Pinterest introduces search advertising

To help advertisers and agencies use its platform to target ads at people based on search terms, Pinterest has rolled out a series of new features that extend keyword campaigns.

In an update, the privately owned image-based network unveiled a new set of tools that advertisers would find in Pinterest Ads Manager, the self-service suite.

Powered by the Pinterest Taste Graph, the autotargeting tool supplements keyword-based targeting for advertisers and agencies.

With more than 100 billion pins per week by its users, the Pinterest Interest Graph helps advertisers gain an insight into what people search for and why, the latter provided by the way items are categorized by the users, such as a gown being categorized under "Jessica's Wedding'.

Following the introduction of search-based advertising on its platform, Pinterest has been helping its advertisers reach its users for new ideas. In the coming months, the San Francisco based network intends to educate advertisers and agencies with the release of DIY guides.

According to Pinterest data, 97 percent of the 2 billion monthly searches that happen on Pinterest are unbranded. Unlike traditional search, Pinterest serves its users as a planning tool, with items of the intent to purchase wishlist prominently displayed and "pinned" months in advance. Unlike conventional search advertising and interest-based targeting, where campaigns expect a sales or conversion turn around within a week, targeting on Pinterest can be timed to coincide with the occasion for which a product has been categorized.

To learn more about advertising with Pinterest, marketers can enrol in the Pinterest Propel program.