Pinterest is spreading like wildfire across all demographics: men and women of all ages, marketers, brands, and everyone in between.
With its 11.7 million (and growing) users, it has become one of the top thirty (30) U.S. websites in terms of page views. Two months ago, the site was barely making it in 60th place in terms of top sites. The opportunities for the self-expressing virtual pinboard are limitless depending on your imagination.
For those of you who embrace creativity, this is great news, however if you prefer templated marketing approaches, you may want to start thinking outside the box.
Given the infancy of the platform, brands have more freedom to test different marketing tactics to see what works and what doesn’t. There are a lot of different opinions on ‘Pinterest etiquette.’ Some say to promote your brand only, others say promote your brand and anything else that may ‘compliment’ your brand’s personality. The truth is, there is no written rule to what works best. Like with anything, balance is key. It’s not recommended to pin competing product, however it is recommended to create brand relevant boards that include a mixture of lifestyle pins and product pins, which express the brand’s character.
Let’s look at Rocket Dog as an example. Their primary focus is shoes, including sandals, flats, wedges, heels, etc. They are known for stylish, comfortable product. They exude a ‘California’ vibe, which comes across in their Pinterest boards. Rocket Dog presents Pinterest users with a beachy lifestyle by pinning cool music, beachy hairstyles, pictures of waves as well as their own product. All of the pins work together to create an overall look and feel of Rocket Dog. Followers of Rocket Dog understand the personality of the brand by exploring their various lifestyle pins. They also have the opportunity to click on product that drives them back to the site to purchase.
Brands can track engagement levels through likes, comments and re-pin numbers. Once the engagement metrics are aggregated, marketers can build strategy to further increase brand advocacy and ultimately increase sales.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with Pinterest and explore new ways to promote your brand’s personality. Take time to explore what other brands and marketers are doing on the platform, you may even be PINspired.
Authored by: Piper McEndarffer, Director of Social Marketing, Venda Inc.
