CASE STUDY: How Pinterest drives 41% of referral traffic to a website
One of my lifestyle websites that I created and maintain from scratch is now generating about 41% of its traffic from Pinterest. Pinterest has been slow to get moving in Africa but I think it is one of social media’s best kept secrets when it comes to generating traffic for media brands, e-commerce websites and client websites. I would seriously recommend Pinterest.
Insight 1: Pinterest posts are inherently viral
When you post on Pinterest, the viral loop is something to be awed at. The more impressions and saves your Pinterest pin gets, the higher chance you have of going viral and the more chance you have of people clicking on your pins and therefore being redirected to your website. My lifestyle website is in the fashion & beauty space which is one of the most popular niches for Pinterest however I would seriously encourage anyone in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, interiors, architecture and property to consider starting a Pinterest account today. To this end, I am always creating visually rich posts that I know will do well as pins on Pinterest because I want to keep my steady flow of fresh traffic from Pinterest.
Insight 2: Pinterest drives a hidden African audience
It is fascinating but Pinterest has a surprisingly strong set of fans in Africa especially the West African region. My lifestyle website has received plenty of views from countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana. The East African traffic is not high but Kenyan traffic also comes to my website via Pinterest. This highlights that there are growth opportunities for organic traffic in Africa but you probably need to create your media brand in English to get this type of organic traffic from Pinterest.
Insight 3: Pinterest users want ideas & inspiration
Out of all the social networking sites, Pinterest is definitely want that has the classic shoppers compared to say Facebook and Instagram. Pinterest users want ideas & inspiration – always keep this in your mind when you are promoting content on Pinterest. My lifestyle website does well when I inspire my readers with beauty posts and give them ideas on what products to buy. This also creates huge opportunities for affiliate marketing.
41% of unpaid referral traffic coming from Pinterest was not done overnight. You do need to invest some time in building up your presence on Pinterest but even after just 30 days of a steady approach on Pinterest will start paying dividends. Pinterest can definitely work especially for media brands, websites and e-commerce brands. What are you waiting for?
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