If you have to limit the number of social media marketing platforms you work with, Pinterest should definitely be high on your list. Pinterest, which was introduced to the world in 2010, is now the third largest social media website, behind Facebook and Twitter. But what is Pinterest and how can you use it in your social media marketing plan?
Consider Pinterest as part of your social media marketing plan
Pinterest allows users to post, collect and share photos and videos or “pins”. Users can also categorize images into collections known as “pinboards.” As with other popular social media sites, users can follow other users’ boards and re-pin information from other users’ boards and other websites. When a user repins an image, he or she can notify their Facebook friends and Twitter followers. That’s important to know because your social media marketing plan can really get some extra mileage by including Pinterest as a preferred social media marketing platform.
Pinterest permits business pages, which can help visitors locate your business. One popular online vendor, Boticca.com, reported in 2012 that it compared the spending habits of users referred to its site from both Facebook and Pinterest. According to Boticca.com, Pinterest users spent more than twice as much on average as Facebook users did – $180 to $85. Another popular beauty retailer, Sephora, reported in February 2013 that Pinterest users spent more than 15 times as much with them as the company’s Facebook users do. Other studies have also shown that Pinterest’s ability to increase website sales is significant.
Businesses can also use Pinterest to create “rich pins,” which can allow businesses to provide updated or in-depth information on products and services that customers are interested in. For example, a rich pin can provide updated information on product pricing and availability, or give users enhanced information that they can use to find, sort or categorize your product or service information on their own pinboards. Rich pins appear to be effective, too. Studies have shown that rich pins that provide pricing information on products for sale tend to generate about 16% more sales than traditional pins do.
Pinterest’s user community is largely female, so if your business caters to a primarily female demographic, you may find that Pinterest can help drive a successful social media marketing campaign. Retail businesses that cater to female buyers – as Boticca.com and Sephora demonstrate – can see exceptional results from their Pinterest social media marketing presence.
If you would like more information about social media marketing, and how you can put Pinterest to work in a social media marketing plan for your business, please email our creative director, Dave Ramsell or call Dave at (330) 243-0651 for a consultation.
Photo Credit: The Pinterest logo appears courtesy of Pinterest
