Here are three facts about Pinterest that every marketer should take note of:
- Pinterest had 53.3 million unique users in March — double that of a year ago.
- 70% of Pinterest users use the site to get information on products to buy.
- 4 out of 5 Pinterest posts are “repins” from other users’ pages, making it an inherently viral medium.
With a large and growing market of engaged shoppers — many of whom also happen to be avid gardeners — Pinterest is certainly worth paying attention to. Developing a Pinterest strategy that leads to sales requires a bit of planning. Here’s how to get started:
Check Your Presence. Chances are, you already have a presence on Pinterest and don’t even know it. How’s that, you ask? It’s quite possible that Pinterest users are already pinning images from your site on their own boards (i.e., online bulletin boards with images grouped by a common theme).
If that’s true, wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what they’re pinning and what they’re saying about it? Here’s how to find out: Go tohttp://pinterest.com/source/yoururl.com, replacing “yoururl.com” with your own URL. (You’ll need to set up a free account if don’t already have one.)
You’ll see the images that people have pinned from your site, the name of the “pin board” they pinned it on, and what they said about each image. Discovering what products people select from your site and what they say about them can give you tremendous insight into developing a Pinterest strategy that will attract even more enthusiasts.
Review Other Boards. Next step, some competitive research. Log on to Pinterest and put in the name of one of your competitors in the search box in the upper left corner. Then click the “Pinners” tab just below that. If the company in question has a Pinterest account, you’ll see a thumbnail of one of their boards. Click on the thumbnail to go to their Pinterest page and see all their boards.
In addition to competitors, check out boards from gardening publishers; not surprisingly, they have some of the most robust content around.
As you review Pinterest pages, make mental notes of pinboard categories that could work for you. For instance:
- Varieties of flowers or vegetables
- Attributes, such as flower color, waterwise plants, or shade lovers
- Uses, like container gardens, kids gardens, or privacy screens
- How-to information, such as seed starting, composting, or pruning
- Human interest pins, like customer photos or a behind-the-scenes look at your company
- Promotional themes, such as new products, gift ideas, or top-rated products
Notice Engagement. While you’re checking out Pinterest boards, look below each image to see the number of repins, number of “likes,” and comments posted by followers. What types of posts foster the most engagement? It’s not necessarily the prettiest picture. Photos that link to how-to information or examples of repurposed items often get a tremendous number of repins.
One of the beauties of Pinterest is that over 80% of pins are actually repins. It’s an inherently viral medium, so if you prime the pump with engaging content, your reach can expand greatly over time.
Develop a Plan
Long-lasting content and an engaged community of shoppers make Pinterest marketing well worth consideration. A little research and planning before you begin can make all the difference in the results you see. Do it right, and a little work now can be yielding results for a long time to come.
