Pinterest is typically seen as a site for promoting cooking and crafts to women, so it may not shout “business” to you. But many businesses have found Pinterest to be a place to connect with consumers and generate traffic to their website. In fact, Pinterest drives 7.1% of web traffic that sites receive, making it second only to Facebook at 21.25%, as reported by Business Insider.
How do you determine if Pinterest would be a useful social network for your company? By learning more about what the network is and how businesses are using it.
What Is Pinterest?
As defined by the company itself, “Pinterest is a place to discover ideas for all your projects and interests, hand-picked by people like you.”
It is essentially a giant bulletin board. Users can “pin” an image that interests them. Pins link to the source website. Users can create a collection of pins around a theme; these are called “boards.”
Pinterest offers browser extensions so you can have your own “Pin It” button in your bookmarks bar. This allows users to easily pin interesting content from any website.
What Content Is Shared?
Pinterest is a very visual network. Users scroll through pages of pinned images, each with a brief pin description. It is the photo, and the descriptive text, that draws users in. The most popular topics are food & drink, DIY & crafts, home décor, fashion, beauty, inspirational quotes, health & fitness, and holidays & special events.
How Can Businesses Use Pinterest?
Users are looking for useful, educational content. Businesses can provide this type of content while also promoting products or services. You don’t have to create all of this content, you can share information found in external blogs, news sites, etc. Think of it as content marketing, not advertising. By sharing resources and useful content, you can position your company as an authority in your field.
If your business doesn’t relate to the most popular topics it doesn’t mean Pinterest won’t have use for you. It just means it is time to get creative. Hubspot offers several creative pin board ideas for businesses – 28 here, and another 10 in this blog. You can also learn from companies who have found success on Pinterest.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
- Share about your company’s community involvement. Pin images of employees giving back.
- Have a board focused on resources and tips. This could be some of your own content, like blogs, but also an opportunity to share content from external sources that would be helpful to your customers. Healthy recipes. Financial wellness tips. Fitness tips and inspiration. Safety tips. Explore what is popular with users and look to find a way your company can shared relevant resources.
- Create a board related to your staff. If could be “Life at [Company Name],” and allow your staff to contribute. Or how about a “Meet The Team” board with pictures and profiles about your employees? These could also be used as recruiting tools.
- What about customer testimonials? These could be pictures with quotes and links to a full testimonial on your site, or they could even be videos.
- Can you offer a behind the scenes look into your company? You could create a board that provides pictures and information about what goes into the making of your products or the planning of your services.
- Users like inspiring pins. Do you have quotes to share? Or perhaps your company leadership could contribute their favorite leadership quotes? Be sure to turn the quotes into images!
Should Your Company Be On Pinterest?
Now that you have a better understanding of the network itself and what other businesses have found successful…what else do you need to consider?
What are the demographics of your target audience? Do they match with the demographics of Pinterest users? According to the Pew Research Center, 21% of online adults use Pinterest. Facebook tops the list at 71%, followed by LinkedIn at 22%. Pinterest is 3rd on the list, narrowly edging Twitter’s 18%. 80% of pinners are women. Adoption levels are highest among users age 18-29, followed closely by those 30-49. And the majority of users access the network from their mobile devices, making Pinterest the most mobile social network.
Are your competitors or industry peers active on Pinterest? Visiting their sites can help you see what has worked or hasn’t worked for them with Pinterest. You might see how your company is missing out on great interactions and communications, or you may spot opportunities for your company to take the lead.
What are your goals for using Pinterest? What do you hope to get out of it? Pinterest is a very visual network. Do you have ways to share your content visually? Remember the examples above, even if your company does not traditionally lend itself to photos, there are still ways to harness the power of Pinterest – and many companies are already successfully doing this!
Do you have the capability to maintain a Pinterest account? Do you have someone who understands Pinterest, or who is at least willing to learn how to use it? Do they have adequate time to put into preparing content and interacting with users?
Do not forget to consider the risks associated with using social media, as well as those related to not using social networks.
If you are intrigued by the possibility of what Pinterest can provide for your organization, the following are additional resources you may find useful:
- Pinterest for Business
- Pinterest for Business Success Stories
- Pinterest Help Center
- Social Media Examiner – Using Pinterest For Business, Pinterest Pictures For Your Business
Pin away!
