Pinterest For E-Commerce: Understanding the Basics
In this blog, we are sharing Pinterest for E-Commerce basics and how we use our comprehensive framework to help e-commerce business grow their audience and sell more in their shops with Pinterest Marketing.
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What is an E-Commerce Business? And How we Expand that Definition Slightly.
Before we get into the details of using Pinterest Marketing for E-Commerce businesses, let's define what E-Commerce is exactly.
E-Commerce brands are online businesses (shops) that facilitate the purchase and sale of goods or services on the internet. Payment for these goods and services takes place online as well. E-Commerce sales include any type of shop transaction that takes place on the internet, including both physical and digital products.
For our agency work, we expand our definition of e-commerce brands just a little (technically going a bit beyond the typical definition). We include “anyone who is using Pinterest Marketing to Monetize their content”. Think…affiliate links, ads, etc.
Should E-Commerce Brands Add Pinterest Marketing to their Marketing Strategies?
Pinterest should be part of your E-Commerce marketing strategy! Pinterest is a powerful marketing channel for E-Commerce Businesses that will help drive traffic to your online store and website. It is important that when you add effective, best-practice Pinterest Marketing strategies to your overall marketing strategy.
Pinterest is a platform for visual search and exploration. Pinners come to Pinterest ready to research and shop. It is a search engine that provides shoppers with an exciting product research experience as well as quick shopping once they find what they are looking for. As more people buy on Pinterest, it's important for E-Commerce brands to be present on the site so they can show up when someone is searching for what they offer! Don’t miss out on showing up in another spot on the internet. We think that if you want to compete with other brands in your niche, it's time to start learning about Pinterest for E-Commerce.
How We Approach Pinterest Marketing for E-Commerce Clients. Our Three-Step Framework.
Our approach to Pinterest Marketing for E-Commerce Brands is very holistic. We find that looking at the big picture for our clients gives the best results on Pinterest. How we work with E-Commerce Brands to ensure success.
Holistic Review
When adding Pinterest marketing to your marketing strategies, we suggest taking an overall holistic look at your business.
Look at the content you are offering. Do you have relevant free content for potential customers to learn more about your brand? Some shoppers need this extra level of learning to build trust in your brand.
Review your shop. Is it user-friendly, and easy to navigate and will potential customers find all of the information they need when shopping? Make sure your product descriptions are complete. Check your shipping and return policies to be certain they are easy to find on your shop site.
Assess your e-Commerce Shops’ visibility. Are you sharing your content and products in all of the places your ideal client is hanging out?
Are you using great SEO? Pinterest and Google are both search engines. So, using great SEO will help your brand show up in searches.
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Optimization
After taking a thorough look at the e-commerce business, we head into optimization. We look at opportunities to optimize the e-commerce shop and Pinterest accounts.
We carefully optimize the Pinterest Profile, Boards, Pins. This includes making sure we are using specific relevant keywords and categories for the account. Our goal is that an e-commerce brands content and products show up when someone searches for what they offer. As a search engine, the best way to succeed at this on Pinterest is to use relevant keywords.
To ensure that we are doing great optimization, we do in-depth SEO research. We want to learn what words and phrases Pinners are using when searching for what the brand offers.
Strategy
Finally, we dig into our customized strategy. Every business is different so when you are creating a Pinterest Marketing Strategy for your business, you will customize it. Take in everything you are learning and apply what makes sense for you. When working with e-commerce brands we consider the following when creating a strategy:
Who will the brand target? Who is their ideal client? What SEO keywords will those ideal customers use to find this brand’s products?
What will the e-commerce brand pin? Will we only pin to products? Is there other content we can pin to (think blog, videos, podcast)?
Variety is important when creating Pins for Pinterest. A Pinterest Marketing Strategy should include a variety of pin types such as Idea Pins, Static Pins, and Video Pins. You never know what will resonate with someone so variety allows a little something for everyone.
Finally, all of our strategies include consistency. Pinterest wants to see consistent pinning. We suggest doing what you can keep up. That could be one pin a day or five. It’s just important to stay consistent.
Why use Pinterest for E-Commerce?
Now that we have shared how we use Pinterest Marketing for E-Commerce Brands, let’s talk a little about WHY we love Pinterest Marketing for online shops and share a few of the features Pinterest offers to e-commerce brands.
Visibility
Pinterest gives your shop another space to meet new customers. It provides e-commerce brands with the exposure that they will not receive if they only sold through their website, social media, and Google searches. Users visit Pinterest to plan projects, find answers to their questions and shop for products (now more than ever).
Shop Features
Pinterest offers features that make selling on Pinterest easy. As an E-Commerce business on Pinterest, you will have access to features to enhance your potential customers’ search and buying experience.
Product Catalog
Pinterest makes it easy to set up your shop! You can easily add your Catalog and turn your product catalog into product pins.
Verified Merchant Program
Apply for the Verified Merchant Program and give your customers extra confidence when buying from you. You will receive a special "verified" badge on your profile to indicate you are part of the program.
Pinterest Tag
The Pinterest Tag will help you manage your conversions and follow how your products are doing on Pinterest.
Pinterest Ads
The Pinterest Ads platform is a great way to expand our e-commerce brand’s reach.
Cold Traffic
Pinterest traffic is usually cold, top-of-the-funnel traffic. These are people who would not have found you if you hadn't appeared in their search results. Your future customers are finding you and getting to know you because you are pinning to your shop and other content!
Pinning Basics for E-Commerce Shops
Before we go, we are going to share a few basics for Pinning in your Online Shop.
What should E-Commerce Shops Pin?
Products
In addition to the product pins from your catalog and shop tab on Pinterest, create optimized product pins. When creating these pins, show your product from different views. Potential customers want to see exactly what they are getting when they purchase your product.
Lifestyle Oriented Pins
Be sure to include lifestyle photos of your products and other free content (blog) when creating optimized pins. Shoppers want to see the product in person and imagine what it would be like in their own life.
Video Pins
Showcase your products in Video. Show them in use. Show viewers how to use the product and what it looks like in real life. Video is extremely popular on Pinterest. Video provides an eye-catching format that will help people stop and look.
Round Ups
Round-up Pins are a great way to show several of your products at one time. You can link to a particular collection of products, a single product or a blog featuring the collection.
Gift Guides
Gift Guides are an excellent way to assist Pinterest users in their gift-buying journey. Your goods, or a combination of yours and complementary products, can be used in gift guides.
Conclusion
Pinterest offers an opportunity for visibility for E-Commerce businesses of any size. Pinning on Pinterest creates an opportunity for E-Commerce brands to be found via search.
Pinterest allows online businesses to connect, share, and showcase their products and share their expertise. This creates more exposure and opportunity for their potential customer to find them and to buy online.