5 Incredible Reasons You Need to Market on Pinterest

Pinterest may not be as popular as Facebook or Instagram, but it still has a lot of potential for any company that wishes to get their brand name out there. Pinterest is an incredibly unique platform that can boost your marketing efforts like never before. Here are 5 facts compiled from all over the internet that will convince you to market on Pinterest.

Pinterest is incredibly popular

Pinterest’s popularity has been steadily increasing and it now represents a nearly unstoppable force that eclipses other social media websites. Data from Pew Research Center found that, in 2016, 26% of U.S. adults use Pinterest which puts it behind Facebook (68%) and Instagram (28%), but ahead of LinkedIn (25%) and Twitter (21%).

Pinterest claims that it has 150 million monthly active users with 70 million of them from the U.S. and 80 million of them from outside the U.S.

Pinterest is great for sales

A Shopify study found that people who are referred through products via Pinterest are 10% more likely to make purchases compared to those referred from Facebook or Twitter. Furthermore, the average Pinterest order is $80, which is higher than that of Google, Facebook, Amazon, and several other websites. However, Rich Relevance placed the average order value per session even higher at a whopping $199.16, which easily triumphs over the average orders of $92.27 from Facebook and the measly $58.02 from Twitter.

Additionally, a study from BlogHer found that 53% of BlogHer readers and 47% of U.S. consumers have bought an item based on a recommendation from Pinterest.

Pinterest users have a lot of money to spend

Why are Pinterest orders so high? Perhaps it’s because many people who use the social media app have very high incomes.

The average Pinterest user is 40 years old and half of them make at least $50K a year. Ten percent of households that use Pinterest make over $125K a year. Clearly, there is a lot of incentive for marketers who want to appeal to potential buyers.

People use Pinterest to decide what to buy

If there’s anything that would convince you to sell on Pinterest, it would have to be these statistics:

• 96% of active pinners use the site to gather information and conduct research.
• 93% of active pinners use the app to plan purchases.
• 87% of active pinners have bought something because of Pinterest.
• 72% of active pinners use Pinterest to decide what to purchase offline.
• 39% of active pinners use it to find out information about new products.

A study from Millward Brown Digital found that active pinners said that Pinterest helps them decide what to buy in these categories:

• 79% – Food and Ingredients
• 60% – Home Décor
• 53% – Clothing and Accessories
• 51% – Hair and Beauty
• 47% – Health and Fitness

What does all this mean? People use Pinterest because they are looking for something to buy. It’s like a social media version of a shopping network.

Pinterest is great for marketing towards women

A surprising 81% of pinners are women and the average female user will make 158 pins. Data from the Pew Research Centre found that only 15% of U.S. adult men use Pinterest compared to the 38% of adult U.S. women that use the platform.

Pinterest might be one of the few social media platforms where women dominate making it ideal for beauty and fashion brands. Instagram is also very popular among women, which may suggest that image-based content marketing is great for appealing for a female audience.

Furthermore, data from BlogHer found that 81% of women trust information they read on Pinterest compared to the mere 73% of women that trust Twitter and 67% of women that trust Facebook.

Pinterest is one of the most exciting platforms to reach new audience members and drive sales. Get started by creating a Pinterest account, tracking metrics, and watch the sales roll in. And, if you’d like more access to invaluable online marketing strategies, check out my done-for-you system.

Expanding Your Marketing with Pinterest

Why Pinterest?

Visual marketing has always been a popular tool for businesses. With the introduction of the camera phone, photos have become even more common both in business and recreation and, for many, sharing has become almost as second nature as breathing.

Is Pinterest Part of Your Marketing Strategy?

Up to this point, you may not have thought about Pinterest as a viable marketing outlet, however, every business has a story to tell.  Visual marketing will help you tell your story.

Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has grown to over 70 million users and 25 Billion pins.  500,000 of their users are business accounts. Pinterest’s audience is active and already very engaged. Taking advantage of this would be a good way to expand your marketing and drive more traffic and sales to your business.

