By: Carrie Vestrand, Retail Services Program Manager
In this ever-changing world of retail, it may seem to the business owner that every time you turn around there’s “one more thing” to do or pay attention to. We get it. We know how many hats a small business owner wears, and that’s why TechTown Detroit’s Retail Services team tries to lighten that load where and when we can.
We also get that social media is a marketing resource that business owners need to drive business. Pinterest specifically is growing in popularity with over 320 million monthly active users worldwide. Women make up 71% of this with 58% saying it helps them make shopping and purchasing decisions.
Here’s the good news…
We created a Pinterest page just for you to get inspired! The page will serve as a resource for small businesses when they need ideas for displays, storefront design, signage, pop-up shops or even inspirational quotes. It’s a tool to help get your creative juices flowing with ideas that you can implement for own business, regardless if it’s a pop-up shop, a restaurant, a boutique, a bakery or a mobile shop.
Did you know that businesses can set up a Pinterest page and use it as an avenue to show and sell product?
A business can brand and tag photos on its Pinterest page and direct the viewer to a website to make a purchase. If you have a fashion business, post the latest and greatest in fashion trends that you carry with a link to your shopping site. If you are a restaurant or bakery, post pictures of delicious meals or baked goods to entice the viewer to visit your establishment. Doctor’s offices may use Pinterest to market their practices and engage current and future patients with up-to-date health information by using graphics and powerful images. Skin care and beauty companies may show before and after images to support their products. By using keywords in your image descriptions, Pinterest can literally garner thousand, if not millions, of viewers to your business. Every time your pin is saved by a viewer, it reaches more and more people that can make a difference in your bottom line. At the very least it will be a constant reminder of your brand name and product. On the flip side, business owners also look to Pinterest to get inspiration for their businesses.
Feature Your Business
Our team is constantly searching for ideas for you, and we update our Pinterest boards often. We even have boards dedicated to TechTown Retail Services clients and The SHOP. If you’ve been a vendor at TechTown’s SHOP recently, you may see your business included on that board. If you are a TechTown client business and you would like to be featured on our Pinterest page, please let us know, and we’ll come take pictures of your fantastic ideas. Whenever possible, we’ll tag your business in the pin so that others can find you and see how great you are!
Be aware that social media isn’t going anywhere; although time is money, social media is a free resource, so our advice is to use it to your advantage. You may choose to set aside a 15-minute period of time each day to pin content on your Pinterest page. People like to look at pictures, and pictures can turn into followers, and followers can turn into revenue, so create a Pinterest page for your business if you haven’t already, and pin away!
We know that all of this can be overwhelming, and that’s why we’re here to help. Please contact me at carrie@techtowndetroit.org if you’d like me to feature your business on our Pinterest page or make an Open Office Hours appointment to learn how Pinterest can be a valuable tool in your marketing strategy. And don’t forget to follow TechTown Detroit’s Retail Services Pinterest page where you’ll be updated on trends, ideas and inspiration for your retail business!
