Five Powerful Pinterest Promotions for Merchants
If you are an ecommerce merchant who hasn't jumped on the pinboarding bandwagon yet, you should know that Pinterest has the capability to be a promotional powerhouse for your business.
In fact, a recent study revealed that Pinterest users are 79 percent more likely to purchase pinned products compared to the purchasing behavior of Facebook users. Another study revealed that some merchants are obtaining an average order value of $80 from Pinterest shoppers, which also happens to be double the average order value of Facebook shoppers.
Moreover, the image-based social network is growing at a rapid pace, with new statistics from comScore stating that the company's Latin American audience has grown eightfold - from 153,000 members at the start of 2012 to 1.3 million members as of April.
But aside from just signing your company up for the social network and pinning a few products to some pinboards, there are many other ways that merchants can leverage the site to create an engaging and profitable profile.
Here are some examples of retailers who have already done so:
This well-known shoe retailer has more than 20 themed boards that not only display some of the company's best products, but are also interactive with consumers. For example, the company launched a Mother's Day promotion in which consumers could enter to win free products by repinning and commenting on images, as well as initiated a "Downtown with Sally" campaign, in which followers can interact with live pins that are tagged with #SallySays, which the board promises will become part of a future sweepstakes promotion.
Gap is definitely using Pinterest the right way. Not only does this retailer update its boards so they stay relevant (even offering a Bonnaroo styleguide), but it also keeps the pinboards engaging by presenting do-it-yourself arts and crafts ideas - including a series for how to take an old t-shirt and turn it into a new item like sandals, a beach tote, laptop sleeve or necklace.
One of the best ways to sell makeup is with visual photos, which is why this company has leveraged Pinterest as a marketing channel that currently reaches more than 29,000 followers. The company has created a board for videos, which includes product demonstration and tutorials, as well as a created a "Trending Now" board that includes close-up photos of models, followed by a list of products users can purchase and create the same look at home.
Home Depot's Ready for the Holidays
Many Pinterest users love the site because they can do things like plan their dream home or get ideas for projects in their current home, which is why it is a very valuable tool for companies like The Home Depot. This company offers many boards for followers to explore and discover spring and summer project ideas, as well as holiday-themed boards for gift ideas - including Mother's Day and Memorial Day. But we have got to ask, where is the Father's Day board?
Aside from creating themed boards for project ideas, many Pinterest users also love to plan their dream wedding (yes, we are talking about the ladies). Nordstrom's Pinterest profile, which has more than 20,000 followers and 30 themed-boards, dedicates ten boards solely to weddings, which receive a lot of attention from consumers - including comments, likes and many repins.