Here we’ll look at how some national brands have utilized this particular type of social media to increase their product’s appeal to more buyers.

Don’t Just Show Your Products, Show the Lifestyle They Can Create

Currently, the most popular pins on the site are fashion, food, and home decor.  Enter Lowe’s, a brand that has worked to customize its activity to appeal to Pinterest’s audience.  Lowe’s Pinterest subjects include everything from inspiration for a new room design to gift ideas that link neatly to their online store.

The result is a digital arena of ideas and 3.5 million followers.

Bring Pinterest to You

Since there are still people who like the process of actually going to a store, finding an outfit, and trying it on, Nordstrom has advanced its marketing process to include Pinterest as an in-store promotional tool. The store highlights its most popular pins by showcasing on site in their store locations.

And, Nordstrom isn’t the only company integrating this new type of marketing approach. Target and others are also transitioning their in-store promotions.

Highlighting the most-pinned items in your store will encourage people to buy. Whether you sell exclusively online with eCommerce or have a brick-and-mortar location, you can highlight your most pinned products to draw more attention to them.

Humanize Your Business

Try forgoing the glossy marketing you may have been using up to now.  Straightforward, down-to-earth images can be just as engaging.  Just look at Ben and Jerry’s marketing to see how well it can work.

Ben & Jerry’s Pinterest boards include the History of the Company, and The People Behind the Pints.  By telling their story through pictures, they’ve provided fans with an invitation to look at their brand’s wider mission.

Your staff, stores, customers, and hometown are all worth celebrating.  Showing the human side of your brand builds a more personal relationship with your customers.

Work to Inspire Your Audience

Most people would probably think GE would be the last company they would see on a Pinterest board.  It would be hard to show the visual side of a manufacturing brand, so GE went another direction and chose to share the inspiration that drives them to innovate.  They found a way to draw-in their followers by making the most of their stunning pictures.

Their boards highlight specific ways their products can be used, with titles like FABULOUS Kitchens, Brilliance in Motion, Gifts for Geeks, and Under the Microscope.  GE has created an exciting, original profile that appeals just as much to style-conscious follows as it does to techies.

If you don’t think you have a Pinterest-friendly brand, try to think outside the box. Attract your followers through the images that inspire you and your brand’s innovation.

Pinterest is a great visual social platform that is increasingly becoming a powerful source of customers online for store owners.

Visual storytelling is the most popular way to reach your fans right now.  Even if you don’t feel like you have the allure that most Pinterest users like remember, it is all about cultivating a body of images that can be used to inspire your followers.

For more ideas on how to make Pinterest the next stage of your marketing campaign, check out ArticulateMarketing.com.

Which Social Media Platforms Should You Use for Online Marketing?

Facebook remains the king of social media platforms. There are nearly 2 billion active users on Facebook. But, it’s not the only social networking site out there.

LinkedIn is still going strong and was recently purchased by Microsoft. Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit, and Google Plus are also attracting millions.

Which of these social media sites should you focus on for your online marketing campaign? Spreading yourself too thin is a possibility for entrepreneurs. Instead, devote your energies to two or three platforms.

Use the following tips to determine which social media platforms will best help you connect with your target audience.

Facebook

Due to the sheer number of users, Facebook should definitely be a part of your social media marketing (SMM) strategy. As mentioned, they have almost 2 billion active users. Almost everyone seems to have a Facebook account.

It’s estimated that about 77% of all female internet users and 66% of men have a Facebook account. Though, the numbers shift depending on your target age group. About 87% of people 18 – 29 have a Facebook account. The numbers drop to 73% for those 30 – 49 years old.

You can target just about any demographic through Facebook, as a part of your SMM campaign. Though, you should still include one or two additional sites in your strategy.

