If you have heard of the social media site Pinterest, you probably only know of it as a site for women to collect design ideas, share recipes, and drool over DIY projects. However, there is so much more to Pinterest. If you plan it right, Pinterest can actually help advertise and market for some businesses in a fun and exciting way.
The first thing to note is this will not work for all business types. Using Pinterest as a social media marketing tool obviously will help lifestyles companies more than say a law office. This is important to keep in mind as you read on.
However, Pinterest provides the unique opportunity for customers to find you and your products and/or services in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Unlike a lot of other social media platforms, it is not overwhelmed with ads jumping in the users fact. Plus, people who go on Pinterest have a problem or a need and are looking for a solution. Since the audience is already looking for you and your products, the audience will be much more likely to engage with your product or service.
There are two main ways you can use Pinterest as a marketing tool.
The first is the branding approach. With this method, you simply want to build your brand. You create a Pinterest account for your business with the hope of sharing ideas, information, and inspiration with your customers and possible potential customers. This is similar to the idea behind blogging. By sharing ideas, you build a community of customers.
Some of the businesses that might benefit from this approach are event planners. These boards can allow them to show case events they have pulled off, while also serving as a tool for other groups to find inspiration. It doesn’t always have to be as clear as that. For example, an athletic wear company could have a Pinterest with boards highlighting best athletic equipment, great excursive routines, and more. Not only would these boards please and aid existing clients, but it can creates another touch points for future customers to be exposed to your brand.
The second is the product marketing approach. If you create a Pinterest board, you can show off your products and services. For instance, an event planner as I said can post its past events for people to see. This strategy works outside the service industry too. If you have a cool company producing, let’s say t-shirts, you can post all the different shirts you have on Pinterest with links back to your website.
These two approaches do not have to be used separately. In the case of the event planner, it would be easy to be both. Just make sure what ever you do, you are doing it intentionally. It is easy to get lost in the clutter and charm of Pinterest.
Nevertheless, one of the biggest benefits of Pinterest is how quickly and easily information is shared and re-shared through pinning. If you think this marketing strategy could work for you, explore Pinterest for a few hours and have some fun.