19th Jul 2019 by Jamal Lawrence

How Pinterest Can Benefit E-Commerce And Boost Your Marketing Strategy - Insights Blog

How Pinterest Can Benefit E-Commerce And Boost Your Marketing Strategy

With the main social media channels becoming more saturated as the days go by, it's time marketers broaden their horizons and step into the world that is Pinterest.

Instagram has taken the number one spot as the main social media app over the past few its years. However, the rise in the use of its stories doesn't take away from the fact the engagement rate on the platform is on the decline. Furthermore, brands are starting to get more and more frustrated as organic reach is another issue they are facing. The Facebook-owned platform has smartly pushed brands into using paid ads to reach a credible audience. The current average post engagement rate this year is between 1% and 3.5% of the post reach.This is a small percentage compared to the time and effort that can go into content creation.

What if there was a way to target a more niche audience? Think Pinterest.

Twitter is seen to have peaked, with brands struggling to reach users and keep them engaged, especially e-commerce companies. Brands are finding they are gaining less engagement from their followers when compared to Instagram and Facebook. Twitter is now mainly a B2B social space, with the majority of engagements and attention coming from business profiles. Consumer-facing brands have either changed their tone of voice or focused their attention on other platforms. Recently, an increased number of brands are using the platform as a customer service based tool, as many have become more open to using the platform to help their customers and respond to any questions or queries in real time. However, this gives the opportunity for users to target a brand publicly, which can become a real issue as certain consumer complaints can go viral, which isn’t great PR.

Looking for a way to connect with your fans without backlash? Think Pinterest.

Similar to Instagram, Facebook also has a low engagement rate average. Despite being in the God tier of social/tech companies and all the great things these apps can do for a brand, the frustrating theme of lowered engagements has become a real issue for certain brands and marketers. The cosmetic store Lush deleted all of its social media accounts as it found it hard to communicate with its customers and keep on top of complaints.

The question is, did they consider Pinterest?


via GIPHY

Pinterest is a perfect way to create a brand image and promote new products/services. The social bookmarking site works like a moodboard/photo album. Users can accumulate images of their favourite fashion trends, interior decorating ideas, travel inspirations and tasty food recipes. The functionality of the platform allows marketers to view profiles and see what products, services and trends they may be interested in buying.

It’s audience is one that is predominantly female, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that 71% of its 72.5 million users were female. It was no surprise to see the clothing brand Topshop take the first initiative back in 2015 to partner with the platform to target its female focused audience. Consumers are able to log into the clothing website using their Pinterest account and select items from its saved boards. The ‘Pinterest Pallet’ identifies the colour scheme of the saved boards and will recommend the items that would go with it.

Its users are those planning for the future, by pinning their ‘life goals’ in one single area. Pinterest separates itself from the other platforms as its users use the site to put their creative thoughts together, instead of shouting from the rooftops about what teeth whitening kit their using at the moment. A great option for e-commerce brands would be to have the option to ‘pin’ a product their selling to the users Pinterest boards. It’s a great way to boost product promotion in a niche area.

We all know the importance of link clicks to generate traffic to a website. In a similar way Instagram use its product tags on its posts, Pinterest also has a similar option which works effectively. Its users are able to click on a post they like and will instantly be directed to the product page on the website. As well as creating an aesthetically appealing mood board, brands will be able to gain traction from their efforts by directing interest to their website. Perfect for e-commerce brands.

Another way to increase activity on your profile and push website traffic is by using the ‘Place Pins’ feature. This is a great way to further your reach, it allows your content to feature among similar images/videos in a more general category. It is a feature that works similar to the way hashtags are used through Twitter and Facebook.

Still thinking about whether Pinterest will be beneficial for your e-commerce brand?

A report from Pinterest business claims that its advertising outperforms other social platforms when it comes to ROI. It states that ‘for every $100 the brands spent on Pinterest, they got $60 more profit than from other measured channels. That shows that Pinterest delivers a more efficient and effective ROI than other types of media.’ This allows your marketing budget to go further, for less.

Just in case you are new to the app, Pinterest offers a wide range of support that to inspire your brand:

  • Weekly business webinars to keep you up to date with all things pintresting.
  • Weekly business based blogs.
  • Individual guidance to brands that invest in over £100 a day in ads through its Pinterest Propel.
  • Newsletters that keep you in the loop of the latest marketing trends.

Pinterest allows brands to target a niche audience and create an impressive brand image. It’s a great insight into current trends and gives brands the capability to track their target audience. With users pin’ing their favourite pieces of content, it's an effective way to boost product reach as viewers visit their profile. If you have a female focused audience, Pinterest is a tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. With an impressive ROI on ads it seems a no brainer for marketers and brands to join the wave of Pinners.

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