Posted on Apr 3, 2014

Why your E-Commerce Site Must Have a Pinterest account

Why your E-Commerce Site Must Have a Pinterest account

 

Social media gives businesses new tools to reach out to customers and ways to build your brand online. But deciding which social media platforms to use can be confusing – and flat out overwhelming. You’ll want to use the social media platforms that make sense for your business. But how do you know which ones make sense? Unless you’re a huge corporation, you can’t be everywhere. This means mindfully choosing the best platforms which best suit your business. And all things considered, if you’re in the ecommerce business, your site must have a Pinterest account.

 

You’re probably thinking that is a broad statement and you’re right. But it is true – if you run an ecommerce business that sells real products (as opposed to virtual products) you most likely should be pinning away on Pinterest.

 

Think of this question in terms of running a women’s clothing store. You would not spend any time thinking about whether you should put your products on display. After all they are not going to sell sitting in a storeroom. The same applies online – you need to let your customers see and experience your products, and Pinterest is perfect for this.

 

Benefits of Pinterest for Business

 

Pinterest is not just about cats and cakes. If you have spent any time on it you will know that those topics do exist in abundance, but there is so much more. Other sectors that are popular on Pinterest include DIY, interior design, fashion, cooking, hobbies, and crafts.

 

The primary role of Pinterest is to build a relationship with your customers and establish trust. When you create great content and it gets pinned, your users are demonstrating their support in you and your expertise. This will encourage them to look to you for help, ideas, inspiration, and advice.

 

And of course their friends will see this trust, which increases your area of influence.

 

Once you have that level of engagement you can start to show off your products. This will drive visitors to your website which in turn creates new sales and leads.

 

Those leads will often come from women and for most ecommerce websites that is a significant benefit. The buying decisions in most households are usually women and this is why many marketing efforts focus on women.

 

On Pinterest, the majority of users are women.

 

They are also women with higher levels of disposable income than women on other social media platforms. This on its own does not guarantee more sales and profits for your business. But it is a factor that goes into the mix.

 

Finally there are conversion rates, which ultimately have to be compared to other forms of social media. Twitter can be an effective marketing tool in many situations. But since Pinterest is such a visual medium, it is generally better at generating direct sales for eCommerce sites. Pinterest gets better conversion rates and when people do convert, they spend more.

 

How to Use Pinterest

 

Ecommerce websites that sell visually attractive products primarily targeted at women will benefit most from Pinterest. Here are some tips:

 

·         Be you. You should never use a corporate voice on social media and that applies to the pictures you post on Pinterest. Personality and passion are everything.

·         Create and complete an interesting profile and make sure you include your website address.

·         Your images should be as swipe stopping as possible. Swipe stopping? Yes. You want to make people stop scrolling through their feeds mid-swipe.

·         Optimize your images, which means 540px wide. And use a good description.

·         Write creative content about each image that reveals more about your brand. Although the majority of Pinterest’s appeal is visual, you do have the ability to add words to each image. Make it interesting, useful and engaging.

·         Encourage your users to Pin your content and click back to your website. You need to give them a call to action.

·         Engage in conversation.

·         Get a verified Pinterest account

 

Pinterest is a powerful tool for ecommerce websites. If you’re looking to increase brand awareness, create customer loyalty, and generate more sales for your eCommerce website, perfect your Pinterest plan today!

 

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