Pinterest is a very underused slept on social media platform for small business entrepreneurs and bloggers. This, in my humble opinion, has nothing to do with people liking Facebook and Instagram better than the former, but rather, because the latter is the preferred social platform of their favorite celebrities. I mean let’s face it, people love to associate themselves with whatever their favorite celebrity is doing. But, allow me to inform you that your favorite celebs aren’t the people who are buying your products on a consistent basis, reading your blogs and telling their friends. It is everyday working people. When it comes to branding we must remember the goal is access. Everyday people who represent the world’s biggest consumers gravitate towards information that appeals to their interests and tastes. They browse social media for information about why, when and where they should spend their money next and if it’s accessible. This is where your brand comes in.
While Pinterest’s monthly user base is much smaller than Facebook’s (1.7 billion monthly users), and even Twitter’s (313 million monthly users), there are over 150 million monthly users seeking information, advice, and inspiration on the Pinterest network. This is a number that can’t be ignored.
So, Why Should I Be Promoting My Brand On Pinterest?
It’s simple. I’ve written 5 solid reasons why you should be promoting your brand on Pinterest and I encourage you to get started today.
- Brand Awareness – Pinterest campaigns aim to get your business in front of the people who aren’t on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Those who have not heard of you before and do not really know what you do. This isn’t a diss to Facebook–but their algorithm is a problem. It dictates who sees your content, who doesn’t and you literally have to optimize each individual post just to get news feed visibility to your followers. Organic reach has declined significantly over the years, causing engagement to fall even when the content is legit. Pinterest displays content very differently and it’s usually by keyword search relevance; meaning users find your content organically as long as it relates to their interests and pinned content. This increases your brand’s visibility which makes for more effective campaign advertising.
- Traffic – In addition to making people aware of your brand via campaign. Pinterest sends people from your Pinterest ads directly to your website, and you pay per click. This is a process that is no different than advertising on other social media platforms, however; you are able to connect with new users who will become new customers/audiences a lot better which drives traffic far more effectively.
- Sharing – Sharing encourages user engagement. In fact, sharing is what the Pinterest concept is all about. Their users are all about sharing images and videos of the products and items they love with total strangers; unlike Facebook or Instagram where photo-sharing revolves around family, friends, or funny pics and showcasing for LIKES. Pinterest is undoubtedly the best social media platform for showcasing products and driving commerce because it focuses on things rather than relationships and messaging.
- Performance – Promoting on Pinterest increases your brand’s performance. While getting “likes” on social media via promoted campaigns is a good thing, it doesn’t really give you much information about the users who express interest and why. With Pinterest, your pin campaigns will give you an idea of the kind of audience that is directly interested in your products or service, how they are engaging with your content as well as that of others. This helps to measure how they see you and how well you are doing.
- Sales – To piggyback off of my point regarding performance, Pinterest gives you a direct look into the interests of the users who share your pins. I personally saw my sales increase by 53% this year through promoting pins on Pinterest than I did with advertising on any other social media platform. It is likely because I am given direct insight about the types of things those who share my pins like; which in turn helps me to continue building an attractive brand based on emotion and inspiration; which in turn gives customers a reason to spend more on products or services. It’s a really beautiful cycle when you think about it.
Pinterest is a very, very smart marketing tool for your brand. You don’t have to believe me the data speaks for itself. According to Forbes.com, Pinterest reportedly generated about $100 million in revenue last year and is reportedly expected to generate about $300 million next year. (By comparison, forecasting firm eMarketer estimates that Snapchat, valued at about $18 billion, will generate $366.7 million in revenue this year and nearly $1 billion in 2017.) The growth of Pinterest has to do with it’s influence on what people are buying, reading and eating. Using social media to research or bookmark items for purchase is a core element of the social buying process, and you can ensure your brand can and will evolve by integrating Pinterest into your marketing strategy.
