By Ronald Dod
You have seen blogs, articles, and white papers galore about using Facebook ads, Instagram marketing, Twitter influencer marketing and YouTube video product promotion to increase sales.
These topics have been beaten to death at this point. That’s not to say that these strategies won’t work if executed properly and creatively, BUT there is one strategy that hasn’t been as over-farmed.
Pinterest is a social platform where users communicate with each other by essentially posting and reposting products or desirable items. As far as eCommerce is concerned, this is the holy land. Data from over 529,000 Shopify store orders showed that Pinterest beat out Twitter as the second largest social source for traffic, and had the third highest average order value.
We put together this guide to showcase some of the most effective Pinterest strategies, as well as how to execute them to boost sales for your eCommerce business.
The Standard
Having a high quality, attention grabbing post is the standard of any social media campaign. Pinterest requires high attention to detail — because that’s what users prefer.
When you think of Pinterest content, think glossy, attractive, and professional – not a bland product page photo. If your product is attractive and aesthetic enough, users are more than happy to pin the image to their board and showcase it to their followers.
Investing into a professional photographer and editor specifically for your Pinterest content could pay off tenfold.
Studies have found that pins with a 2:3 (width:length) pixel ratio, earthy and red colors, and a background with little white space get repinned the most. These characteristics tend to change and can vary per audience, so be sure to test which type of content works best for your industry.
It is also interesting to note that not all Pinterest content needs to be an extremely high-quality image. Mix up your posting with a few customized how-to infographics and ordered lists to create some depth on your boards.
Put the Pinterest Pin Button on Your Product Pages
The fundamental ideology behind creating viral content and increasing conversion rates is to remove as many barriers as possible. Lightly put, optimize your strategy for the laziest human being ever.
All you have to do to add a Pinterest Pin Button is either through a WordPress social plug-in, or by manually adding the code here. This lets visitors on your site pin your products on their account. All it takes for this essentially effortless third party endorsement is a click.
Categorize Your Boards Based on a Theme
Compartmentalizing your Pinterest makes it easier to segment certain types of users or showcase different products.
Remember, Pinterest is not so much an extension of your site as much as it is a network to reach potential new customers. Visitors aren’t as likely to click on a board titled “Kitchen Accessories” as much as “Sleek, Modern Kitchen Accessories.”
These boards should be an attempt to capture the visitor’s imagination first. Only once visitors are intrigued will a subtle call to action work. At the very least, you could have one of your products repinned on an influential visitors board for others to see.
Use your creativity and trend awareness to create boards that stand out:
- For the Girlfriend Who Has Everything
- Next Level Productivity
- Cute Woodsy Bonfire Clothes
- A Picnic to Remember
The possibilities for these boards are endless. You could even create a board for complimentary products to encourage users to buy multiple items as a set.
Create Synergy Between Your Pinterest and Blog
Having a blog enables a business to provide value to its visitors and build a loyal audience. Blog communities and Pinterest communities don’t necessarily have to grow independently from one another.
If you’re already going to have high quality, attractive images for your Pinterest audience, why not incorporate them into your blog strategy as well? Your blog followers will be able to connect with your Pinterest audience, and your Pinterest audience will be able to boost your site traffic.
Have a call to action that links visitors to your blog for more value rather than sending them directly to a product page for the sale will help to foster a non-transactional relationship with your audience.
For example, if you have a board for “Cute Woodsy Bonfire Clothes” filled with different high quality pictures of flannel shirts and jeans, you could have a call to action to an article on your blog titled “15 Best Flannel Shirt and Jeans Combinations for a Bonfire” showcasing a mixture of your products and pattern combinations.
Interested prospects click on the blog. Then, reading through the material, they see links to your products, leading interested (and now well-informed, excited) visitors to your product pages.
A dynamic duo like this might cost around $200 to $350 for the photography, editing, design, and content if using freelancers, but will add value to both your visitors and your brand. Social traffic will be more likely to read your article, boosting on-site time and click-through rates, ultimately helping your article rank for long-tail keywords such as ”Best Flannel Shirt and Jeans Combinations for a Bonfire.”
As an added bonus, your site will allow visitors to re-pin images from your blog on their Pinterest accounts, growing your core audience on Pinterest.
Conclusion
Having a Pinterest with a creative and carefully planned, data-driven strategy will allow you to take your eCommerce business to new heights. Success is not necessarily about doing what everybody is doing. In fact, it is often about being unique and sticking out from the crowd.
