A promoted pin is simply a paid ad on Pinterest. It allows you to target your ideal consumer based on a number of filters, much like Facebook and twitter do. The promoted pin is then pushed out to the users who either fit your filtered parameters, or to users who have shown an interest in the keywords attached to your pin.
Promoted pins run on a cost-per-click (CPC) system. Each campaign has a daily budget and duration. You are able to adjust both these numbers as the campaign is running, and as with any CPC system, you only pay when someone clicks on your promoted pin.
Pinterest suggests you be authentic when you choose what pins to promote. The same rules apply as with any social media platform. The main goal is to engage, excite, and bring people to your brand; not to overly sell and flood them with ads.
Like other social networks, Pinterest has set up rules for what is and isn’t ok to do when you use promoted pins. A few of the big things are: there can be no promotional information, calls to action, service claims, or price listing. Ads must be accurate and lead to a relevant landing page with no signup prompts.
Many people may see these as a disadvantage to using the system since you can’t use it as a pure lead generator. But Pinterest has never been about building leads as much as it has been the perfect source for generating traffic. This will allow small businesses to better target and drive the traffic they desire to their site. A well thought out photo that captures a person’s eye and mind can lead to a whirlwind of people being exposed to your brand, and digging deeper to learn about your product and service. The biggest thing any small business owner needs to keep in mind is social media is less about sales, and more about making life long customers who can become brand ambassadors for you. And the people who become those ambassadors are a better sales force than any ad campaign will ever be.