5 reasons your ecommerce business should be on Pinterest

01/10/2018 | Share:

If you run a business, it’s more than likely that you are using Facebook, Twitter and maybe Instagram to promote your ecommerce business. Pinterest has over 200 million active users a month, yet many ecommerce businesses won’t have considered using it.

Pinterest works as an online mood board or bulletin for users. They will use it for inspiration, ideas and research. Although it is stereotypically linked to brides-to-be and art and crafts enthusiasts, this is not the case. More and more people are logging on to Pinterest every day and if it’s not part of your digital marketing plan, you’re missing out.

In this blog, we take a look at 5 reasons you should use Pinterest for your ecommerce business.

Increasing referral traffic

One of the main advantages of sharing your products and your content on Pinterest is the fact that all posts include a link back to your website. This means that whenever someone clicks on your Pin, they will be directed back to your website.

With the majority of users looking for inspiration, putting your products in front of them is a great way of driving traffic to your website.

Boosting product awareness

If you are a relatively new or small business, wanting to increase your product awareness, Pinterest is a great vehicle to do so. Unlike Instagram, people don’t have to be searching directly for your product in order to find it.

For example, if you sell tents, your posts will be shown to people searching for tents, festival checklists, things to do in summer, adventure, travelling, the possibilities are endless. You can also create promoted pins, where you pay for your content to appear higher up on certain searches.

Consumer research

Pinterest is great for consumer research. Follow those who engage with your content in order to gain a deeper insight into their interests. You will be able to see what they are pinning and liking that may not be related to your industry but could help you in terms of how you promote your content.

Tracking Industry trends

In addition to tracking your audience, you can also use Pinterest as a source of inspiration for your business. Take a look at your competitors and see what they are posting or take a look outside of your industry for ideas around packaging design or marketing ideas.

You can also get an insight as to what upcoming trends you can capitalise on. Take a look at not only what your customers and people in your industry are doing, but also what influencers are pinning.

Building a brand identity

Last but not least, Pinterest is a fantastic tool for creating a brand identity. Lifestyle images prove more successful on the platform in comparison to simple product images. Use this to create a visual brand identity that people can connect with and recognise. Just make sure all your content is of high quality.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the only content you should share is your products. Create different boards on your profile to segment different segments that will be of value to your followers and that will gain you more engagement.

For example, if you sell baking equipment, create mood boards for different occasions. You could create Christmas board and include recipes shared from other pinners, DIY decorations tutorials, lifestyle images as well as products you could use to make a Christmas cake as part of an infographic or a blog post on your website. By doing this, you are opening up your board to a wider audience and potentially driving more traffic to your website.

If you’re not already on Pinterest, now is the time to get involved. It can open up your business to a whole new audience and drive more traffic to your website than perhaps Twitter of Facebook could.