With over 100 million active users, Pinterest is officially one of the big boys of the social media world. These 100 million users are all potential customers for e-commerce businesses today, so our summer intern, Marc Wright, has taken a look at why you should target and engage with them.
Pinterest is essentially a platform for users to share and re-share, or ‘pin’ and ‘re-pin’ photos, links, videos etc. on their boards. With the use of hashtags, it’s quick and easy for users to search for the exact thing they are looking for. So if you target your content effectively and optimise some of Pinterest’s business functions, you should be able to reach many more potential customers.
Rich Pins
The site has now released a business platform where your firm is able to promote its posts as well as utilise both the ‘Rich Pins’ and ‘Buyable Pins’ options. Beyond linking your pins back to your own e-commerce site, which any Pinterest user is able to do, Rich Pins allow you to include a wealth of information in your posts such as real time pricing of products as well as availability and where to buy them, ridding the need for customers to do any further research. Included in Rich Pins, App Pins can be uploaded including an install button which allows Pinners to download your iOS app without having to leave the site.
Buyable Pins
Buyable Pins work in a similar way in that they allow users to buy the physical product while staying on the Pinterest site. With more and more users using the mobile app, buyable pins allow your products to be bought as soon as they’ve been spotted and the spontaneous impulse to buy is at its highest. Users can find these pins in both search results as well as on your profile, meaning they don’t have to come directly to you in order to find what it is they may be looking for.
A Creative Site for a Creative Audience
Pinterest is visual. It’s creative with a large focus on good images. Pinners are only going to be interested in your posts if images are of good, high-quality, professional level, if they are bright and appealing. Photographs and captions are a brilliant way of conveying your brand’s personality to users. Since it is a form of social media as opposed to your official e-commerce site, it should feel more personal to the customer. Re-pinning, commenting on and liking followers’ posts will help make customers feel more engaged with the brand
Regular posts on the site, at peak times of users can guarantee your posts will be seen and your audience of Pinners will slowly begin to grow. It’s important to make sure you post about things other than just your own brand, to keep your audience engaged and interested and to give them a better understanding of your culture. Keeping a close eye on Pinterest analytics, seeing what works for you and what doesn’t will help you grow both your Pinterest site and your brand on the whole.
Pinterest is becoming bigger and bigger and has an increasing number of highly-engaged users. With such a focus on creative and retail outlets, and increasing ways to sell efficiently through the site, it has never been a better time to consider this platform for your e-commerce business.
For more information about how you can use Pinterest in your e-commerce marketing strategy, please get in touch on 0141 427 0727.