Screen printing is an art form. It takes talent and imagination to create an eye-catching design that will move prospects to make a purchase.

If you haven’t already started using Pinterest to leverage sales, consider this: Fifty percent of people make a purchase after seeing a promoted pin and 67 percent say they’ve discovered a new brand or product from content on the network.

Implementing an image-centric social platform to show off your visually-driven screen printing business is a great way to gain traction and get your designs in front of more potential buyers. With more than 300 million active users, Pinterest can help boost sales and brand awareness.

However, like most marketing efforts, getting started is the hardest part. We’ve got you covered. See below for a list of best practices for promoting your decorating business on Pinterest.

Getting Started

Although Pinterest is considered a social media channel, it functions more like a search engine with a few social aspects. Think of Pinterest as a digital pinboard. People use it to save ideas, products, and to collaborate with friends. Pinning tends to be a personal activity. Users that save decorated apparel ideas might be looking to improve their wardrobe, or perhaps they’re screen printing artists themselves. Cater your content to your target audience. Doing so will ensure your pins reflect the current trends and offer value.

Before you pin anything, make sure you have a business account set up. Terms of service are different for a business than a personal account since you would be using the account commercially. So familiarize yourself with them HERE before you get started.

Pro tip: If you already have a Facebook and/or Twitter page set up, you can link those pages to your Pinterest account. This will help you grow your Pinterest presence faster and it will help you get your content in front of more potential buyers. Click HERE to learn how to link your Facebook and Twitter to your Pinterest.

Another effective way to gain followers on Pinterest is to follow other people within the screen printing industry. Find your niche audience by searching buzzwords like screen printing, heat press, promotional apparel, t-shirt, and blank apparel. Follow and engage with the people who like and comment on the images that pop up when you type in those buzzwords.

Use the platform as a digital portfolio

Pinterest does a great job of showing off designs in a visually appealing way. Pin your finished graphic tees (include an image, description, and link) then group your pins into product categories. Since you can create several boards (boards are collections of the pins you have saved), it is best to group your pins into product categories.

Top board categories for screen printers on Pinterest include screen printing designs, screen printing DIY, screen printing shirts, and graphic tees. Grouping your pins creates a digital catalog and helps prospective customers find your products more easily. It’s also a good idea to create a “best of” board to highlight your most popular designs.

Experiment with Instructographics

There are a lot of “creative types” in the screen printing business.  Push creative limits even further by experimenting with different types of Pinterest posts. The apparel decorating business lends itself seamlessly to DIY infographics, known as instructographics to the Pinterest community. Before breaking out your silkscreens, dyes, and heat press for your next project, ask a friend or co-worker to document your progress. Have them take photos of each step of the deco process. From there, you can easily upload a DIY infographic. DYI graphics are one of the most popular types of pins. Therefore, any form of helpful infographic you can create is likely to gain a significant amount of traction.

Maximize SEO Efforts

Each pin is an opportunity to maximize your search engine optimization strategy to drive more traffic to your website.

Consider the following tactics when implementing an SEO strategy on Pinterest: 1) share pins on other social networks like Facebook and Twitter 2) add backlinks to your website to descriptions 3) include targeted keywords with each description. Targeted keywords will attract prospects who are more likely to click on your pins and click through to your website. Add keywords to titles, descriptions, and image file names.

Popular industry-related keyword phrases include:

• Screen printing machines
• How screen printing works
• Screen printing process step-by-step
• screen printing materials
• screen printing kit
• screen printing tutorial
• t-shirt printing

Find more keywords here: https://keywordtool.io/

Pin curated content that will add value

Beyond posting your own original content, give customers and prospects another reason to visit your profile by pinning products and services that will benefit them. For instance, a screen printing shop can add value by linking to a DIY silk-screening instructographic or a pin that highlights the latest innovations in screen printing technology.

Give users incentive to follow you

Offer exclusive deals that customers can only find on your Pinterest page. This will generate more excitement around your brand and boost engagement on your page. One example of this would be to post a picture you took of one of your favorite designs and ask users to re-pin the post for an entry into a giveaway. You can also announce exclusive discounts on your Pinterest page to attract new followers.

Engage with users

It’s not called SOCIAL media for nothing. Engaging with users is a simple way to raise brand awareness on Pinterest. Take time each day to go through your notifications and boards. Look for opportunities to make personal connections. When you see that users have re-pinned your items, comment and thank them. Follow other decorators and encourage them to follow you back. Start a conversation by posting your favorite graphic tees and asking for follower feedback.

Post at the right time and frequency

Sure, compelling original content optimized for engagement is a key element to marketing your screen printing business on Pinterest. However, if you’re not posting enough or at the right time, then your effort could be for naught. For optimal results, pin around 10 times per day. Don’t worry. You don’t have to pin unique content every time. Remember, adding useful curated content to your boards will help with brand recognition. To get the most out of Pinterest activity, engage when your audience is most active. On average, the best times to post on Pinterest are 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. EST; and Hubspot says Saturday morning is the best time to post.

Pinterest is a creative and useful tool for decorators looking to grow their business. Remember, silk screening is a very visual practice. Therefore, using an image-driven platform like Pinterest can help draw attention to your business and showcase your work in a visually appealing way. Follow the tips laid out above to help drive more traffic to your site and gain more leads. Did we miss anything?  Share more ways to market on Pinterest in the comments section below.

For more screen printing trends and inspiration, check out our blog 14 Transfer Trends Every Promo Professional Should Know.