Every small business wants their company to be the one consumers turn to when they need to make a special purchase or plan a special event. The holiday shopping season offers the best opportunities for retailers and service providers to make it to the top of shoppers’ lists.
Luckily, the holiday sales predictions are bright. The National Retail Federation forecasts sales to increase a healthy 3.6 percent this year, to $655.8 billion.
With such a bright forecast, marketer’s everywhere should be asking themselves what they can and should be doing to capture those extra dollars. And one often overlooked social media platform might be the answer: Pinterest.
Why Pinterest?
More and more marketers know Pinterest is where shoppers look for holiday decorating, entertaining and gift ideas which makes it an ideal platform for snagging holiday spending dollars.
Just to get an idea of how powerful Pinterest is, here are a few stats the platform shared to motivate marketers this holiday season:
- 45% of people on Pinterest start planning for holidays at least 60 days out (that’s 21% higher than the general population).
- 55% of people on Pinterest use Pinterest to find or shop for products.
- Pinners spend 2X more on the holidays than the general public.
In addition to these powerful stats, online shopping itself has grown dramatically in recent years. Ensuring that you reach your customers online and in stores is important since 69% of people research online before visiting a store, and 65% of people research in store before buying online.
Here are Some Pin Ideas:
Ready to get started with Pinterest this holiday season? There’s no time to waste! Use these ideas to get active on this unique platform.
Create Gift Guides:
One primary use of Pinterest is to look for gifts. If your selling a product, it may seem easy to put together a quick gift guide board that includes your company’s product. But even for B2B company’s this isn’t necessarily that difficult. Consider putting together a gift guide with suggestions from employees, or one that speaks specifically to choosing client gifts.
Offer Holiday Stats and Information
This is a great way to provide practical information especially if you are a B2B. And with so many powerful infographics and resources at your fingertips, finding some visually interesting pins shouldn’t be an issue.
Include Decorating Tips
For a B2C this might mean tips for decorating the house, but for a B2B you could include fun ways to decorate the office or a desk. The visual nature of decorating lends itself well to the Pinterest platform.
Suggest Party Ideas
The holiday season means it is time to party. Consider putting together a board that highlights some of your team’s favorite party activities, themes, and venues. This could be for an employee get together or a client appreciation party.
Use Pinterest as a platform for creativity and fun. Ultimately, don’t be afraid to break away from your traditional social media usage during the holidays, especially since you can capture new audiences during the high traffic holiday season.
