Do You Use Pinterest and Should You?

We’re hearing a lot about the new social media sharing site — Pinterest.  But a new survey of  4,851 U.S. online shopping consumers, conducted earlier this month by online shopping site PriceGrabber.com, found that just 10 percent of respondents had Pinterest accounts. About 58 percent did not have a Pinterest account, while another 32 percent didn’t know what the service was.

Pinterest  allows users to create virtual bulletin boards of items and products. The site has quickly gained popularity, but most consumers who don’t already use Pinterest aren’t interested in it, according to the survey.  Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed who do not have a Pinterest account said they don’t plan to sign up for one.

When those who use the site were asked what type of items they pin, 70 percent  said they share recipes or other cooking-related photos, while 65 percent said home decorating inspiration and 53 percent said craft ideas. Forty-one percent of users said they pin images of clothing, while 34 share entertaining tips and 33 percent pin gardening ideas.

The survey also found that most account holders login a few times a week, and have created two to five pinboards. Only ten percent of respondents said they login numerous times a day.

But there is good news for those of you who are gift retailers.  Twenty-one percent said they have purchased a product after seeing it on Pinterest. According to a separate infographic released last month by Monetate, Pinterest is already driving more traffic to retailers’ websites than Google+.

So if you are a retailer, it is something you might want to consider adding to your marketing mix.  As with any social media, however, there are pros and cons.  Copyright issues can be a problem and how you set up your account can make the difference between success and failure at using Pinterest as a marketing tool.

There are many websites, ebooks, and webinars that have jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, proclaiming that they can tell you what you need to know.  But most of those that I have visited fail to tell you what you REALLY need to know.   As a result, I’ve combined what I have learned into an ebook that outlines the problems with Pinterest and details how to use it effectively as a business-building tool.  If you’re in business, you don’t have the time to waste on another social media site that isn’t of benefit to you.

You can find information on this ebook at:  http://www.giftretailersconnection.com/ebook-pinterest.html

 

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