Pinterest When we think of search engines we naturally tend to think of searching for something by typing in a word or set of words and, hopefully, getting something helpful back. However, at some point or other, we’ve all found ourselves poised over the engine’s search window at a loss for the right words to describe exactly what we’re looking for. No doubt, we’ve also all heard of or used the expression, “I’ll know it when I see it”, haven’t we? That’s because we often don’t really know what we’re looking for until we see it – so, putting something into the right words in order to search for it can be really tricky, and sometimes nearly impossible. This is precisely why Pinterest is so appealing to so many people – more than 150 million users in fact.
When words fail, there’s always visual search
Pinterest is almost synonymous with visual search, which pretty much sets it apart from other social media networks. In fact, Pinterest has always seen itself more as a search and discovery service than a social network, having geared itself toward getting people to come in and ‘wander around’ to see ideas and products. And with around 100 billion ideas, items, recipes and more pinned on one billion boards, there’s a huge amount of stuff waiting to be found.
That in itself presents marketers with a massive opportunity, hence the many “buyable Pins” that enable users to buy directly on Pinterest.
However, the world of social media never stands still for a moment, and Pinterest is no exception. It has continued to add a number of tools to better enable users to find what they’re looking for. Tools that enable what Pinterest calls “visual discovery”, which enable users to search for ideas without having to type in text enquiries, thereby giving people a way to get results even when they can’t find exactly the right words to describe what they’re looking for.
Already, visual search has become one of Pinterest’s most-used features, with hundreds of millions of visual searches every month, and billions of items found.
Using images to unlock huge potential in online shopping
Now, Pinterest has taken their visual discovery features even further by introducing three new ones that will probably see users curling their toes in excitement – and with equally huge implications for marketers, enabling them to engage with users at so many more points in their browsing window.
The three new Pinterest visual search features introduced are known as “Lens”, “Instant Ideas” and “Shop the Look” – all of which are aimed at making it easier for users to find great ideas and products to buy from within the things they see in images as well as around them in real life, and all without having to put what they’re looking for into words.
These latest updates will make Pinterest even more desirable for online shoppers, which is something every business should take note of!
The three new Pinterest visual search features pick out specific elements in pictures, irrespective of whether they are viewed live through a phone’s camera or through a typical image search, and use them as points for search.
Here’s what they’re about:
- With Lens: Users will be able to open their phone camera, point it at any item in the real world, and Pinterest will identify it, pick apart the objects in the image and use the social network to not only find similar items but also give ideas as to what to do with them. For example, pointing Lens at a stunning blouse or shirt will surface related styles as well as ideas for what else to wear with them. This is literally artificial intelligence in action in the hands of everyday users, as Lens goes beyond merely finding visual similarity and tries to understand what it is you’re looking at and how the items could be useful to you.
- With Instant Ideas, a new button in Pinterest’s home feed, users will be able to quickly find related items – even something as simple as a handle on a kitchen drawer, a doorknob or a beef dish. If you see something you like in an image on Pinterest, you would simply tap a circle that appears around each item in each Pin to unlock related ideas, such as similar handle and knob ideas, or more beef recipes.
- With Shop the Look, a new button on home and fashion Pins, users can shop for products they see inside Pins. Clicking on individual items in an image will enable you to buy them or, if those specific items aren’t for sale, see similar items that are for sale throughout the Pinterest network. In this way, Pins are advancing from the previously single-item-only buyable Pins to being able to advertise and offer multiple items for sale in the same Pin. That’s a great way for a business to advertise something specific while at the same time building awareness and even generating sales of their other products.
According to Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann, these “three new products make anything in the world an entry point to the 100 billion ideas on Pinterest. Together they create a whole new discovery experience that’s unlike anything that’s out there today. You can get ideas whether you’re opening the app or walking through town. The more people that use it, the better the results become, the more we can recommend inspiring ideas.”
While this is all mind-blowing stuff on its own, just think of the potential for business!
Social media and your business – are you keeping up?
As of writing this, Instant Ideas and Shop the Look are already available in the Pinterest app, while Lens is in beta, but will be rolled out soon. That said, however, these latest features, which will make Pinterest very desirable for online shoppers, are just some of the ways in which social media networks overall are taking huge strides in technology to steadily close the gap between enabling users to discover a product and actually buy it. All of which, of course, presents an absolute gold mine of opportunity for marketers and businesses everywhere. The question we should all be asking ourselves is whether we are taking advantage of the available opportunities.
Of course, visual search is not something that is unique to Pinterest. After all, Google has invested heavily in visual search – it simply hasn’t (yet) focused on it to the same extent that Pinterest has for potential advertisers. Then there’s Snap, which is also lurking in the wings and will probably be coming out swinging sometime soon. And, of course, there’s always Facebook, the mainstay of marketers. In other words, if you’re in business there are lots of potential avenues for taking advantage of the technological strides happening in the digital world.
How to boost your social media marketing
Would you like to make better use of Pinterest and other social media networks to get your brand in front of more people, increase traffic to your website and boost sales? If the answer is yes, then contact the team at Auckland-based Net Branding – we’re a digital marketing agency providing the full range of digital marketing services, including effectively using social media, to expand the digital reach of our clients’ businesses. We’re just a phone call away – so contact us today to find out what we can do for you.
