More than ever, we want to take a holiday and get away from it all. And we will choose the destinations that can best seduce us online! In this article, the Moondust team explains why you need to be on Pinterest to promote your destination, and how to do it. All onboard!

Note: all the examples illustrated in this article can be found in our dedicated Pinterest board.

Why Pinterest?

Pinterest is often forgotten in marketing strategies, even though it is an extremely powerful tool offering a lot of advantages:

- Pinterest users are actively looking for information in the context of a project. For example: planning a holiday (or arranging your home, or finding out what to eat tonight, etc...)

- In Belgium, there are 3 million monthly active users on Pinterest. In France, there are 14 million. This is an audience that should certainly not be overlooked.

- Unlike some social networks, Pinterest has no problem with you using links to your site to generate traffic. Quite the opposite ! External links are at the heart of the platform.

- Pinterest is a platform that users consider "calming". Your content is always showed within a nice context, away from anxiety-inducing information and heated discussions.

- If you decide to advertise on Pinterest, you will spend on average 2.5x less than on other social networks.

Themes that are well suited to visual content are king on Pinterest. This is of course the case for fashion, home, cooking, and of course, travel! Every year, nearly 7 million Pinterest searches about travel are done in Belgium, and more than 33 million are done in France.

So obviously, Pinterest can play an important role in a marketing strategy to promote a destination.

We are going to show you good practices to follow based on a few examples.

1. Use your best visuals

Obviously, we are on a visual platform, and we need to make users dream about visiting our destination. Now is the time to use your best photos! On Pinterest, the ideal format is vertical, generally 1000x1500px.

Here is a very simple but effective example from the South of France.

Or this very good example on Corsica.

2. Make the most of video

Not only photos, but also videos can be shared on Pinterest, which makes your destination even more attractive!

This can be done in two ways:

- Classic pins in video format.

For example, this short video made by Tourisme Bretagne illustrates in one minute all the possible summertime activities in their region. We love it!

- Idea Pins

Idea Pins are a type of pin that allows you to combine up to 20 different elements, photo or video. You could say they are a cross between Instagram Stories and TikTok videos. Idea pins are a great storytelling tool!

For example, in this idea pin on Marseille, you discover a top 15 of the most beautiful places to see around Marseille. The pin is based on 15 photos, and sound can be added.

As another example, this idea pin on the Faroe Islands mixes 10 photo and video elements to help you discover the place.

The addition of explanatory texts on the photos adds a plus, without detracting from the beauty of the image. It clearly makes us want to visit.

3. Keep your branding consistent

Speaking of text on photos, now is the time to tell you to remember your branding. If all your pins are visually consistent and you can be easily identified, it can only benefit your awareness.

Of course, this should be done smartly so as not to spoil the visual aspect of the pin, which remains essential. Your branding can be discreet but still be effective.

We particularly like the branding of the Visit Ardenne account, with the logo always present at the bottom of the images, and with a consistency in the placement of graphic elements on all the pins.

4. Create useful content

It is obvious that your content and pins should look good. But they should also be useful to your audience, so that they want to open the pin and find out more. The next step would usually be a visit to your website.

For the tourism industry, you can approach content a couple of ways

a/ Use themes

Think about the general interests of your visitors, not just what they do while on holiday.

For example: they like cycling.

Or gastronomy.

Or they are young and want to take nice pictures for their social networks, well done with this idea of the top instagrammable spots, Visit Ardenne!

b/ Suggest ready to follow plans

Gather several possibilities to spend a day or a week at your destination. Think about the different types of visitors: young couples, families with children, solo tourists...

5. Be multilingual

You are certainly looking to attract visitors from multiple destinations. That's why you should not be afraid to create several versions of your pins in different languages.

For example, the Visit Ardenne account (which definitely is a brilliant example) also creates its pins in Dutch and German, as many Flemish, Dutch and German tourists visit the region.

More tips for Pinterest

- Pin new content with regularity, at least once a week, on the same days and times. Use Pinterest's built-in scheduling tool.

- Write attractive descriptions and titles, optimizing them with keywords to be found more easily

- Don't forget to reference your website and add a link in all pins where possible.

Want to promote your destination on Pinterest? We hope this article was helpful to you! Moondust specializes in Pinterest accounts and campaigns management, contact us to discuss your needs.

How to use Pinterest to promote places and destinations.