Previously available by invitation only, the ‘internet pinning phenomenon’ that is Pinterest is now open to all.
You might easily be forgiven for thinking that Pinterest is just for craft enthusiasts, after all Etsy has 128,000 followers and counting. But with an average of almost 1.4 million users daily, major brands are quickly waking up to the marketing potential of Pinterest and are using the medium to wave the banner in favour of their latest products. Not only to create greater awareness of their brand, but interestingly, also make direct sales.
Pinterest it seems has the ability to engage its followers for longer than other popular social media sites. The average user spends 15.8 minutes on Pinterest, in comparison with 12.1 minutes on Facebook and 3.3 minutes on Twitter. Only YouTube squeezes more attention from its users – an average of 16.4 minutes spent on the site per visit (source: Modea).
And if your target audience is predominantly female this statistic will grab your attention even more: 68.2 per cent of Pinterest’s users are currently women and 50 per cent of users have children. Finally, 28.1 per cent of Pinterest’s members have an annual household income of $100,000+ – little wonder that the retail giants like Apple, Dell, Harrods and Sears, are pinning their hopes on Pinterest to increase their market share.
If you are thinking that Pinterest could be a good fit for your business, here are some tips to get you started:
You might easily be forgiven for thinking that Pinterest is just for craft enthusiasts, after all Etsy has 128,000 followers and counting. But with an average of almost 1.4 million users daily, major brands are quickly waking up to the marketing potential of Pinterest and are using the medium to wave the banner in favour of their latest products. Not only to create greater awareness of their brand, but interestingly, also make direct sales.
Pinterest it seems has the ability to engage its followers for longer than other popular social media sites. The average user spends 15.8 minutes on Pinterest, in comparison with 12.1 minutes on Facebook and 3.3 minutes on Twitter. Only YouTube squeezes more attention from its users – an average of 16.4 minutes spent on the site per visit (source: Modea).
And if your target audience is predominantly female this statistic will grab your attention even more: 68.2 per cent of Pinterest’s users are currently women and 50 per cent of users have children. Finally, 28.1 per cent of Pinterest’s members have an annual household income of $100,000+ – little wonder that the retail giants like Apple, Dell, Harrods and Sears, are pinning their hopes on Pinterest to increase their market share.
If you are thinking that Pinterest could be a good fit for your business, here are some tips to get you started:
- It’s important that your pins are visually attractive, or at least visually engaging, so don’t rush the process of selecting pins – think quality rather than quantity and allow your boards to grow organically.
- If your business sells products direct to the public or you are an affiliate, be sure to include a link with relevant pins so that your followers can click through and buy the product direct from your board.
- Don’t make everything on your board about your brand – that smacks of the hard sell. What other things are your customers interested in? For example if your company makes designer wellies, consider creating ‘mood boards’ around things like camping, gardening and music festivals. If you are a banner or sign maker, what about birthday celebrations, weddings, or football hoardings! (I’m sure you will be able to come up with lots of great ideas for your brand).
- As a social media site Pinterest is all about engagement, so think about the best way to communicate with your audience and encourage a two-way conversation. You might like to organise a competition. It’s a great way to engage with your followers and frankly, less restrictive than trying to organise a Facebook comp.
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