4 Reasons to Consider Pinterest Marketing

Did you hear that? That’s the sound of delight from e-commerce marketing departments all over the world.

They’re delighted because they’ve discovered what a big win Pinterest marketing can be. And soon, according to Ignite Social Media, e-retailers and others will fully be able to take advantage of Pinterest advertising.

But smart retailers and internet marketers have been marketing on Pinterest for quite some time, and why wouldn’t they?

People are visual, and unlike other social media platforms that rely on text, platforms such as Pinterest are totally visually driven. Early adopters of the platform realize this and they are the ones who profited handsomely, especially those who market products in industries that the average Pinterest user (or “pinner”) wants to find on the site.

MDG Advertising puts it this way: “Pinterest has a predominately female following who often pin images related to fashion, beauty, home décor, food, and party planning.”

This is a demographic who loves finding product and lifestyle pins, then sharing them with their online and their offline friends, especially on the weekends when women traditionally shop at brick and mortar retail stores.

And something else that Pinterest marketers have found: it can be a lot of fun!

Pinterest accounts are currently free, even for businesses. The boards don’t require tons of white space to be filled, and as a matter of fact, the platform’s formatting won’t allow for tons of white space to be filled with text content. This means that your creative team doesn’t have to burst their brains thinking of ways to translate what they’d say in print onto a new platform.

Here’s a closer look at why those in the know have thrived on Pinterest, and why your company might want to take advantage of the advertising tools that the Pinterest has for you.

1. Traffic

Sure, when anyone thinks of social media platforms, Twitter and Facebooks are the first two names that come to mind. But, according to Shopify, Pinterest is a solid number three. And as other visually-led platforms like Instagam become the new “in” social media, Pinterest is only likely to grow in popularity and reach.

2. Visual Engagement

Just as it’s hard for shoppers to turn down a product at a retail store after taking a look at it, it’s harder for shoppers at home to turn down your online product if you engage them visually.

Emphasize aesthetics through professional and creative photography – run some searches on top keywords for your market and see what kinds of pins and photos are at the top. This is a great way to get ideas for new ways to present your products to your audience.

You can also easily engage shoppers with your product by linking attractive pins to relevant content. Once you have these pieces in place, the social nature of Pinterest does the rest.

3. Brand Recommendations

Typically, e-commerce brands have to wait for shoppers to receive their products in the mail before the shopper can leave an honest review about the way that a product looks, feels, etc. While shoppers still need to wait to actually use a product that they’ve found on a Pinterest board, they can look at the size, shape, and color of a product immediately.

Eager shoppers and happy buyers can then post a blurb under the photo of a product, and share the pin with their social circle. Not only does this drive sales, this allows marketers to learn about a shopper’s immediate response to a product, very quickly. Marketers will also be able to gauge product enthusiasm by the number of times a pin gets shared across the platform.

4. Cross-Selling and Upselling

On a traditional e-commerce site, the shopper is offered the opportunity to make upselling and cross-selling purchases only after they’ve completed their sale.

But, when the same shopper is faced with a Pinterest board filled with upsell and cross-sell products, they can make decisions about where to spend their money before they’ve completed the sale. This makes for a more richer, much faster sales cycle possibility for retailers.

While it’s important to keep putting effort into other social media platforms, Pinterest is definitely worth your time, especially for any retailers targeting women.

*Photo courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net