As part of our social media for business series, we’re looking at the merits of Pinterest and what it can bring to your marketing strategy.
When we think about using social media to promote a business, the majority of us have our own preconceptions about which platforms we should be using.
If you’re a B2B company, you’re probably using Twitter and LinkedIn. If your target market is the consumer, it’s likely you’ve thought about Facebook and Instagram. *
But then there is Pinterest.
It’s a platform that often goes under the radar and many of us let it go untouched – yet with 250million users every month and 90% of them using it to make purchase decisions, Pinterest is no passing craze.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest has become less of a traditional social media channel over the years and more of a search engine. With over 175 billion images or ‘pins’ to search and browse through, it’s a huge database of ideas, products and articles waiting to be discovered.
Users create their own ‘boards’ (think mood board) and save others’ pins to their boards for future reference.
For example, those looking to move home might create a ‘new home ideas’ board or someone going on holiday might create a ‘holiday plans’ board.
Who uses it?
The users of Pinterest are somewhat more niche than with many social media platforms – it’s a narrower audience, but those that do use it are generally highly engaged and frequently returning.
As of 2019, 81% of users are female, and millienials make up the largest share of Pinterest’s audience.
For that reason, Pinterest isn’t for everybody – but if your target audience are spending time there, you can’t afford not to be.
How do I know if Pinterest is for me?
Start with research. Create an account (or use an existing one) and carry out a few searches of industry-related terms to see how many pins relate to your business.
It’s easy to assume with image-based platforms that they are solely beneficial for the fashion, beauty, travel industries and so on, but you might be pleasantly surprised.
A quick search will show you that anything from construction companies to tech enthusiasts are racking up hours on Pinterest so there really is no set audience.
If you are lucky enough to find that your target audience uses Pinterest, there’s no time to waste.
What should I post?
This is where it becomes useful to think of Pinterest as less of a social media channel and more of a search engine.
As a business, you may well have a content strategy for your website that includes articles and topics that will help with SEO. If done well, they will be helpful and interesting for your target audience.
Pinterest is no different – consider the type of content that would be useful for your audience, what might they be searching for?
For example if you’re an airline, that might mean posting holiday packing checklists, city break guides and luxury travel pictures.
As with anything, it’s much less about quantity and all about quality.
For many, Pinterest is an untapped and unfamiliar resource and we’re certainly not saying it’s for everyone.
But, after a brief research sesh you may well find that you’re one of the lucky businesses for whom Pinterest can be a deep well of engagement and long-lasting relationships with consumers.
Go on, give it a go and thank us here later!
* Nothing is certain, so always start a campaign with good old fashioned research.
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/pinterest-statistics/
About the author
Bethan Rees specialises in digital marketing and social media at Front Door Communications. She has six years of experience in social media marketing, having previously managed campaigns for an independent publishing house and its authors. She currently cultivates Pinstagram campaigns for businesses across a range of industries.