social commerce | Marketing Strategy Today

For the fashion industry, Pinterest is practically gold.

As a predominately female social media platform, Pinterest is the place where women go for style inspiration from brands, friends, bloggers, celebrities, and other individuals who have great style to share.

These women are not there just to look at a dress and walk away – they spend hours looking, liking, re-pinning, and sharing their coveted finds throughout their own Pinterest account, as well as on their other social channels such as Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

In short, our fashion brands need to make sure that they are being noticed and that their pins are coveted by these Pinterest-loving women.

Here is a Pinterest tips checklist to help convert those pins to sales.

The Basics of Setting Up Your Pinterest Boards

Make sure your bio is beyond awesome.
Ensure that your profile photo is attractive, inviting, and easy to understand.
Include your website or blog link.
Make sure that your cover photo for each board is attention-grabbing.
Remember that each pin should have a referral link.

How to Be Found on Pinterest

Use words a regular person would use to find and discover your pins. Instead of “iconic dress,” try something simpler like “cocktail dress” or “summer dress.”
Encourage your friends and influencers to help support by re-pinning your items on their boards, too.
Follow relevant people and brands in your industry.
Like, re-pin, and comment on others’ pins on a regular basis.
Reply back to those who comment.
Cross-promote on your other social channels and blog.
Promote, promote, and promote some more.

Read more on how to go beyond the regular outfit pin, by checking out my full post on Startup Fashion!

Of course there are brands like Toms who sell fun, casual shoes and eyewear for a cause. Brands like Toms are a fun and easy way for individuals, especially ones who would like to make a difference but don’t have to break the bank to do so. Additionally, it’s given this audience a way to not only give back, but also “show it off” in a way that’s fashionable and understated.

Then there are social commerce brands like Sevenly, who not only sell items for a cause, but have multiple items for sale and for different causes. Their business model is actually pretty cool, because each week (every seven days) there is a new cause, and seven dollars from each item sold goes towards the charity of the week.

Their marketing efforts help with each of their weekly charitable causes in order to spur awareness and in turn engagement with the products. Through their Facebook and Twitter audiences, Sevenly is able to spread the word and in turn have their fans and followers RT, post, and most importantly share their efforts with the cause that most resonates with them.

To read more on why this matters for your brand, and how you can influencer your audience through social causes, check out my full post on Marketing on the Rocks!

Image Source: Sevenly.org