Consumers have got social media communication down to a fine art, but the same can’t always be said for brands. Establishing digital conversations with online shoppers is an on-going challenge for most ecommerce businesses – which is why we’re launching a series of blogs packed with tips for creating engaging, exciting content.
The first blog in this series is going to focus on one of the less utilized social networks: Pinterest. Many retail businesses dismissed this platform as ‘yet another passing social media fad’ when it first launched as a prototype site in 2010, however there are now more than 70 million users worldwide.
Who are these users? Well, the Pinterest community is around 80% female, and approximately 6 in 10 users live in the USA – although it is gaining popularity in Europe. Interestingly, the average site visit is 14.2 minutes, which is much longer than most social networks. This shows the potential depth of engagement for ecommerce brands that get their strategy right.
So what use is Pinterest to a retail business? For starters, the image-led nature of the site makes it a fantastic shop window to drive traffic to your main site.
Unlike your ecommerce platform, which has to balance style with product information, Pinterest can focus purely on the beauty and seduction of your products, in order to pique users’ interest.
Moreover, those users aren’t just there to browse – they’re big spenders, too. According to a study by Javelin Strategy & Research, the average online shopping order placed by Pinterest consumers is $123.50, more than double that of the average Facebook user.
The secret to extracting this value is optimizing your Pinterest page for sales conversions. For example, make sure your ‘pin it’ button is in a prominent place on your main ecommerce website, to promote flow of traffic between the two platforms. Even if someone lands on your transactional site initially, if they are a regular Pinterest user, highlighting your account may encourage greater long-term engagement via your social network.
Equally, make sure your site is populated with high quality images, as pulling pixelated or poorly cropped photography through to your Pinterest page will create a poor representation of your brand. Users are more likely to pin your content if it is sleek, stylish and appealing.
Finally, you can support this imagery with descriptions, but keep text to a minimum and ensure copy is well written with a relevant hashtag for search purposes. The bottom line of the site is that the images should do the talking – there are other social networks where you can lead the conversation with words.