The interest in Pinterest just keeps growing and growing. Social media’s newest and fastest growing site has a lot to celebrate this month. They just received a huge round of $2 million in funding, which made the site worth $2.5 billion; worth more than some publicly traded sites like Zynga, Yelp, and Pandora. The biggest number is in the number of users, which has surpassed 25 million “pinners” to date and it is the third most popular social media network.
What’s the benefit for marketers
With all of this activity and growth of this important social media channel, advertisers and marketers are going to be in the middle of all the pinning action. Pinterest may not have a revenue model yet, but plenty of businesses and brands are making money on the social channel. However, it is important to note that the businesses that are having success on Pinterest are not there to blatantly “sell” to the audience. Instead, the companies that are having success are driving traffic to their sites, and increasing brand exposure through engagement and sharing. Therefore, social media success needs to be defined differently on Pinterest. The most popular categories are “Food and Drink” first and “DIY and Crafts” is the second most popular subject matter. Most of the photos that are pinned are actually re-pinned from within the network, but as far as outside sources for images go, Etsy.com holds the title for most images pinned and Google is a close second.
Food and Drink
Recipes and meal idea pins are among those in that top “Food and Drink” category and that helps recipe sites and food blogs with the traffic that fuels the advertising generated on those type of sites. With that in mind, it makes sense for Pinterest’s first entertainment deal to be with The Biggest Loser television reality show about weight loss. They will be including Pinterest with their online integration, posting healthy eating ideas on to their boards. Martha Stewart’s website is quite popular on Pinterest since they specialize in cooking, DIY crafts, and decorating. The Martha Stewart Living Pinterest page has over 283,000 followers and 87 boards, driving traffic to the website and helping with branding. IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer also has a big international presence on Pinterest, focusing their efforts on different countries.
Here are some great tips for businesses that want to engage on Pinterest
- Include descriptions about your image. Even though Pinterest is all about the images, it is still important to tell people about your image.
- Do not post images all at once. This might overwhelm your followers and a steadier stream of images is more ideal than bursts of activity and then periods of nothing.
- Re-pin and like other images. Social media sites are about engagement and interaction, so do not just post your own images and leave Pinterest. Instead, like, re-pin and follow other users. Not only does this add extra exposure to your Pinterest boards, but also shows others a personality for you and your business.
- Based on the information already highlighted, it is safe to say not to be too sales-oriented on your Pinterest page. Share interesting images that relate to the business or its target audience. Not all images need to be directly related to the type of business though. Sharing holiday images or popular funny memes will engage followers, and possibly entice new interest in the brand.
- Lastly, have fun with your Pinterest posts. We already mentioned the benefits of showing a personality and face of the brand. Having fun with a Pinterest campaign will definitely come across in the appeal of interacting with the company.
Since Pinterest is about sharing and saving images the sites that do well are ones with visually appealing content; and not necessarily the ones selling products on the social media site. The businesses and brands with a presence on Pinterest are sharing popular images, and ideas rather than sales. Keeping these ideas in mind will help businesses get the most out of having a presence on Pinterest and meeting marketing goals.
Author Bio: Richard Larson is blogger and Brand Manger for GoPromotional., the UK’s leading promotional gifts supplier.
Image Credit: photobucket
Which Site are Experiencing Success on Pinterest and Why is a post from: DreamGrow Social Media
