. My goal is to help educate those interested in Pinterest, small business, entrepreneurship, and social media. I welcome guest submissions, so if you think you have a great idea for an article, please reach out!