How to Use Pinterest for Your E-Commerce Business

Most sellers still don’t take Pinterest for e-commerce very seriously, which can prove to be a big mistake.  

Why?

According to Hootsuite.com, Pinterest is the third-largest social network in the United States. Pinterest users also spend 50% more than they do on other competitor platforms like Instagram and Facebook, according to smartinsights.com.

Pinterest has grown and evolved with its features and capabilities getting more competitive. Women comprised 80% of its total users. But interest had grown farther from when it was first launched in 2010. It is now a place for eCommerce businesses to engage with users and generate more sales for their brands. If you, as a seller and as a brand, can master Pinterest for eCommerce, then there is an excellent opportunity for your brand to increase traffic and sales for your site. 

All social media platforms provide businesses with the opportunity to get closer to their customers, Increase engagement, and thereby increase sales. But explicitly for e-commerce businesses and websites, Pinterest is by far one of the most effective social networks out there

Benefits of Using Pinterest for E-Commerce

If you are still ignoring the benefits of Pinterest, here are some Pinterest Stats to ponder:

• Pinterest has 322 million monthly active users (Pinterest, 2019).
• Seven out of every ten Pinterest users are female (eMarketer, 2018).
• Nearly all queries  (97 percent) carried out on Pinterest are unbranded (Pinterest, 2019).
• One-third of Pinterest users in the U.S. say they use the social media platform to follow brands and companies (Statista, 2019).
• There are over 200 billion pins saved on Pinterest (Pinterest, 2019).
• More than three out of four (77 percent) Pinners say they have discovered a new brand or product while browsing on Pinterest (Pinterest, 2019).
• More than two billion text-based and guided searches are carried out on Pinterest every month (Pinterest, 2018).
• Currently, more than half of all Pinners live outside the U.S. (Pinterest, 2020).
• 28 percent of all marketers worldwide use Pinterest to market (Statista, 2019).
• 82 percent of weekly active users on Pinterest say they have bought products based on their brands’ content on the platform (Pinterest, 2019).

These Pinterest statistics should be enough to make a case for anyone to market on Pinterest.

Ignoring the potential of Pinterest and its capabilities is a wasted opportunity. The platform’s tremendous capacity to connect and reach millions of users worldwide speaks for itself. Not taking advantage of its power can put your company at a significant loss, especially if your competitors are already on Pinterest. 

If you need help with your business on Pinterest and using the platform effectively, you can reach out to us and we will be more than happy to help.

5 Point Pinterest Strategy for Your eCommerce Business

Now that we’ve talked about the benefits of using Pinterest in your business, let’s check out how to use Pinterest for your eCommerce business to increase sales.

1. Don’t forget to Brand Your Profile. Always brand your content. A well-branded profile tells Pinners that you are a legitimate and reputable company ready to do business. 

Consider an example from Martha Stewart.

2. Add and Share Pins to your product pages. Several ways customers learn about your brand and products are by checking out your website. As customers click through your products pages, use this opportunity to invite them to follow you on Pinterest and share your creations with their network. 

Add Pin buttons to appear on all of your product images:

3. Create Captivating Pins. Use eye-catching images that connect with every user.  The image should bring the product to life. Users should be able to relate and aspire to the image. Show lifestyle images; e.g., someone using your product in an everyday setting.

Use a text overlay on your images to highlight features like blog posts, discount codes, or unique items. Keep the text clear, concise, and easily read on mobile devices.

4. Schedule Your Pins. Pinterest recommends pinning once per day. Tools such as           Hootsuite or the Pinterest-centric Tailwind app can help you schedule daily posts in advance to publish at your preferred time intervals. 

The point is to pin regularly on Pinterest for you to reach a wide audience. After you’ve pinned consistently for some time, let us say three months, look into your account’s analytics and Audience Insights. These Pinterest tools provide details on your audience and other useful metrics, such as popular pins and when your viewers are online.

5. Share Complementary Pins. - Just like your product pages, or even your blog and landing page, your Pinterest boards need to be updated regularly to keep them fresh and relevant for returning users coming back. What you need is to share more than just your products and content. 

You don’t have to share your competitor’s pins, of course. The point is you need to post pins that highlight and support the value or selling point of the products you offer. 

Your pins give your audience an insight into who you are and what is important to you. They are not just about making sales; they highlight the values your brand represents and stands for. If the weights or interests you post on Pinterest engages your audience, there is a good chance that they will buy from you and share your posts. 

Of course, there are more than five strategies to create a successful Pinterest presence. We at Sellers Launch would like to help you create a presence on Pinterest. If you need help, please feel free to let us know. 

How to sell your products on Pinterest?

To sell your products on Pinterest, you'll need to set up a Pinterest Business Account. You can do this by converting a personal account or by creating a brand new business page. The business option offers more analytics. It would be best if you also created a well-branded, clear, and cohesive presence on Pinterest. 

If you need help setting up, optimizing, or maximizing your presence on Pinterest, we at Sellers Launch can help you. Just reach out to us here at Sellers Launch, and we will be more than happy to schedule a meeting with you. We hope to hear from you soon!