In early November, Business Insider reported that Pinterest is now the fastest growing social media platform for content sharing; now, if you had told me this when my sister first nagged me into looking at her page a few years back, I would have laughed. She’s a heavy duty crafter and seamstress extraordinaire, and I was definitely skeptical as quilting tips and articles like “Seven Options for Cat Woman Costumes” dominated her feed.
Like this will last, I thought, the memory of Google Wave pricking my nostalgia. However, the joke is on me, and with the debut of Pinterest business accounts, it is now a social media must for any business. Don’t let your business get left behind and make the most of your account so your identity can stand out among the throngs flooding the site.
Follow the Money
It’s not just for moms and bored college students—Pinterest traffic numbers are no slouch, drawing in over 25 million unique users as of last September. As the holiday season sets in, we can expect those numbers to explode as people flock to the home decorating, goodie baking, craft-making giant like freshmen click to Wikipedia. If you are in the business of selling goods of any sort, your market is absolutely on Pinterest; moreover, the user demographic split of 80/20 women to men delivers another marketing slam-dunk—women control the vast majority of spending decisions.
By getting a business account, you are being handed the attention of people looking for image, inspiration, and commodities, absolutely free. If nothing else gets your attention, note that insofar as social media-related commerce was concerned, Pinterest accounted for over 20% of sales, globally, quite impressive for a relatively nascent social media presence.
But what about a business that offers services as opposed to goods? Although click-through traffic might not be as much of an option for your business, Pinterest is still an effective tool for marketing and image-building.
Board of Directors
Pinterest is a powerful tool in that it is not only popular to use, it also taps into contemporary market preferences. Personalization and making clients feel “in sync” with the spirit of a company is a crucial aspect of catering to today’s demographic. It is no longer sufficient to have a good product or service; you need to have common values with the customer. Additionally, customer engagement is the other big talking point in modern marketing. Pinterest gives you an avenue to achieve both.
Businesses can give customers a look at the people behind the name, showing them what inspires you and those around you and reminding them that you are, indeed, people, not just a company. Consider having featured pins or boards from various employees who can share their favorite designs, infographics, or funny photos with your customers.
Additionally, have boards devoted to ideas and concepts not directly business-related. How do you envision the role of your company in the larger sphere? What inspires you? What motivates you to be better? Many pinners like myself, follow boards just because the conceptual design and quality of pins evoke a powerful image. Create that image—if you build it, they will come.
Stay Pinformed!
One of the most attractive features about Pinterest are the people behind it. Pinterest is staying up-to-date and is actively courting entrepreneurs and businesses. As I mentioned before, Pinterest business accounts were created specifically with you in mind, including an analytics feature that allows businesses to track the popularity of certain pins and boards. Companies now have the ability to garner customer feedback like never before, some ways more surprising than others.
Although it is a great start to use the analytics feature, why not follow your customers back? This way you can see what they are pinning and what kind of ideas they are generating. Additionally, Pinterest offers new ways to interact with your clients and employees. For instance, we all know that there are a simply mind-boggling number of options for company merchandise. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the plethora of choices and taking a risk buying lots of items that end up unused, you can get employee feedback without the long and agonizing email chain.
Finally, the Pinterest blog has great tutorials on how to optimize your use of Pinterest, whether it be through pin design or website plugins. Additionally, the website administrators are excellent at keeping users informed and aware of new developments, minimizing negative backlash against new marketing opportunities.
With an easy-to-learn, visually-pleasing platform and the ability to draw heavy traffic, Pinterest is proving itself to be a social media heavyweight for forward-thinking businesses interested in reaching a new generation. Make sure you don’t get left out. Is your business on Pinterest? What are you doing to reach your audience there? Share in the comments!
Allysia Lowe is a writer, holding an MBA in Digital Marketing and currently works with Leighmans. In her free time, she enjoys travelling and watching her cat play with bubbles.