When people think of using social media in e-commerce they often think of promoting products on Facebook, or showing people using their products on Instagram. But there’s an undervalued social network that may help your e-commerce sales by not being product focused – but being idea focused.
According to Google, people searching for “ideas” to kick start their shopping journey is up 55% over the last 2 years. You see – people know what they want, they just might not always know how to get there. The social media channel that many people use to get these ideas is, of course, Pinterest.
So, today in Ann Arbor it’s a cold and blustery winter’s day. For many, a day like this is a day to dream of warm weather, dirt, and flowers. They may be searching for “backyard gardening ideas.” And who should pop up in those search terms? Pinterest. So let’s take a journey to see how an e-commerce shop could benefit from search to sell through giving folks ideas on how to make the perfect garden.
The Browse
You’ve done your initial search, and landed on Pinterest’s curated board with anything from 25 to 2000 ideas at your disposal.
If a plant store selling hostas and shade plants as well as other gardening supplies. You might create an image that puts together all of the items you sell. Since you know how to lay out a garden, what to use, etc. you should be able to create great marketing images from your work.
It’s those images that attract browsers. There are literally hundreds of boards flying by when someone browses. You need to have images that don’t scream PROMOTION! But instead are fulfilling the need of the browser – to envision this in their life.
The Pin
So they clicked on your image and they’re looking at the image. You created a great little caption that entices them to want to learn more do this themselves.
The Click Through / Landing Page
This particular example is more of a “what not to do.” Here you get to a landing page, the image that’s seen isn’t even the one in the Pin. I, for one, am disheartened.
So let’s go and look at a hypothetical way it should be done. Because no one has their “ideas” crap together quite like Ikea. If you want your house to look like an Instagram minimalist hygge escape pad, they’ve got you covered. They’ll also give you the shopping list to either order it, or go into their store and get it.
Here we’ve got a summer beach party. They have that same great photography that lures you in, and says “you want to go to here.”
And as you scroll down you find, by golly you can go to there, you just have to put all this in your cart!
And just check your personal Pinterest account, chances are pretty good you’ll see products from them, they just start with the idea.
I Think We Chose the Wrong Title
Perhaps we should have chosen the title “how to be like Ikea on social media to up your e-commerce sales game.” But that’s a really long title and Google hates long titles, so, we’ll go with what we have. But the truth is, in terms of selling through ideas will bring in more traffic, especially early in a sales cycle.
Because we don’t buy products, we buy better versions of ourselves. E-commerce is a unique opportunity to give people the ability to visualize a better version of themselves through social media. Then, after they’ve found what they identify with, giving them easy access to purchase those things and realize their dream.