Twitter

Twitter has reached 313 million monthly active users, which makes it the third most popular social networking site after Facebook and YouTube. For the 18 – 29 age group, about 37% of the population has a Twitter account. Twitter is well-rounded. A nearly even number of users are men and women.

As with Facebook, Twitter covers a wide range of users. Though, younger generations are more likely to have a Twitter account. Due to the ease of sending out tweets, it remains a popular option for entrepreneurs that want to quickly build a social media presence.

Twitter is very beneficial for entrepreneurs that are just starting out or those that want to specifically target a younger audience.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn  now has over 500 million active monthly users. Nearly half of people with a college degree have a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is well suited for B2B marketing, as well as for marketing professional services or products.

LinkedIn users tend to skew into the higher income brackets and are more likely to have some level of higher education.

Pinterest

Pinterest is another option, depending on your target audience. They have over 276 million users. 42% of women have a Pinterest account, while just 13% of men use this site. Pinterest remains heavily geared towards women.

If your products or services are targeted directly at women, then Pinterest may be a beneficial site to include in your SMM strategy.

Which Sites Should You Choose?

You should think about your target audience. Who do you want to reach? You won’t get anywhere by targeting the entire population. Focus your efforts on specific segments of the population.

As your brand grows, you can increase your presence and target larger groups. But, you will still use individual campaigns to target these groups.

Two to three sites, including Facebook, are a good starting point for most entrepreneurs. If you feel that you can handle the demands of keeping up with more than that, then go ahead. Just know that an SMM campaign should remain consistent. Create a schedule and stick to it.

If you’re finding it hard to market your products or services through social media, rethink your strategy. Use these suggestions to choose the right social media sites. For additional online marketing techniques, such as a complete lead generation system, click here to learn about my done-for-you system.

How to Choose the Right Social Media Platform

Using social media to connect with customers, increase your online exposure, and boost your SEO are all great reasons to include social media in your internet marketing strategies. But, having too many social media profiles can dilute your brand and make it difficult to keep up with your marketing efforts.

While major corporations can get away with paying a marketing team to stay up to date with every social media platform available, this may not be an option for your business. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, you should focus on two, three max, social media platforms.

So, how do you choose the platform that’s right for your business? By evaluating your target audience and the pros and cons of each major social media platform. Here are a few useful tips to help you make the right decision.

Facebook Remains at the Top

As mentioned, at most, you should have a presence on three different social media platforms. You’ll need to consider the benefits of each platform, except for one. Facebook remains the largest social media platform. Right off the bat, you should include Facebook in your social media strategy.

Facebook has over 1 billion users across the globe. That’s a figure that the other social media platforms can’t come close to beating. For this reason, you’ll need to include Facebook as one of your social media platforms.

Everyone and their grandmother has a Facebook account. Even if you don’t use your Facebook account, you probably have one. You can’t ignore a site that receives over a billion unique visits every month. Though, there are other sites to add to your marketing strategy.

The Top Social Networking Sites

In addition to Facebook, you should choose one or two other platforms to focus your social media marketing efforts on. You’ll need to look at your target audience and the demographics of each to determine which ones to choose. Here are the top social networking sites, other than Facebook:

• Twitter – 310 million visitors per month
• LinkedIn – 255 million
• Pinterest – 250 million
• Google Plus – 120 million
• Tumblr – 110 million
• Instagram – 100 million

As you can see, none of these sites come close to matching the Facebook’s traffic. But, they can still be an effective part of your social media strategy.

Consider Your Core Target Audience

Who do you want to target? What are the demographics of your core target audience? The answer is key to choosing your social media policies. Here’s some valuable insight into the demographics of the top social networking sites. Use this information to decide which platforms you want to focus on.

Pinterest is used by 44% of all female internet users. The majority of these women are between the ages of 18 and 49. Yet, only about 16% of men have a Pinterest account. If your products or services are geared towards women, Pinterest is a good choice.

If you’re targeting the younger crowd, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram are all suitable options. Roughly one-third of internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use these sites. Twitter is more effective for regular updates and links while Tumblr and Instagram are beneficial if the majority of the content that you share is visual in nature.

