Pinterest is the social media powerhouse that many of us appreciate as a source of inspiration for our personal lives, but it’s also becoming known for its powerful selling potential.
Data analyzed from over 529,000 Shopify store orders indicated that:
- Pinterest was identified as the 2nd largest social source of traffic.
- Pinterest-directed website visits had the 3rd highest average order value.
- Sales and traffic can occur long after an item is pinned; 50% of visits happen after 3½ months.
What does this mean for brands who want to get on board and sell their products on Pinterest?
Details. Details. Details.
To begin with, brands need to be smart about creating Pinterest board categories. The cover images, the board title and the board description itself must all cohesively “sell” what the board and its pins are all about.
Get the Picture
As the saying goes, we eat first with our eyes. The same holds true for purchasing decisions. We see things first with our eyes, and if we like what we see, we buy. It’s as simple as that. (Sort of.)
It’s obvious that images are important because we have truly become a society that judges books by [the images on] their cover. Consumers are accustomed to seeing beautiful pictures that entice, romance, inspire, and motivate and lead them. Images are, in fact, one of the most effective calls to action.
Images should visually tell customers what a pin is all about and what they can expect to find when they click on it.
Color also impacts the effectiveness of pins. Make sure you’re focusing on the colors that best associate your brand and products with customers’ interests.
Even the layout of your images matters. For example, tall images show better and generally receive better pin rates.
And – aside from your product – what should successful images contain? That’s answer is different for each industry, but many brands have created successful campaigns by “branding” the look of their pins and boards. In other words, they make sure every pin in each of their categories has a theme: A look or similar elements that reinforce the purpose and concept of the board and its messaging.
Here’s an interesting statistic to consider when planning your next campaign:
“Images Without Faces Receive 23% More Repins” –SproutSocial
Although we often assume that “personalizing” a product image with the presence of a model using or interacting with the product, a smarter strategy might be to provide images that do and do not have people in them. Let your customers tell you which they prefer based on the data provided by your analytics.
You also need to make sure you’re uploading correctly sized images. SproutSocial provides a helpful Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Image Sizes that outlines the best dimensions and details for profile pictures, Pin sizes, and board displays on Pinterest and other social media platforms.
Tell A GOOD Story
Create copy for your pins that clearly defines and confirms the image and content within it, sets expectations for customers, and inspires them to click on the pin to get more information and make a purchase.
Because the life of a pin is “forever,” content should be evergreen. Make sure it doesn’t include information that will be outdated or inaccurate for long term pin-ability.
Aside from the images themselves, descriptions are quite possibly the most important part of a pin. They don’t happen automatically, and it shouldn’t be assumed that pinners will “fill in the blanks” on everything they pin. If you don’t pre-populate your images with accurate and usable information, it’s likely that they’ll go without.
And don’t forget about SEO! Use terms that will make your pins more searchable.
How much should you say? To achieve the most re-pins (which are, indeed, Pinterest “gold”), Dan Zarella’s study indicates that descriptions that are about 200 characters long are the most repinnable.
http://danzarrella.com/infographic-how-to-get-more-pins-and-repins-on-pinterest.html#
And speaking of gold… Make sure your Pins are rich!
Only Pinterest Business accounts can qualify for Rich Pins. Pinterest for business defines Rich Pins as “Pins that include extra information right on the Pin itself. There are 6 types of Rich Pins: app, movie, recipe, article, product and place.”
Rich product pins offer even more information for consumers and help direct purchases even more effectively:
- They offer real time pricing.
- They indicate whether or not an item is in stock and available for purchase
- Rich pins offer the additional benefit of making products eligible for Pinterest’s curated feeds.
- Price notifications: New price information is provided to anyone who pins a rich pin. In other words, if an item goes on sale, customers are alerted to the new/special pricing which, in turn, positively impacts purchasing decisions.
Pinners are becoming accustomed to the fact that “Blue Means Buy” on Pinterest.
The blue “price tags” indicate that items can be purchased.
Share and Share Alike
It’s important to note that Pinners can now share pins amongst themselves. This is a good thing for sellers because Pinner A might something that she thinks Pinner B might really like, so A can now send the pin directly to B thereby increasing reach and viability.
See that little “Send” arrow in the upper right corner of the box? That’s how you share pins with anyone that is following your boards.
Get Technical!
Don’t forget to include UTM Tracking Codes in your URLs so you can track your marketing initiatives and determine which sources are bringing you the most traffic.
Verify!
Whenever possible, brands should verify their domain to protect their customers and communities. However, it’s important to note that “Pinterest only supports top-level domains right now…” because “…blogging platforms (like Blogger and WordPress) and e-commerce sites (like Etsy and eBay) don’t allow you to upload HTML files.”
Verified sites are easily identified by the little red checkmark that appears to the right of the business name. It instantly tells visitors that they’re on the “official” brand’s site versus one-off or imposter brands.
Pinterest’s new and ever-increasing functionality will be a valuable selling tool for brands that play their cards right.
Is your brand in the Pinterest selling game yet?
If you’re interested in getting in when the time is right, Filament can create a strategy that will help your brand win with pins
