Small Business Tips
What do online scrapbooking and millennials have in common? They're both on Pinterest, the visual search engine. Does Pinterest spark your interest? It should.
You should consider using Pinterest if you sell anything online. Why? Because according to Pinterest:
- 250 million users "Pin it!" every month.
- 52% of the US millennial population uses the platform every month.
- New data from YouGov Plan and Track found 76% of Pinterest users like trying new brands, 64% like to explore new musical genres and artists, and 57% are interested in trying the latest technology products, services and apps.
Businesses create more than two-thirds of all the content on Pinterest, which means that visual social media is also a great product showcase.
Unsurprisingly, the social networking website is well-suited to facilitate online shopping. The format is purpose-built for the task: businesses and users publish slick pictures of products, food or visual ideas they "Pin" on the platform for others to see.
Viewers can click on images to link to detailed information or to buy products. It's less about connecting with people than with things.
Pinterest: what is it and why should you care?
Pinterest calls itself a visual discovery engine, "filled with inspiring, actionable ideas", i.e., pictures of stuff you might want to see, buy, try or do. It can help companies and marketers by linking to products, services and helpful information.
On other platforms, built for sharing information about you and your friends, such as Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat, it's more about people and less about products.
Pinterest offers collections of browsable products curated by users and businesses. People use it to look for products, ideas or recipes presented visually in illustrations and infographics.
Search engines can't aggregate images into curated collections and themes. They can collect similar images and present them in raw form, but they lack the extra layer of intelligence, categorization and, of course, the slick format. Pinterest is much more effective, elegant and efficient at concentrating information into visually appealing postcards.
How does Pinterest work for small business?
Pinterest is more like a department store catalogue or a fashion magazine than any other online platform, which makes it well-suited as a visual showcase for products, services and practical tips and information. But is a Pinterest picture worth a thousand words? It sure is.
Pinterest claims to be "the most popular platform for finding and shopping for products." More importantly, people who look at items on the site follow through and purchase more often than on other social networks.
Pinterest tied with Instagram for first place (both scoring 15 percent) and ahead of Facebook when it came to influencing a purchase or shopping decision, according to a December 2017 Dectiva survey of 2,700 adults. Many other surveys also place Pinterest near the top, confirming its ability to generate leads and sales.
Pinterest for business users
If you're wondering how best to use Pinterest for your business, let's break it down:
- People go on the Pinterest website or app to look for and discover things, or to receive Pin suggestions from others they follow.
- When users see something they like online, they can save Pinterest-enabled content to a Pinterest board, or collection they've created.
- If they add the Pinterest browser button to their browser, they can Pin content to the app from any web page.
- When someone follows your company or one of your boards (content categories), they'll receive a notification and see new content in their home feed whenever you publish new Pins.
- If your Pins are creative and interesting to your followers, they can generate loyalty and repins. When someone repins your pin, their followers see it. When you pay (per view) for a promoted or rich Pin, any views resulting from repins are free of charge.
- Since it's possible to link Pins to your product page or to a shopping cart, it's a lot easier for people to buy your product or service, which can potentially increase sales.
Try to create pins and boards that are both inspiring and visually attractive. Design your content to capture viewers' attention and provide some value, information or inspiration.
Remember, the message and call to action centre around rich visuals, images and infographics. If you don't have a knack for graphic design, you can hire a freelance designer and claim the cost as a deductible expense for your business.
To learn more, check out this Pinterest for Business overview.
