While less than two-thirds of small businesses, 64% to be precise, have a website, 35% of the remaining business owners feel their operations are so small that they don’t even need a site of their own.
However, with so many big and familiar brands already out there, a website and a solid online presence are the easiest ways to get people to know about your brand.
The problem is that generating leads and traffic to your site is easier said than done, especially if you’re running a small startup. It requires an out-of-the-box approach and innovative solutions to get people to visit your site, as was done by these three following small businesses that partnered with Pinterest for the same.
1. 57st. design
The Chicago-based design, manufacture, and retail company, 57st. design, wanted to establish their presence on Pinterest as many people frequent the platform before making a décor or furniture purchase.
Their Objectives
By increasing their presence on Pinterest, 57st. design sought to drive more traffic to its site, which would lead to more conversions.
Approach & Solution
With over 27 million people saving more than 1.7 billion home-décor Pins in 2016, and furniture being the most saved product, partnering with Pinterest for increased online traffic was a smart decision for 57st. design.
They started building their following on Pinterest organically and promoted their Pins. These Pins featured individual product shots along with shots showing a product inside a home or other places. They took multiple shots for their Pins and chose the highest quality shots from their image catalog, which worked quite well for them.
They also used keywords for targeting and ensured that their keywords were in line with the products that they were showing.
The Result
The Pinterest campaign turned out to be a massive success for 57st. design. At least, 35% of their sales come directly through Pinterest.
Also, Pinterest accounts for about 50-60% of their traffic, which has a lower bounce rate, longer sessions, and more number of pages viewed every session. And guess what, they pay only 1/4th of cost per click for this traffic, as compared to other platforms.
As people continue saving more and more Promoted Pins from 57st. Design, they get a lot of earned impressions.
2. Equinox
The high-performance fitness club brand, Equinox, wanted to strengthen its member base for which it worked with a marketing agency, Performics.
Their Objectives
For increased membership, Equinox wanted to drive more traffic to its site, where potential customers would learn everything about the benefits of membership, training sessions, luxury amenities, and much more.
Approach & Solution
Equinox decided to team up with Pinterest and leverage its reputation as a visual discovery platform by running a January campaign when people are ready to make a commitment to fitness and their motivation levels are high.
Picture by Weiden Kennedy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Lookalike
The Equinox team used a combination of methods to make sure that their ads reached the right audience by keyword, interest, and audience targeting. With keyword targeting, they were able to put ads in front of people while they were actively searching and were about to take their next step.
With interest and audience targeting, they reached people with specific fitness-related interests and people that lived near Equinox locations.
The campaign creative featured images of people working out at Equinox clubs, engaging in various fitness activities like yoga, boxing, etc.
The Result
Five months after the campaign was launched, the traffic to Equinox’s website increased by 8X and their click-through by 5X. Also, they achieved all this at an 88% lower cost per click than other digital platforms.
3. inkbox
The semi-permanent tattoo company, inkbox, wanted to expand its acquisition strategy by running a direct-response campaign.
Their Objectives
inkbox’s objectives were primarily centered around revenue where they wanted to generate purchases while getting a healthy return on ad spend and cost per acquisition targets. Also, they sought to test a few different approaches to learn what creative and targeting resulted in the maximum number of clicks and sales.
Approach & Solution
inkbox had already been active on Pinterest for years, which had helped it build an organic following. Their Pins mostly consisted of images of original tattoo designs from their global artist community.
For the campaign, they used Promoted Pins that included some of the creative that they had used in organic Pins. However, they adjusted them to a vertical format so they stood out more. Also, the message conveyed through these Pins was that semi-permanent tattoos are ideal for those who weren’t sure about getting inked permanently, and therefore, it was the perfect way to test their next tattoo.
These Promoted Pins were shown on various skin tones, demonstrating the ease with which they could be applied. Also, they contained other information on how long it took to develop and how long they last.
With keyword, interest, and audience targeting, inkbox ensured that they reached the right potential clients. This ensured that people only see ads that are most relevant to their interests.
The Result
While Pinterest had always formed a substantial base for inkbox’s subscribers, this campaign delivered additional value while keeping the costs significantly low. Not only did the campaign boosted inkbox’s reach to more than 10 million monthly profile visitors, but it also resulted in 6X more monthly conversions.
Also, Pinterest assisted inkbox in diversifying its digital acquisition strategy and revenue generation at affordable costs.
So, What’s Your Strategy for Increasing Online Traffic to Your Website?
For starters, look for a channel that suits your business. If you think the likelihood of people discovering your brand via Pinterest is higher, go for it. At the same time, also think cross-channel and try reaching your target audience not only on Pinterest but on other channels too.
Finally, remember that you’re in it for revenue and not merely traffic. So, your ads should also be able to increase conversions for your business and not only generate leads.
Comments