What is Pinterest?
To begin with, Pinterest is a social media site created in 2010 in California by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp. This platform is mainly useful to share pictures and albums that we pin from other users. People using Pinterest search for things that interest them. Moreover, in 2019 there were 332 million active daily users. You must then not underestimate Pinterest because it is a place where you can find a lot of potential customers.
Regarding the pins, they last on average a week, but they can be extended up to a month. Indeed, if you pin a picture that interests you and visit the profile of the person who posted it, you might save other pins that were shared or created months ago! What happens when you pin a picture that has been existing for a long time? It will have a new life cycle. Indeed, it will be considered like it was just added to Pinterest.
Should you use Pinterest if you have a business?
First, there are four major image categories on Pinterest: blogs, brands, SMEs, and DIY. So far, it is rather wide. Do not worry; 93% of Pinterest users go on this platform to plan their next purchases.
It is then easy to understand that Pinterest can be relevant. If you have an online store, get a Business Pinterest account. Pinterest does everything within its power to help you use its platform. First, they have a function called Shop the look. When you add a picture of a piece of clothing, you can get visitors who want to buy directly on your website. Also, if a competitor posts the same type of picture, but the item is out of stock, your pin could be proposed as a similar product. It is another way to get more sales. The second function we find interesting for people who own online stores is called Lens. It allows the user to find a product on Pinterest by uploading a picture from its own library. Your pins then have more chances to be on the search results if they are similar to other pictures. Finally, the Instant Ideas function can allow you to propose similar content to what the user has liked before. Small point: Pinterest is not taking any commissions on your sales at the moment.
Furthermore, if the target audience of your online store is mostly women, you can definitely score high since they represent 60% of all Pinterest users around the world.
It is important to remember that Pinterest is not only reserved for online stores. We also find categories about blogs and DIY. Indeed, since Pinterest is getting more and more popular, we can find many infographics as well on their platform. Infographics are a visual and structured presentation or summary of a specific topic. It is a relevant way to share an idea with a picture or to summarize a blog article. The infographics must be good-looking and have interesting content.
A few tips if you are an online store owner and want to use Pinterest
Pinterest is a platform about visuals. Everything is about how it looks; therefore, you need to choose the best photographs when creating content for Pinterest. Indeed, it is essential since Pinterest pins are on average 100 times more shared than Tweets.
Do not hesitate to create pin boards related to your online store themes as well. For example, if you sell sports clothes, you could create a board with pictures of places where your equipment can be used. Think about structuring your content into different categories; it will then be easier to browse the different boards and find the wanted inspiration.
Finally, if you manage to attract people to your online store because of your pins, it will also improve your SEO. Indeed, you can add a link to your pins. If a user clicks on your pin, they will automatically be redirected to your website.
In conclusion, Pinterest can be a very useful tool if you have an online store. The platform also created many functions to help you manage your online presence on their site. Pinterest will also give you access to statistics, so it will be easy to see which pins are popular and which ones need to be improved. Do not forget to watch many accounts and be aware of the latest trends. Good luck!