Pinterest: A "Virtual Storefront" May be Just What Your Business Needs

Launched in 2010, Pinterest is a digital pinboard that allows you to categorize visually appealing images that inspire individuals to do, create, and most importantly buy! By setting up a “virtual storefront” your Pinterest for Business account can be a perfect one stop shop for consumers to engage with your content and maximize your brand’s return on investment.

Some of the most successful businesses on Pinterest have been been from the fashion, design, wedding, and food industries, but even large corporations are taking advantage. Just look at Nordstrom’s Pinterest page that has over 4.5 million followers, or Target that has 604 thousand followers and over 10 million monthly viewers. There are so many other Pinterest accounts generating a ton of social media buzz and establishing themselves as real forces in the marketing world. Check out creativemarket.com's "50 Amazing Pinterest Accounts Every Creative Needs to Follow."

By setting up a “virtual storefront,” your brand can flourish on Pinterest. BUT, this platform does come with a highly specific audience. According to HelloSociety, Pinterest is primarily made up of female customers that are relatively educated. However, of the huge network of "pinners," 88% of them have purchased a product that they pinned. So, if your brand fits the Pinterest platform's visually engaging and female focused audience, you're going to be very pleased when your brand begins to peak their (P)interest! Check out the awesome infographic from ZoomCreates.com to see if your business should be on Pinterest.

The very first question is applicable to any social media platform that your brand or business decides to implement in their social media marketing plan: "Can you stay active on Pinterest?" Making sure that you are pinning, repinning, liking, and/or commenting on a daily basis, is the only way to succeed on Pinterest. The second requirement for Pinterest accounts is that you have visually engaging imagery. The experience of Pinterest is solely based on images and gifs, if you cannot supply what the user demands, you might need to find a different social media platform for your businesses needs.

If you and your marketing team decide that Pinterest is going to propel your success, make sure you check out hootsuite.com's article, "How to Use Pinterest for Business: 8 Strategies You Need to Know!' A great tip in this article is to use Pinterest Analytics! Just like Twitter Analytics, this in-house feature lets businesses know what content is successfully traversing the site and helping your business grow. To boost your reach, follow this easy guide to success from AlisaMeredith.com. Alisa Meredith is a Pinterest expert that has self-published incredible resources for businesses to make the most out of Pinterest.

Now that you have a Pinterest for Business account and begun pinning your products, it is time to be aware of when to pin. Inc.com provides many great tips to pin effectively, but most importantly reveals what and when to pin. According to their article, each day has a specific category of pins that are most successful. 

• Monday: Good intentions spark interest in fitness and health
• Tuesday: Gadgets and technology tend to be all the rage
• Wednesday: When people look for a little something to get through the week, like inspirational quotes
• Thursday: Fashion, fashion, and more fashion
• Friday: Funny GIFs bring comic relief to the end of the week
• Saturday: Vacations and travel are top of mind
• Sunday: Food and craft ideas

While your business may not cover all of these categories, it is important to establish recurring themes that bring your customers coming back for more. By putting your customer's interests and needs first, your business/brand will be able to take over the social media machine!