Social media websites are everywhere. Pinterest is one of them. It is now a powerful tool for promoting their products and services through images. What makes Pinterest different yet effective than other social media sites is it uses mainly visual. Users can now pin, link, and share their photos to better show the products and services. You can also create pin boards which will help you highlight different items.
Based on Shareaholic’s January 2012 Referral Traffic Report, Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google +, Linkedin and YouTube. This is sounds promising.
How Pinterest Works for Us (users) and eCommerce Merchants
In a nutshell, Pinterest is like an old school bulletin board. You pin pieces of paper, pictures, and other things that are of interest to the board. That’s how Pinterest mainly works. Transfer this old school bulletin board in a virtual bulletin board. Users can create multiple boards according to their interest and name it. There is also a “Follow” button if you want to keep updated with other Pinterest users. Who is not familiar with “Like”, “Repin” (like Retweet) or add a comment?
These are guidelines you can follow in building your Pinterest for ecommerce:
Create a professional looking Pinterest account
Use the name of your eCommerce site as Pinterest username. Make sure your Pinterest account looks professional as possible. Customize your profile page, arrange your pinboards and makes it keyword-rich for search engine purposes. Use unique and catchy board covers to make your account stand out from others in your niche.
Have a Pinterest widget to your product pages
This will allow users to easily share your products. When your item is re-pinned, it will have a link that directs to your product page as well as your Pinterest profile. It is a good way to drive traffic to your eCommerce site.
Create an SEO-optimized product description
Pinterest loves keywords though you will largely see images. Texts will help users understand more what you pin. In addition, it will work well for special promotions.
The Use of Hashtag
Hashtag on twitter will help you find easily what you are looking for. You can also see this in Pinterest. Here is an example of a picture I found for “green juice” drink, I’ve became fan of this after watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, that highlights what to hashtag.
Notice that you will find #greenjuice, #juicing, #vegan, #recipe. These hashtag keywords use a broader topic. Do not use a specific topic because this is not a good tag. Use a tag that is based on audience size and community connection potential.
Be Social
Using Pinterest is not just finish on re-pinning images. Participating in a social media platform is a two-way process. Take time to follow other people, repin, like, or comment on their images. The best way to do this is follow images that are relevant to your business or brand. You may want to create a separate pin board in which you can pin inspirational, funny or useful images.
Wrapping Up
As an eCommerce business owner, you can’t deny the fact Pinterest can bring many advantages as long as you know how to use it effectively. Pinterest has a lot of features to offer which will help your current social strategies prosper. It’s fun to use Pinterest.
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