Facebook vs. Pinterest: Which Buyers Convert?
As Facebook hits user milestones, it’s easy to see why so many marketing professionals hail the platform as the reigning champion of social media advertising. The site drives more referral traffic than Google, and even acts as the primary news destination for many Americans.
But just because everyone’s on it, doesn’t mean everyone’s there to shop. If your chief goal is to get customers clicking on your goods (and spending more while they’re there), a new industry report finds that you may be better served channeling your efforts to Pinterest.
Study: Pinterest Shoppers Spend Twice As Much
Though Pinterest is often viewed as a place for users to look at aspirational goods and services and create mood boards of things they'd never purchase, a new report from the Content Marketing Association found that Pinterest shoppers actually make frequent purchases. They spend twice as much as Facebook shoppers per order; the average Pinterest-driven purchase is close to $200.
The difference seems to lie in the intention of the users. Whereas Facebook users are willing to click on news and products they see in their feed, Pinterest users are often on the site with the intent to bookmark some items for a future, or to make a purchase right now.
That intent is very important when determining where to invest your time and effort on social media. If your company doesn’t necessarily rely on or prioritize e-commerce (i.e., you sell services, not necessarily products), Pinterest may not be the best place for you. However, if you sell goods, it’s definitely worth the time to at least ensure that the images on your website are attractive and easy to pin.
Because that’s another one of the major benefits of Pinterest—even if your company, itself, isn’t using the platform, simply optimizing your site for those who do use it can ensure that you reap the benefits of those shoppers who do.
Pinterest: Often Overlooked By Marketers
Despite its reach of an estimated 47 million people, marketers don’t tend to view Pinterest as very influential as a content marketing platform; just one percent of the people surveyed said it was the most effective platform for B2C marketing. That’s even less than LinkedIn, which posts lower user numbers and lower conversion rates.
This is probably due to the long-standing belief that only women use Pinterest, and thus, focusing on Pinterest can only ever capture half of the potential purchasing population.
And while it’s true that Pinterest has always been especially popular with female customers (the demographic is about 69% female), the numbers of male users is growing. A study from this year found that Pinterest is seeing 73% growth in male users year-over-year—which means regardless of what you sell, if you’re involved in e-commerce, creating content with Pinterest in mind is probably a good avenue for you.
Facebook may have the lion’s share of the market, but Pinterest users come to the site with different intentions, and they find the content through a variety of channels. Unlike Facebook, where users have to intentionally share individual links and products, items shared on Pinterest come from all sorts of outside sources, and often spread quickly through the site.
Even if you’ve never logged in yourself, if your online store is optimized for Pinterest (and your blog has lots of pin-worthy pictures), you, too, can capture those high-value clicks.
Turn Window-Shoppers Into Return Customers With efelle
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