Pinterest has announced a new DIY pay per click social advertising option for retailers: Pinterest Ads.
Pinterest Ads provides a huge opportunity for retailers to reach a rich social media network. Larry Kim, Founder & CTO of WordStream, explores the new option in his article, “Pinterest Self-Serve Ads Are Coming: Are You Ready?”
Last September Pinterest introduced Promoted Pins, ads that look like regular pins but have a “Promoted” label. Promoted ads appear in users’ category feeds and search results. Originally a pilot program for major retailers, the Promoted Pins advertising program is now available to businesses of all sizes.
The Promoted Pins option leverages the third most popular sharing channel. And Pinterest users are motived to buy. A recent Javelin report showed that the average order value (AOV) from a Pinterest referral to an online retailer was 126% greater than that of a Facebook referral. The AOV of a Pinterest user was more than double that of a Facebook user. Kim suggests retailers develop a strategy to reach these highly desirable consumers.
Tips on planning your Promoted Pins strategy:
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- Learn from early adopters. Follow brands like Shutterfly, Nicole Miller, Ziploc and Lululemon, which are all active businesses on Pinterest, but also among the early ads testers. Check out their pins – the images, the messages, the format – and how they’re received by their audiences.
- Know your audience. And whether you’re likely to find them on Pinterest, as well as how they may interact with your brand.
- Crowdsource and encourage user-generated content. This can help ease the burden of having to come up with your own fresh, unique creative constantly, but also has huge benefits as far as getting your audience engaged and involved.
- Focus on the lifestyle, not the product. Would you rather see a picture of a boat sitting in a showroom, or a picture of a happy family out on the lake spending time together? Think about your images and the message they send to consumers.
- Be transparent and responsive. People expect a response if they communicate with your brand via social media, so don’t be a broadcaster.
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