Pinterest is now the third most trafficked social site behind Facebook and Twitter. The network continues to hum along thanks to strong popularity across its main demographic: female (60% of users) and individuals between 25 and 54 years of age (80% of users.) Therefore, if you want to reach this demographic — particularly crafty, intelligent, educated, socially conscious, and do-it-yourself-driven females — then Pinterest is the place to be.
With that in mind, we'd now like to present some best practices in Pinterest marketing so you can make the most out of this network.
-
Produce compelling images... Social media users are increasingly interested in visual networks. As a result, networks like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram have each seen their user base grow by over 10 million since 2012. For marketing managers this means that eye-catching content will help you expand your social media presence on Pinterest. Therefore, in order for your business to utilize this platform effectively, you need to begin by creating a portfolio of stunning photos. Don't worry: not every shot needs to be an amazing sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge; photos of smiling employees or happy customers go a long way as well.
-
…but also remember: not all images are equal. For example, tall images get repined more than shorter ones; reddish-oranges images get 2x the repins as blueish ones; brand images without faces get 23 percent more repins than those with faces; and photos with medium lightness are repinned 20x more than very dark images.
-
Convey an experience. Also show the process of creation through photography. If you're a baker, take photos of the how you make an incredible wedding cake. Showcase your products. Translate your brand into images and share them.
-
Develop relationships. Photos can only go so far; ideally, they'll act as a springboard for user engagement. To that end, along with following users, it’s a good idea to “re-pin” others work as well.
-
Drive user behavior. You want viewers to see something on Pinterest and then act. Therefore, you can also host contests, create a user-generated pinboard, and add a "Pin It" button to your site to make it easy for websie visitors to share your content. And as an added bonus, having Facebook or Twitter users find shareable images on Pinterest will help optimize your business site for search engines as well as funnel traffic to your site.
-
Make the most out of pins. For example, brands should employ "rich pins." Pinterest has five types of "rich pins" which include details of a pin's category. These pins include products, recipes, movies, articles, and "place pins." The latter, for example, is a new map tool that allows users to add Foursquare data to new or previously-pinned images, thereby tying them to a physical location. (Click here for more information.)
So what do you think? Have you experimented with Pinterest marketing? What's worked? What hasn't? Have you been able to reach users beyond the 25-54 year old female demographic? How?
