Pinterest, whilst not as widely known as the likes of Facebook and Instagram, is a visual social media platform that is fast becoming a largely untapped source of customers for people who run e-commerce stores. Because Pinterest is a visual platform that uses ‘pins’ (miniature images) it is a fantastic place for you to showcase your products.
Getting it to work, however, can be challenging, especially if you are not naturally creative. After all, running a business is more than about the boring stuff like accounting management. Learning about Pinterest as a platform and how to make it work for you is worth it, though, especially when you consider that statistics have shown that those visiting from Pinterest are a whole 10 percent more likely to make a purchase from you.
Here are some simple ways you can use Pinterest as a marketing tool to attract customers.
1. Create a Personal and Business Account
The first step in starting with Pinterest is to create an account, however, many business owners fail to create two accounts: one for themselves, and one for their business. Why is this important? Well, as the founder of your own company, people are going to be interested in you and your own personal Pins as well as your company’s.
By making two separate accounts, you can double down with your Pinterest usage and take advantage of two very different types of account.
2. Create Boards and Pins Using Keywords
Pinterest has amazing search functionality that works much in the same way as Google’s, using keywords and algorithms to determine which content is of a high-quality and thus what is shown to users.
When you create boards and start putting up your Pins, make sure that you use relevant keywords in both titles and descriptions and select an appropriate category for each one. This will help people find your Pins and recommend your board to their friends. Also, keep in mind that people can share your Pins (e.g. through Twitter) so you should always be trying to make your Pinterest content appeal like any other content you have.
3. Make Inspiring Posts
Remember, Pinterest is a platform full of more creative types and the best way to appeal is to be inspiring. The true power of Pinterest rests within its ability to enable its users to discover amazing visual images and videos through Pins, and there’s no reason why these cannot be your products.
Instead of just spamming your Pinterest boards full of your product images, though, try to do it in a way that inspires potential customers with your products and displays them in a positive light. For example, fashion retailers may want to create Pins that create a look or style.
4. Don’t Be Corporate
It can be tempting to put across a professional image, however, you should try to edge away from being too corporate on Pinterest. After all, it’s a more creative platform about casual aesthetics more than it is about boring corporate things such as accounting management and copy-heavy posts.
Being too corporate is a good way to put more creative-minded people off… you’re not going to appeal at all by doing this.
5. Integrate the Pinterest Button
This is by far the easiest thing you can do to get going with Pinterest and drive up brand awareness. If you are a fashion or other creative brand that sells a physical product especially, you are highly likely to have customers who actively use Pinterest, and this is a fantastic way to let your visitors do half of the Pinterest job for you—by doing the ‘pinning’ for you.
Placing the Pinterest button on your product pages means that visitors can post images directly from your store to Pinterest. This easy endorsement from third-parties (your customers) is rare and you should take full advantage of it.
Business is About More than Accounting Management
Whilst it lends itself better to brands selling a physical product, especially fashion brands, all companies (even professional firms such as accounting management companies, for example!) can benefit from the use of Pinterest.
It is a highly visual social media platform where, statistically speaking, 10 percent of visitors who click through from your boards will make a purchase. Today, operating a business is about far more than boring meetings and accounting management. Using non-traditional social media platforms such as Pinterest is the best way to get ahead of your competition.
