Every social media site has its own unique theme that captivates online audiences in different ways. With the various new social media sites that emerge by what feels like the second, some wonder how people can spend so much time on all of the sites, but that’s beside the point. The latest social media site to hit the popularity charts is Pinterest, and while the site may be purely for fun among everyday people, e-commerce businesses are taking full advantage of Pinterest’s capabilities to generate business profits.
Launched in March of 2010, the invite-only, virtual picture-sharing site allows users to pin pictures and videos to themed boards. Boards are created and categorized according to the individual’s interests and hobbies. For example, a member may create a board titled “Music” and pin pictures of their favorite artists and bands as well as post music videos. There is no limit to the number of boards users can create, and pictures and videos can easily be added or removed. Also, users can browse other pin boards for inspiration and re-pin pictures and videos pinned by others.
Although content may be the king in the SEO world, audiences love pictures, and the common adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” reinforces the impression that an image can convey an idea or tell a story. With the aim of “connecting people to things they love,” Pinterest is wearing the social media crown, and businesses are discovering how the picture-sharing site helps their e-commerce traffic climb.
Shareaholic, an online sharing site, found that Pinterest is taking out other popular social media sites in referral traffic, including Twitter, StumbleUpon, Bing, and Google. Other findings released that Pinterest topped Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined this past January. In February Pinterest also beat Twitter for the first time. In addition, despite Facebook standing atop the popularity meter, Pinterest is beating Facebook in regards to the number of purchasing customers. A survey conducted by Bizrate Insights found that 32% of North American buyers purchased a product after viewing it on Pinterest.
For businesses looking to share pictures of products in the Pinterest world, here are some things keep in mind when creating your account in order to drive traffic.
Give Your Profile a Personality
While you want to create a profile that informs users of your business, you don’t want to sound overly promotional. In your profile, briefly tell online audiences about your products, but avoid sounding like an advertisement or like you’re trying to convince them to buy your products. Instead, be chatty and communicate with your audience. Also, you may want to feature your company’s name to gain maximum exposure. Pinterest also allows users to add their Facebook and Twitter accounts, which allows your fans and followers to see your pictures.
Set up Unique Boards
Since users can choose which of your boards they want to follow, you want to be creative when setting up boards in order to encourage others to follow your boards. Your boards should be appealing and relevant to your products. For example, if you sell clothing, you can create boards such as “Straight Jeans,” “Winter Jackets,” and “Jean Skirts.” Also, you want to avoid going overboard with the number of boards you create. The aim is to create fewer boards with lots of images.
Share Creative Images
Don’t just share nice photos; share creative photos. Since these are your products, you should share original photos. Also, share photos that depict ways your products can be used, especially ways that customers may not have considered. To capture the interest of your audience, it’s also a good idea to use infographics to provide your audience with reports and figures regarding your products and their use.
Get Involved in the Pinterest Community
Once you create your boards and start pinning, don’t just wait around for others to come to you. Reach out to the Pinterest community and find those who you think would benefit from your products. What’s great about Pinterest in comparison to other social media sites is the personal communication. This will help your business and your products become known.
