Upon first thought, Pinterest seems like the app you visit when you need a great DIY project or a recipe for chicken parmesan. For years it has occupied people’s’ minds as a “mommy blogger app”, but I am here to tell you that it is so much more! With approximately 70 million users, Pinterest is a lead generation goldmine. In addition to their high user volume, Pinterest users spend far more money on the app than shoppers on Facebook or Instagram. With statistics this strong, it is hard to ignore the sales power Pinterest has to offer. The key to their advantage lies in their simple UX design that generates both direct and indirect leads. But how does a small business go about leveraging this platform? Keep reading to find out!
Generating Direct Leads
Direct leads are fairly self explanatory! Leads of this nature occur when your content directs a visitor to a page on your website where they can fill out a contact or order form. Pinterest is a great platform to generate these leads because users are searching for your products with intent. In other words, they aren’t mindlessly scrolling to pass time. For example if I was attending a summer wedding but didn’t know what to wear, I may search the phrase “summer wedding outfit”. The “pins” generated by Pinterest’s algorithm will include a variety of dresses and accessories one can further filter by tags. After reviewing the results, one can click on your pin and be automatically directed to a checkout form. It’s really as easy as 1, 2, 3!
On the other hand if I was shopping on Instagram, this process would be much more difficult. I would have to first find a company’s page, then scroll through their profile- with no filtering options, find a dress, use the shopping feature- if enabled- to visit the website, then check out manually. I’m exhausted just thinking about all those steps! In today’s day and age, customers are looking for simplicity. They avoid unnecessary steps and slow loading times. In fact, 40% of people abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load! Because of this need for speed and simplicity, Pinterest’s UX is ideal for customers shopping online.
Generating Indirect Leads
Indirect leads are slightly different than a direct lead- but they are just as important. Instead of taking an individual directly to a contact or order form, this lead brings them to a landing page which features a call to action. Landing pages are stand alone web pages that answer common queries potential customers may have. If you were a clothing retailer like in our last example, you may have a variety of landing pages like “What To Wear To An Outdoor Wedding” or “What Shoes To Wear To An Outdoor Wedding”. Creating these pages may seem like a waste of time, but they can work wonders for sales and brand awareness. By acting as a personal stylist and giving customers tips on what to wear, you can easily turn their search query into a sale.
On Pinterest, you can promote your landing pages by posting it as a “pin”. Choose a picture of a beautiful outdoor wedding or outfit to grab the attention of a scroller. Once they click on your post and read through your blog or landing page, they are hooked! The key to making a sale in this scenario is to always have a unique call to action at the bottom of your page. Something along the lines of “Check Out These Dreamy Dresses” or “Ditch the Stilettos and Check Out These Wedges” are great attention grabbers!
This is a very basic introduction into the world of lead generation on Pinterest. Companies who operate in aesthetic industries like interior design, fashion, makeup, landscaping, and more should consider Pinterest. With its ability to generate leads and increase brand awareness, it is a simply change you can make to your marketing strategy that will have a massive impact.
