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There's no better real-world metric than sales, and it's on that score that image sharing site Pinterest may be most impressive. Among online consumers who are aware of image sharing sites, one in four have purchased something by clicking through an image they have seen on such a site, according to a study by Bizrate Insights.
More than 37% of online consumers have heard of at least one of the top social image sharing sites, says Bizrate, which conducts independent surveys for online retailers. As Janet Helm, chief food & nutrition strategist for Weber Shandwick, said during a March 27 PR News webinar, Pinterest is one of the top 10 most visited social networks and is growing at a faster rate than Twitter. That could very well lead to a whole lot of online consumers clicking on images in Pinterest with one hand, while clutching a credit card in the other.
Merely pinning images to boards won't necessarily lead to clicks and sales. As with any social network, community building and listening are the bywords. Helm offers a few key tips to build community on Pinterest:
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Repin, like or comment on other people's pins that align with your brand.
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Create activities to get consumers to interact with your boards.
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Add the "Pin It" button, along with other share features, to your Web site.
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Use the Facebook and Twitter share features when pinning to share them on your Facebook wall or Twitter stream.
Follow Steve Goldstein: @SGoldsteinAI