The social landscape in the last two years has really added resonance to the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The popularity of image-sharing platforms, like Instagram and Pinterest, clearly illustrate that people don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of time reading and would rather consume content and stories through rich media in quick, easy and meaningful ways. The effectiveness of imagery has led sites like Pinterest to quickly become the new staple in daily digital life.

Whether or not you should join Pinterest is a decision that should be informed by considering whether it’s a channel that your target audience choses to commit their time. It’s terrible advice if you’ve been told that you should join simply because it’s “popular,” “trending” or because “the kids are using it.” If you decide to commit your time and resources, it should be because ultimately using it will help you achieve your overall business goals.

Here are some key statistics and demographics of Pinterest users:

• Pinterest has 20 million monthly active users (70 million registered users)
• More than 50 million unique visitors per month
• 5 million “article pins” per day
• 87% of its users are women.
• Its users have higher education and income than other social media channels.
• Pinterest users in the US spend about an hour on the site each month
• Shoppers spend more on their purchases when referred from Pinterest—roughly twice as much as referrals from Facebook and Twitter.
• Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit combined.

Strategies and tactics that work

Engagement: The Pinterest community is very engaged, over 80% of pins are re-pins from other boards. That means that people are active and regularly share content that they find meaningful. This is a great opportunity for your consumers to interact with you; be sure to pay attention to comments and look for opportunities to have conversations. Your followers may be asking questions or offering words of praise or concern. Be sure to engage with them!

Use tools like Pin Alerts or Pinterest’s analytics to monitor where and how your content is shared to help you catch opportunities.

Sharing: Make sure that content on your website can be easily shared on Pinterest. Make sure that you include social sharing buttons on content pages, and that they are easy to find and use. A good practice is to feature all social platforms that you use on your website and to direct people’s attention there.

Content Strategy:

Exclusive content; share secrets: People like to feel that they are getting information that they usually wouldn’t have access to. You can give people early-access sneak peaks of new products or projects. If you’re a restaurant, share the recipes of your menu items. These kinds of content are highly valued and shared.

Behind the scenes: Give your audience a look behind the curtain by showcasing behind-the-scenes pictures. This increases the feeling of getting special limited content, and gives people a way to connect with your brand.

Community Events: If your business is involved in community or charity activities, share that with your audience. It can be done in a humble and selfless manner. Your customers follow you because they’re invested in you and what you’re doing, and your efforts outside the office are an extension of that relationship.

Be a good citizen: Pinterest is an image “sharing” website, and a good Pinterest citizen doesn’t just share their own content but also the content created by others. Don’t be afraid to share content from your customers or their stories. It will appeal to their natural desire to be acknowledged and included. This also helps them feel that they truly are part of your community and feel good that they’ve made a positive contribution to it.

Etiquette Tips:

Be respectful: This comes directly from Pinterest, “Please be kind and remember that there are people on the other end of your comments.”

Give credit: Giving proper credit is of the utmost importance. You encourage people to keep creating and sharing content if your give them proper credit. If you pin content from your customers, giving them credit gives them a sense of ownership.

Change captions: Always include a caption in your pins. It should represent your brand, and should be relevant to your community. Don’t forget to use target keywords that your audience searches for so they can easily find your pins.

Organize your boards: People will follow your boards based on specific content so organize your boards in a logical manner and always follow that structure. If you create a board about “recipes” then there shouldn’t be images of cats or fancy cars.

Helpful Tools:

Pinterest’s Blog: They highlight a variety of users and brands and showcase interesting news. Keep an eye on this blog to stay on top of any changes and also as a source of inspiration from users doing interesting things.

Postris: Helps you find popular boards, pins, and people.

PinAlerts: This alerts you when content from your website has been pinned.

Rich Pins: Pinterest has made it possible for your products to show up as more than just photos. By prepping your site with the right meta tags, you can add rich content like prices and reviews to other people’s pins of your content.

Using Pinterest in your digital marketing strategy can be rewarding as long as you’ve done your research and learn to leverage it effectively. Get to know your audience and post content that they want. Don’t be afraid to experiment; that’s the only way you will learn what works for you. If you need any help setting up a Pinterest account and developing strategy contact us now for a free 15 minute consultation.