Tools of the Trade: How to Use Pinterest to Drive Social Activity and Ecommerce Sales

Pinterest is an image-focused site used to create and share collections (called “boards”) of visual bookmarks (called “Pins”). Pinterest boards are used for everything from cataloging fashion styles to establishing mood boards. Since the launch of Pinterest in 2010, the visual discovery tool has amassed over 70 million users worldwide and is now one of the most popular social-media tools online. As with most social services, sustained growth and millions of eyeballs creates the need for monetization. Thus, we have Pinterest for Business. Pinterest for Business has grown into a robust offering for marketers. Let’s review some of the tools that allow you to take advantage of the image-sharing site.

Promoted Pins

 While still in beta, promoted pins are reportedly being tested by a small number of advertisers. Pinterest is working on perfecting Promoted Pins so they are “tasteful, transparent, and relevant.” The idea is to have a Promoted Pin more or less blend in with the other content of the board, matching its style and appearance, as can be seen above with the advertised lantern being placed in a board along with camping and outdoorsy content.  

Rich Pins

 Once just simple images and links, Pins can now contain more complex information and come in a variety of formats:

• Place Pins include a map, address, and phone number.
• Article Pins include a headline, author, and story description.
• Product Pins include real time pricing, availability, and where to buy.
• Recipe Pins include ingredients, cooking times, and serving info.
• Movie Pins include ratings, cast members, and reviews.

Here’s a Product Pin showing some tiles from Home Depot. Notice that the price and URL are visible.

Pinterest Widgets

 Pinterest Widgets allow pins to gain visibility outside of pinterst.com. Brands such as Target have implemented these widgets on their retail sites. Check out the Awesome Shop, an ecommerce storefront showing the most-pinned Target products. 

Analytics

A well-needed feature for any business site is the ability for users to track how they are doing. Pinterest Analytics allows users to see a bunch of information about their content and who’s accessing it.