A platform relatively new to the social networking arena, Pinterest app is a virtual pin-board, which allows users to share images from all around the web. Using the “Pin-It” plug in, you can grab the images that most inspire you and pin them to your boards – using the platform to provide inspiration for everything from weddings and interior design to new cars. Users also have the opportunity to take inspiration from the boards of others, “re-pinning” the images to their own boards.
FYI: Pin is to Pinterest, as Tweet is to Twitter. Getting to know the lingo is half the battle!
Every image contains a link back to the original source, so when images are pinned and re-pinned, they can very quickly go viral – an ideal marketing opportunity, don’t you think?
Pinterest app: the credentials
Think this is just another social media fad? Think again. Pinterest now has more than 10 million users, and it managed to achieve this level of success more quickly than any other standalone website. And, just as companies and organisations have embraced YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, they are looking at Pinterest with, well, interest.
Businesses that are effectively using Pinterest app are benefitting from higher levels of awareness from social platforms including Facebook and Twitter, and boosting the traffic referred to their websites.
How to implement Pinterest in your marketing campaign
As you might have gathered, Pinterest revolves around images, so before you start singing and dancing about your company, make sure you have some great pictures lined up. While the platform appears to heavily sport lifestyle shots, graphics – and in particular info-graphics – are also well-received by users of the platform.
Take a look at the following Pinterest info-graphic, which sums up why businesses should invest in the platform in just a few images and phrases:
Or this one, which tells you all you need to know about rice, and has received 70 re-pins.
Pinterest can be used to great effect by companies in a range of different sectors; however, the majority of users are female (around 80 percent). This means that certain businesses have the advantage when it comes to marketing on the platform. Female fashion and home design are two highly populated categories on the website.
Within the “home” sector, consumers use the platform to pin items they wish to buy, combining products into the overall inspiration for a room to give a feel of what can be achieved – rather like a “mood board”. So if you’re in the market for a new kitchen, you might pin a selection of range cookers to your board, amidst a collage of country kitchen ideas.
Giving back
To ensure you get the most out of Pinterest app, don’t just rely on people to pin from your website. Instead, start creating your own pin-boards, filled with the best images in your product range. But don’t lose sight of the fact that this is an online community. You wouldn’t just post to Facebook without attempting to engage your “friends” in conversation, and it is a similar premise on Pinterest. You will get the most out of the platform if you immerse yourself in it – making the effort to re-pin images to your organisation’s pin-board, to offer something back to the community.
Authors Biography
This article was written by Rachel Hurley who writes for Appliances Online. When she isn’t researching all things Pinterest, she enjoys grabbing a glass of wine and relaxing on the couch. Follow her on Twitter @Rachel_Hurley23.