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Many businesses are still not sure about the benefits of using Pinterest for business, questioning whether it is a B2B or B2C social media platform? Well, it’s both. Remember social media is about growing your footprint and spreading or sharing content, so why would you not find time to include Pinterest in the mix? After all, it will increase your awareness, add additional blog traffic to your posts and website and has the ability to generate new leads and in turn lead to sales.
There are a few misconceptions about Pinterest, which may be what has influenced decisions about the “business” advantages of the medium. Well, let’s look at the facts. Although over 81% of Pinterest users are female, and only 7% of the total pins are made by men, 40% of new sign-ups are men, so the ratio is changing. There is a perception that People only pin food and wedding content, that’s not true, over two-thirds of pins represent brands and products.
Some interesting facts about Pinterest, there are over 200 million users, with over 1 million businesses, over 70+ billion pins are made a year, with over 80% of pinners having purchased a product because of Pinterest, and over 70% of pinners using the platform to decide what to buy offline. Although a large portion of pinners are under the age of 40, the popularity of Pinterest spans multiple generations. Millennials use Pinterest as much as Instagram and it is 80% more viral and 3 times more effective at generating leads than Twitter. So ask yourself, is this a social media platform you should be pushing aside?
Pinterest is useful when:
You need to drive and increase traffic to your website.
With the right visual content, your audience will be more likely to follow your links back to source as all images include a link. When preparing your visual content don’t underestimate the power of image search for your business, and constantly find ways to drive visitors to your website by posting images of your products and services. You can test the effectiveness of your content by making use of a “Pin It” button, which can also be linked directly to and from your site.
You need some inspiration
How many of us have used Pinterest for ideas on any topic? It has a faster sales lead conversion rate than any other social media platform, as it has the ability to reduce the number of steps a decision maker must make in the buying process. As a business, sharing what inspires you not only inspires others but also has the ability to establish you as a thought leader in your field.
You need to keep your finger on the pulse
As a result of being able to see what is trending at any time on Pinterest, you are able to use this information to position your product and services. Do a quick keyword search to find out what your audience is discussing and sharing and keep track of what your competitors are pinning.
You need to build your corporate brand identity
The content you pin on Pinterest shouldn’t be exclusively focused on your brand. Pinners want to get to know the personality behind the brand, to do this create pin boards relating to your business, trade and industry.
If you have been avoiding making Pinterest an integral part of your social media strategy, or are still of the belief that Pinterest does not work for business, remember a picture speaks a 1000 words and those pictures could drive the sales and traffic you need to your business.
Do you need assistance to align your business goals with your digital strategy? One of our part-time Marketing Directors can help you focus your efforts, see return on your investment and grow your business.
