SnapRetail, which provides social media and email marketing solutions for independent retailers to help them engage with customers, shares tips on how to maximize your presence on Pinterest.
With so many social media avenues to choose from today, showroom owners can become easily confused about which strategy is best for their needs. One of the newest sites is Pinterest, which describes itself as “a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you.” For retailers and manufacturers, establishing a presence on Pinterest can expand your company’s visibility to reach millions of people worldwide.
Although Pinterest has only been around since March 2010, it has since grown to become the third-largest source of referral traffic on the Internet every day, according to SnapRetail. It enables consumers of nearly all ages and regions to collect images for inspiration that runs the gamut from diet and fitness tips, recipes, wedding plans, home remodeling, and more. The typical American Pinterest user reportedly spends an average of one hour and 17 minutes on the site each visit.
According to the SnapRetail team, “Pinterest is a tool for generating new customers, expanding your reach and increasing brand awareness. It’s for establishing your credibility, directing traffic to your Web site, and becoming your top source in sales referrals. It’s ideal for learning about your target market, gaining insights never before accessible and capitalizing on that knowledge.”
How? The marketing firm has prepared a free, downloadable report called “The Store Owner’s Pinterest Ebook” to help retailers get started. Here are some of the suggestions the SnapRetail team shares.
Set Up Your Account
Establishing a business account is easy; just go to business.pinterest.com and select “Join as a Business.” If you already have a Pinterest account in your name, you can simply covert it to your business page by clicking the “Convert Here” button.
The SnapRetail team emphasizes entering a business name that your customers will recognize. “If your name is taken or there are other stores with a similar name, consider adding your location to the end of your business name. When pinners search for your location, this will increase the likelihood for your page to appear in the results,” they say. Similarly, consistency is crucial when branding your store across various social media platforms. “If you already have a username for Facebook and Twitter, make your username for Pinterest the same. That way you’ll have consistent social URLs, making your brand more easily recognized,” SnapRetail’s experts state.
What Makes a Good Board?
Your Pinterest boards and descriptions should be in your store’s own “voice” – meaning the same tone and approach you use on Facebook, Twitter, and your Web site. When your customer clicks to view your Pinterest page, it shouldn’t scream, “Buy this product!” Instead, SnapRetail advises creating boards that reflect topics related to your business. Start by making your first board around the buying habits, demographics, or needs of your customers.
Build your pinning strategy around their terminology, interests, and community while strategically placing products throughout your boards. “For example, one of our boards is dedicated to our home base of Pittsburgh. Not only do we have pins of local eateries, shopping, and Pittsburgh terminology, but we included our own office in the mix,” SnapRetail execs comment.
Be unique when naming your boards. Give each board a meaningful title that includes targeted
keywords. A great way to get ideas for your board names is to complete a keyword search for pins related to the theme of your board. You can find the Search area at the top left corner of your Pinterest
page. Take note of the keyword you search for, the Pins displayed based on that search, and the board names.
Similarly, your board description should be specific and include the keywords you identified in your search. A keyword and phrase-rich description will increase the chances that your boards will be found in search. A common mistake is leaving a board with a poor description or – worse – no description at all.
The final step to completing your board’s information is to choose a relevant category. Your category choice will help to increase your visibility on Pinterest. If you’re unsure of which category to choose, select the one that most closely represents your board.
How Many Boards?
The SnapRetail team suggests creating 10 boards during your set-up. Why that many? “For the average user, this will fill the first two rows when they view your page on their desktop, depending on their screen resolution,” the team states. “You should rearrange your boards on your page with an order that not only makes sense to you, but features your best content. Rearrange your boards by simply clicking, dragging, and dropping to a new location.”
Is There a Science to Pinning?
The great fun about “pinning” is that any image found on the Internet (or even from your own Web site and computer files) can be used – with one caveat: “The pin should link back to where more information can be found. As with your boards, your pins should reflect your voice and brand, along with the needs and interests of your customers,” the SnapRetail team says. Why does it matter? The marketing firm says pinning relevant content increases the likelihood of those images being repined by potential customers. According to Digital Marketing Ramblings, 80 percent of Pinterest pins are repins.
SnapRetail suggests adding a minimum of five pins to each board; this will make your page and boards more interesting. Just as descriptions are crucial to your boards, they are also important to each pin. “As a business page on Pinterest, the biggest mistake you can make is to under-utilize the power of your pin descriptions,” these experts state. They should include targeted keywords and phrases and be written in the same tone as your other descriptions. Although Pinterest gives an allotment of 500 characters, SnapRetail has found that limiting the description to 250-300 characters works best. Pins with longer descriptions seem less likely to be pinned or repinned.
Another way to garner attention is to make a clear call to action in your description. “If you are promoting one of your products, include phrases like, ‘Buy now,’ ‘Find it here,’ or ‘Visit our Web site.’ Including a link makes it much easier for people to go to your Web site and purchase the item,” say the SnapRetail experts.
When Is the Best Time to Pin?
The most effective method is to adopt the same strategy you apply to your company’s other social media. “This starts with a lot of pinning (during different times and days) and then determining when your customers are responding,” the SnapRetail team advises.
There is no across-the-board “best” time to pin. It depends on your customer base. “To truly determine when your customers are on Pinterest, you will need to evaluate your customers’ activity on your page. Only then can you identify the best times for “likes,” comments, and repins,” these experts comment.
Working on Pinterest is a continual process, just as it is with other avenues of social media. Not only do you need to add content (in this case, pins) regularly, you also need to spend time promoting your Pinterest page to your existing clients and potential customers. For more guidance, check out the SnapRetail Web site (www.snapretail.com) for relevant blog posts, services, and tips.
