The Pinterest Guide for eTailers and Content Marketers
Is your website a destination for people who are interested in buying, seeking or doing? Then Pinterest is one social network you need to start using.
Who uses Pinterest?
First you need to understand who uses Pinterest and what their motivations are. Pinterest users are an active group of people who want to tell the rest of the world about all the things they identify with, want, and recommend. Also be aware that someone on Pinterest, will also be a member of Facebook or Twitter (or possibly both), since you need an account on one of those networks to login to Pinterest.
At the moment the vast majority of Pinterest’s user base is comprised of women. Around 90% of users are women; however the number of men using the service is also rapidly increasing. The users will become more diverse as various companies and organizations start using the service.
There are lots of brands and companies who are utilizing the power of image sharing. A few examples of companies who are on Pinterest include Whole Foods, Domino Sugar and Coldwell Banker. TV networks and News outlets are also jumping aboard such as Time, Mashable, Wall Street Journal and HGTV.
Bloggers, writers and artists are also using Pinterest to their advantage. Both small and big blogs are driving traffic to their sites. Online retailers like Etsy and direct to consumer sites such as Home Depot also have a presence on Pinterest. The list of users keeps going with authors, designers, painters, content producers, publishers, airlines, universities, nonprofits, sports teams and department stores jumping on the bandwagon.
Where do they access it?
Pinterest is becoming an important part of many people’s online interactions. They access the service in various ways including:
• Online
• Mobile
• At home
• At Work
• On the go
When do they use it?
The short answer is: Regularly.
With approximately 2.2 million active users per day, and 12 million active users per month, there are a lot of people sharing and pinning images.
Why should eTailers and content marketers care?
Pinterest is inspiring action from users. It is turning into a massive recommendation engine capable of driving traffic as much as sites like YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn.
People can express themselves through images and pictures that are relevant to their lives. This includes products that have had an impact on them. It can act as a visual reminder of things users want to buy, do or revisit at a later date. This is comparable to adding items to a wish list or bookmarking a page. These are users who are likely to become buyers in the near future. Other users like to explore different topics either randomly or based on something specific they heard about. This is similar to window shopping. These users could be your long-term buyers.
How to increase traffic and sales
Marketers and eTailers can use Pinterest effectively and receive targeted traffic by:
• Starting a Pinterest account for their company or brand
• Creating boards that tell a story to the audience
• Hiring a photographer and graphic designer
• Telling people they are on the service and adding the icon to their site
• Adding a share tab to their best images
• Pairing every product or page with a great image
• Encouraging engagement and pining activity
The Pinterest effect is a powerful marketing tool that many businesses need to harness.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.