In keeping with our last blog about Pinterest analytics, it’s only natural we talk about how to really utilize Pinterest as a business. The first obvious step is to recognize what kind of audience Pinterest attracts. You don’t need access to complicated statistics to know what your Facebook feed can tell you: Pinterest and women are synonymous.
Besides its aesthetics, Pinterest almost holds a certain sentimental value, a reminder of our youth where most of us had an actual pin board up on our walls above our beds pinned with pictures of either something of emotional attachment or that just appealed to our senses. Pinterest has successfully honed in that memory and made loyal users out of each of those individuals – which sums up to be a lot to put it in the least (currently women make up 82% of the 11.1 million users on Pinterest).
A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words
Businesses should realize what a huge target market Pinterest itself contains and what could be months of market research is practically condensed in a virtual board with a crafty title and a detailed look into an individuals’ preferences. Use this to your advantage! Find boards that are specific to your business, and follow them to see what trends are being repinned. Your potential customers are answering all of your questions and you’re not even hassling them to take a survey in order to get a vague idea of what goes on inside their head. It’s all there in picture form.
If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them
Being an active user on Pinterest is also a good idea because, other than the fact that your most loyal customers are very likely to repin your content ensuring that it is seen by their followers, it creates the potential of running Pinterest specific campaigns. This is generally the same concept as many brands running campaigns on Facebook to generate interest, awareness, and followers. Another reason of investing in a Pinterest account is its referral heavy nature. Many businesses find it important to drive traffic to their website and Pinterest recently has been ranked in the top 5 of referring web traffic to other sites, more than the combined efforts of Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Be Selective
Marketing your products would be the obvious use of Pinterest, but keeping the demographic of the social site in mind, Pinterest actually allows a business to selectively market their products. A company that has products meant for both sexes doesn’t need to waste their efforts marketing both, rather just focusing on the items meant for women specifically. It might be smarter during the gift giving seasons such as Valentines Day or Christmas to showcase full product lines as gift giving ideas. Remember, you are appealing to the demographic that keeps a firm hand on the spending (women make 85% of the purchasing decisions in any given household, and 22% shop online at least once a day), creating tremendous potential for your business.
Repin Therapy
One of the best things that Pinterest offers is that you can kick back and relax while you explore the content the site offers, so much so that it’s therapeutic. Respect that philosophy and don’t go for an aggressive approach when posting pictures, with the goal of turning individuals into immediate customers willing to spend. Pinterest has created a very homely environment and no user will appreciate an influx of corporate clutter taking over their homepage. Keep it warm, friendly, and most of all, simple.
For all businesses still on the fence about the site, know that Pinterest’s users definitely have a very deep level of involvement with it, suggesting not only their loyalty, but Pinterest’s staying power. It’s time to take an interest in Pinterest.
