Instagram and Facebook might be your current social media outlets but Pinterest is helping businesses thrive, especially in the hair and beauty industry. Not signed up yet? Here’s why you should…
Does your business have a Pinterest account?
If not, then you might be missing a trick. Yes, it’s another thing to manage and add to the ‘to-do’ list but you only have to look at the figures to understand why it could be beneficial for your business. For starters, statistics show that the half-life (the time in which you earn 50% of all clicks and views for a post) of a Tweet is 24 minutes, for Facebook it’s 90 minutes and on Pinterest it’s 151,200 minutes which tots up to over 105 days. This means your posts have the opportunity to be viewed by a far wider audience - and that audience is vast – currently Pinterest has around 317 million unique monthly users, men and women and ranging from age 18 to 64. While Facebook, Twitter and Instagram only share your content with your followers, Pinterest is connecting you with the world, including potential new clients. Anyone with an account can upload images and share boards (themed collections of images) which means your message or your pictures can go viral within days or even hours.
HOW IS PINTEREST RELEVANT FOR BEAUTY?
People come to Pinterest for inspiration. Whether it’s flowers, fashion, food or make-up the visual discovery tool saves flicking through endless magazines and websites, it’s all there at the click of a button thanks to the search tool. Plus, unlike things you see on Instagram that you ‘like’ but then quickly loose in the sea of images, Pinterest acts as a constant back catalogue of all your favourite pictures. It’s like the next generation photo album and it’s a big resource for beauty buffs.
Currently there are over 1.1 billion hair and beauty ideas that have been saved by 30 million people according to Pinterest HQ and 51% say they’ve used Pinterest to make a beauty-related purchase decision. We’re well aware that people nowadays want to see how beauty products or a hair colour will look on real people before they buy and beauty pins that show real-life settings have 50% higher click-through rates.
Another benefit is that it works in the same way whether you’re a mobile therapist or a salon owner and many people are using the platform as a tool to help their business grow. As well as connecting with customers, it’s a place for you to go to feel inspired by other likeminded professionals, see what other businesses are doing and investigate what pinners are getting excited by. Whether it’s tie-die nails or hair accessories, it could spur you on to expand your menu or enrol in a course so you can offer the same.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Rather than set up a personal account, sign up for a business account as this will give you access to insights that will help you to understand what people want to see and the content they like the most. Then, set up various boards – as many as you want – they could be anything from salon interior shots so people can see what your business looks like, to seasonal campaigns like SS20 hair colours to how-to videos and tutorials. Last year searches for ‘inspirational videos’ grew by 31% and it’s still a relatively untapped area on the site so get in first before your competition does.
If you sell products, you can also link pictures to your website where they will be able to purchase your recommendations and drive further traffic in your direction and for these pictures you can add a shopping tag icon to make it clear to everyone that there’s the option to buy it there and then. If you are a salon owner and employ other stylists and therapists, why not encourage them to have their own boards as well where they can showcase before and afters or new products they’re loving. It will also make your pins more personable which could then translate into people contacting you for appointments or advice.
HOW TO MANAGE IT
As with all social media, it’s important to stay active and upload a few times a week if possible. The Pinterest app gives you all of the same functionalities as the website edition, but it means you can take photos and upload them instantly, saving you time and effort. Convinced everyone on your team to have a board? Why not give everyone a designated day to upload on so you know that there will always be a constant stream of interaction. Or add Pinterest into your receptionist’s remit? They will have the opportunity to search online for content, take photos and have more time to maintain and organise the boards on your behalf. All it takes is half an hour per shift and you’ll have a perfectly curated Pinterest account.
Keep your content current too. No-one wants to be looking at make-up looks from 2017, it’s all about the here and now. The same goes for outdated promotions or if a product you’re selling is out of stock. And if you can, plan ahead. As soon as someone gets a ring on their finger, they’ll be pinning wedding hairstyles months in advance and the same goes for Christmas party looks. Add relevant pins that are linked to seasonal occasions about 8-12 weeks in advance and your timings will be spot on.
DOES IT REALLY WORK?
There is no downside to having a Pinterest account, whether you are using it to boost your business or you’re simply creating boards full of inspiration. For Anita Grant, it was the platform that helped launch her vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand. “My main reason for being on Pinterest as a business is for my followers and potential customers to know what I am into and what my brand is about,” says Anita. “I have drawn lots of business from organic traffic and brand awareness and I currently use it for announcements, displaying what I like and what I see as a good fit for the brand.”
Invest in it as a marketing tool, selling outlet or personal mood-board, we can assure you once you’ve started pinning, you won’t want to stop!
TOP TIPS:
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Always use good quality images – Pinterest is built on pictures so blurry, out of focus or low-quality shots won’t cut it.
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Use hashtags – just like Instagram and Twitter, you can search popular terms via their hashtag so don’t forget to include them in your comments.
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If you upload images you’ve used on your website, make sure you link back to it as this can enhance your search rankings and boost your online presence.
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Be descriptive with your pins to add value. Explain what you used to create a hair style or what inspired you to do a look. Use relevant keywords and think about adding your business name or location to make it easy for users to find you.
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Comment on other hair and beauty pins. If people like what they read from you on someone else’s pins they might click onto your profile and start liking your content too.
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Follow people that are similar to you or share the same interests. This will inspire you but also help to build an online community.
