As small businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors step closer to the second decade of the second millennium, social media becomes more vital than ever before. With so many outlets to choose from, it is easy for someone taking that plunge into the world of owning your own business to feel confused as to where to go first and know which outlets offer the best chance for outreach and growth.
Because of this, here on BizBuilder we're beginning a new series examining how social media platforms can effect small businesses. Starting today, we're looking at the platform claimed by Shopify to increase orders by 140% in the past two years - Pinterest.
According to this same information released by Shopify, two million people engage with product pins every day and Pinterest is the second overall source of all social media traffic to Shopify sites. With this incredible amount of increased orders driven by Pinterest, and these numbers, it remains no surprise that Pinterest is a formidable player in the small business oriented social media world. With visual emphasis and quick click mentality, customers on Pinterest search millions of pins that lead them straight to a purchasing option as easy as they could an impulse buy in the checkout line.
In working for EGP Business Solutions I've personally witnessed Pinterest in action - both in the creation of boards and observing how its platform works with both buyers and sellers. The business side of Pinterest has several tools geared towards making Pins profitable for business owners - such as an Analytics tool that allows owners to see which pins their customers are engaging with the most. In my experience, it is allowed me to see which pins are getting the most attention, and how much customers are clicking that pin to get through to the website. As a Marketer this is allows me to see where the customers' eyes are going on a visual heavy platform, and when and how their eyes shift. This allows me to put greater emphasis on which pins to promote through their promotion tool, and where the direction of my next boards go.
And should I - or any other Marketing professional - wish to make those pins all more noticeable, they can pay to 'promote' the pin and have it show up as a 'sponsored' pin on the feeds of users who have (through their search terms) shown interest in the type of pins you offer. For instance; one of the products we sell at EGP Business Solutions is colored and patterned tissue paper so people who look for DIY gift wrapping ideas, or for Christmas or Easter basket ideas, will see our promoted tissue paper pins to entice them to buy from us.
To make that buying process all the easier, Pinterest announced that they're coming out with a blue 'buy' button which will make buying a product pin easier than ever! Now customers could buy pins from their smart phones or tablets with better experience as long as the seller has an account through Shopify, Big Commerce, Demandware, IBM Commerce, or Magneto. Pinterest has said those are the only 5 commerce platforms. However, if you have another or custom platform, you'll need to sign up for their waitlist and they would then notify you of future integrations.
With its many tools and positive outlook to the future for small business owners and entrepreneurs, Pinterest proves time and time again to be a vital resource in the social media world. With its bright pins and its visual based presentations, your customers will have a fun and exciting view of your product - and perhaps even a chance to buy right away. It's a platform of potential!
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