Lucy Forbes 10 May 2016

Categories Advertising, Research, Social Media

Pinterest, Instagram And Ecommerce

Pinterest and Instagram are great for ecommerce brands due to their visual nature. We take a look at who uses the platforms and how ecommerce brands can monetise them using storytelling and advertising.

As with any advertising channel, the success of advertising on visual platforms for ecommerce is not just about whether you have good products to sell. A strong social strategy is vital, Instagram and Pinterest shouldn’t be approached simply as one and the same. 

Who uses Instagram and Pinterest?

One consideration for your strategy is audience and aims. Are your target market using the channel? How many of them are?

Both platforms have great reach for women, 68% of Instagram users are female and 80% of Pinterest users are female. However, it is worth noting that the platforms differ in terms of age demographic. 60% Pinterest users are over 35, 49% Instagram users are under 35.

Fashion and interiors ecommerce brands should be aware that Pinterest figures released last October show a huge prevalence of this content on the network. 300 million boards about fashion and 130 million interior design boards exist on the site.

John Lewis and Made.com are some of the first UK brands to be involved advertising using promoted pins. Due to the demographic and interests of users of Pinterest and Instagram, it is clear as to why brands such as John Lewis, Made and ASOS are investing in buy buttons on these channels.

Brand storytelling using images

With audience and your overarching brand strategy aims in mind, what should your messaging be per platform? The messaging for your organic content should dovetail with ad content for maximum impact.

Visual content marketing allows you to tell a story about your brand. For ecommerce brands, image sharing platforms are particularly strong as they allow brands to create a lifestyle or look for their target market to buy into. 46% of marketers say photography is vital to their overall storytelling strategy.

AirBnB are a particularly good examples of a brand that tells a story via their Instagram account. They put across a sense of individuality and adventure in the images they post, inspiring users to explore their site and create this for themselves.

Ecommerce, Pinterest and Instagram advertising

As the internet is over-saturated with advertising, the benefit of Pinterest and Instagram adverts is that they look like organic posts, making them non-invasive compared to other forms of online advertising.

When engaging in Pinterest and Instagram advertising your targeting is vital for success. Think about how you can meet your audiences’ wants and needs.

Ecommerce advertisers can target the individuals on Pinterest who are searching certain keywords, whilst they are saving images for inspiration or engaging in product research. Alternatively, Instagram adverts are targeted via a users’ likes and dislikes dependent on social interactions and browsing history.

Promoted Pins allow advertisers to expand the reach of product images into relevant search results and newsfeeds. By engaging with an audience at the planning stage of their journey they are more likely to think of your brand when they do come to buy.

If users are ready to buy, Pinterest’s buyable pins and Instagram’s varied calls to action including ‘shop now’ can make the experience smoother than ever. Consumers want purchasing to be as easy – products can now be bought within mobile chat apps and within social apps – Pinterest and Instagram advertising allow for this.

Original Article