For those targeting fans of technology, you should include Google Plus in your marketing strategy. It may not receive as much traffic as Twitter. But, Google Plus remains a popular source for those interested in the latest gadgets and technology.

Despite all of the talk about LinkedIn’s declining appeal, it’s still the third most visited social networking site. It remains an effective solution for those focusing on B2B lead generation and actual business networking.

Every entrepreneur and business owner should be using social media to expand their brand and reach more customers. The trick is choosing the right social networking sites for your business. Keep these tips in mind as you develop your social media strategies.

Thanks for reading—make sure that you put these tips to use. If you’d like to gain additional internet marketing tips and strategies, then click on this link to learn about my lead generation system.

Easy Tips for Improving Your Local Social Media Marketing Strategy

Check out this video.  It includes several tips regarding the use of social media for anyone’s business. 

It also mentions Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram as the most important sites to consider when marketing products online. 

Use one or all tips as part of your existing marketing strategy to share content and reach your target market.

How to Properly Use Hashtags for Social Media Marketing

Hashtags are useful for helping people discover your social media posts. Twitter was one of the first social networking sites to make good use of hashtags. But, they’re now an important part of all social networking sites, including Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

While hashtags are useful, they can also have a negative impact on your marketing efforts. You need to be careful with how you use hashtags in your posts. So, with that in mind, you should learn how to properly use hashtags for social media marketing.

The Basics of Hashtags for Social Media

First, let’s make sure you understand what a hashtag is and isn’t. You can think of hashtags as keywords. That’s a hashtag in a nutshell. It’s a keyword or keyword phrase without any spaces and it includes the pound sign at the beginning of the phrase.

The reason that you should use hashtags is that they’re used by social media search engines. When a user performs a search, the site finds relevant posts based on hashtags. And, hashtags are now used by almost every major social media site, including:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Google Plus
• Pinterest
• Tumblr
• Flickr

So, you know the basics. Next, find out how to properly include hashtags in your posts.

The Correct Way to Use Hashtags

If you can remember what hashtags are used for, it should be easy to use them properly. Here’s a quick look at the correct use of hashtags:

• Use up to 3 hashtags per post
• Make sure they’re relevant to your post
• Use local terms to increase local marketing

Generally, you’ll only use 2 or 3 hashtags per post. Adding too many hashtags shows that your posts don’t have a clear focus. Instagram is an exception to this rule. For example, Instagram posts with the highest engagement typically have 4 or 5 hashtags.

When choosing hashtags, make sure that they’re relevant to your post. Don’t include a hashtag simply because you think it’ll attract more users. You can take a look at trending hashtags to find examples, but don’t add them to your post unless they actually make sense in your post.

You can also use local terms to help increase local marketing. For example, when posting about an event, you can include the name of the city where the event will take place. The same applies to posts about local businesses.

The Incorrect Way to Use Hashtags

It’ll also help to learn the incorrect way to use hashtags. These are methods that you should avoid:

• Using too many hashtags
• Including hashtags in your message
• Using the same hashtags every time

Remember, don’t use too many hashtags. Unless you’re using Instagram, you should only use up to 3 hashtags. Otherwise, they’re no longer helpful.

Also, don’t include hashtags in your message. Don’t use them to replace words. This makes it hard to read your message. For example, you wouldn’t say, “check out our latest #SEO #service.” Place them at the end of the message.

The final tip is to avoid using the same hashtags every time. Mix it up. Using the same hashtags will only help you continue to attract the same people. Do you use the same keywords on every single page of your website? No. So, use a variety of relevant hashtags to appeal to more people.

As long as you follow these tips, hashtags should help you gain more followers and improve your social media marketing. In addition to these tips, if you’d like even more marketing suggestions, as well as a way to generate conversion-ready marketing prospects each month, then click here to learn about my done-for-you system.