In this article we are continuing to look at how retailers and brands are increasingly using social media in their marketing strategy – today we are talking about Pinterest.
Pinterest is a simple concept – it’s a photo sharing website that allows users to “pin” images to online bulletin boards. It was created in 2011 and its user base is rapidly growing around the globe with an active user base of 70 million people. Around 80% of these users are women. It’s like window-shopping online, and the best part is that it can be viewed at any time of the day.
Pinterest is being used very successfully by many larger brands, in particular in the fashion and food related industries that include it alongside Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ in their social media marketing. Many smaller brands might not think Pinterest is applicable to their business but it can offer some great marketing benefits.
According to many eCommerce experts, Pinterest generates more revenue per user than other social media sites such as Facebook. “Pinners”, as users are called, don’t just like to shop; they like to spend! In fact, according to a 2013 study by RichRelevance, Pinners are spending an average of $170 USD per session compared to an average of $70 USD on Facebook. As Facebook’s social lead is falling, Pinterest has overtaken in terms of referral (eCommerce) traffic. A recent survey by social login provider Gigya found that 41% of referral traffic was now coming from Pinterest compared to 37% from Facebook.
This is likely to be because when shoppers or consumers are on Pinterest they’re already in the shopping mind-set. They can quickly put together a picture of what they are looking for and then simply click on it to buy. It’s also a well-documented fact that high-quality visual content sells.
How to Start
It’s important to think about how you can use Pinterest for your particular business. Once you have some ideas in mind try to set the right strategy to meet the needs of your company. It’s not as simple as creating an account with a few boards and adding the ‘Pin it’ button to your website. Pinterest works because it engages with people, so you’ll need to engage within your community as well as pin to other sites and third party content for as much as engagement as possible, all of which will help build your own brand awareness.
Top brands in the fashion and retail space average 46 repins on every pin proving that those who have a presence on Pinterest are establishing an engaged following.
Quite a few retailers are using Pinterest to run competitions and promotions which link in with their other social media such as Twitter and Facebook, with the aim of increasing the number of followers. They also benefit from the useful customer data which can be used to devise future campaigns.
For food and fashion brands in particular think about theming your pin boards around the seasons. Some food brands offer recipes ideas to give inspiration for various occasions. Themes can be associated with your brand to create a certain user aspiration or to appeal to different interest groups.
Pinterest relies solely on photographic content, so obviously imagery is key. Be creative and think carefully about how your products could be used – the more imaginative the better! Aim to have images that show your products, but also photos to show your company culture if you are a non-visual business. If you don’t have strong imagery you could bring in pins from other third -party sites that have more variety and are more engaging. Or, if you are a financial business, you could offer tips or quotes using infographics.
As an eCommerce provider link your pins to your eCommerce sites but avoid making the boards themselves look like your eCommerce pages.
Measure the results so you can see what’s working best and this will help shape your future strategy.
Pinterest recently announced its plan to include sponsored pins to generate revenue to promote select small businesses. This will provide a new a revenue opportunity for you to explore.
It isn’t difficult or expensive to get started. You just need to inspire customers and promote your brand vision. Combine great images with content to solve a problem, inspire through unique use of your products or offer something desirable that will appeal to a particular interest group. More and more brands are incorporating Pinterest into their social marketing strategy because it allows them to deliver content in an easily shareable format that leads to increased visibility and higher traffic numbers, and for that reason it is definitely worth investigating.
