If you’ve got a business that fits Pinterest’s demographic and focus, your online store needs to be there. This social network consistently drives referrals, traffic and sales to websites. But what you really need to know are two things:
- Is Pinterest right for your business?
- If so, how can I use Pinterest effectively?
Is Pinterest right for your business?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is my target market?
Women account for the bulk of page views and users on Pinterest, so if your products or services target (or you’d like to target) women, then this is definitely the place to be. - However, don’t let that deter you. While Pinterest used to be over 80% women, last year men accounted for a third of new sign-ups. According to Pinterest, more men use the platform in the U.S. every month than read Sports Illustrated and GQ combined.
- Pinterest also skews younger, according to Pew Internet Research for 2014, over 50% of users were 18-49.
- 75% of Pinterest activity and traffic referrals happen on mobile! Be sure your website can handle mobile traffic…
- Do I have the right content?
Pinterest is a visual platform, so you’ll need compelling photography, video, or graphics to share. Food & Drink, DIY & Crafts, and Women’s Apparel are the most popular content, however beautiful, eye-catching photography will help your “less popular” content perform well.
How Can I Use Pinterest Effectively?
1. Daily Activity in Small Bursts
Pinterest rewards business activity that looks like personal Pinterest use. So be sure to log on at least once a day for a short amount of time to add Pins, Re-Pin related posts, Comment, Follow and Love others’ Pins. If possible, log in for 5-10 minutes several times a day. This kind of authentic interaction helps your Pins get displayed in your Followers’ overcrowded feeds and search results.
DON’T: Don’t pin all of your new inventory all at once.
2. Interact!
Pinterest is a “social” network. As such, unless your company is already well-known with a loyal following, your best strategy for gaining Followers is interacting with and Following other Pinterest users.
That doesn’t mean blindly clicking the Follow button. Instead, search for Pin Boards related to your products and services. Find Pinners who are clearly not competitive businesses, who have a healthy number of Followers and also Follow quite a few people. Follow these “influencers” to help you get started. Pinterest is a pretty friendly place, and most people will Follow you back. That also means you should Follow most people who Follow you.
Also be sure to Re-Pin, Like and Comment related (but not competitive) Pins. For instance if you are a Home Builder, Re-Pinning the before and after home decor shots of a local interior decorator can help you build quality, Follow-worthy Pin Boards and generate a solid network.
DON’T: Don’t expect people to Follow you just because you’ve created some Pin Boards.
3. Not Just the Facts
No one wants to Follow businesses who only re-post their product pictures. That’s what your website or online store is for.
Pinterest is about lifestyle, how-to’s, and inspiration. Your Pin Boards and posts should inspire! If you’re an apparel retailer, put together an Outfit of the Day or videotape a quick twirl of your latest toddler dress. If you sell gadgets, post an eye-catching graphic promising “5 Ways to Improve Your Life with X” linking to a blog article on your amazing product X. Behind the scenes, creative solutions, before and afters, related lifestyle ideas for your target audience… these are all great content ideas to keep your Pin Boards unique and to entice Pinterest users to Follow you.
DON’T: Don’t just re-post individual product photos already available on your website.
4. Learn to Love Hashtags!
Potential customers are out there, searching for what you’ve got to offer. Your job is to figure out which hashtags and search terms they are using, then be sure you tailor your post content and include those hashtags in your posts.
Pretend you’re a shopper. What search terms would you type in, to find your type of product? Now take a look at your competition. Which hashtags are they using? Do some of them make sense for your Pins? Are there some popular hashtags, like #ootd (or, outfit of the day) that you can leverage by creating some Pins related to the hashtag?
DON’T: Don’t post Pins without hashtags or descriptions.
5. Page Not Found
What happens when someone falls in love with the product featured in your Pin? Can they click on it and be taken directly to the product page to find and purchase the item? We hope so!
Make sure you’ve included links in all of your Pins. Also make sure that when a product sells out or is no longer available, the link is still useful, landing someone on a page that tells them the product is no longer available, but they might like these other alternatives. If you’ve featured an outfit, make sure each of the items on your website is using cross-selling to suggest the other pieces of the outfit, making shopping easy and convenient for your potential customers.
DON’T: Don’t post a Pin without a great link to back it up and close the deal!
Managing a Pinterest account can be time-consuming, and does require a bit of practice to figure out how to be effective. If you’re interested in using Pinterest for your business, or have questions about any other social media platforms, contact our experts. NetSource Technologies has a friendly and experienced social media and online marketing team that will be happy to assist you.