Why Pinterest LOVES small business, on Special Occasions
Andrew Gough, February 14, 2012 in Featured, Inbound Marketing News
Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social phenomena on the Internet right now. The photo sharing site is awash with red and pink gifts this Valentine’s Day, so it’s the perfect time to discover the power of Pinterest.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest allows users to “pin” images they find on the Internet on their profiles, grouping them into “pin boards”, which can then be followed by other users. With 11.7 million unique visitors last month, having launched only 11 months ago, Pinterest is the fastest growing website in history according to comScore. Also in January, Shareaholic’s analysis of data from 200,000 publishers found that Pinterest had driven more referrals than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. That’s pretty impressive stuff from a website so young.
So why so popular?
Pinterest has massive appeal due almost entirely to its simplicity. Unlike Facebook, Pinterest focuses on image sharing only, with text and dialogue more of an afterthought than anything. As for Twitter, it’s almost the diametric opposite, making it a hit with the Tweet-averse.
Pinterest allows anyone to represent their interests, from cars to furniture design, visually, and as we all know, visual communication is more efficient than written. It’s clearly a winning concept.
It’s only popular because it’s pretty!
Well, that’s the magic, but dig a little deeper. The simple, almost naive aesthetics hide some cunningly effective, ultra-usable social functionality – pinning, re-pinning, liking, following and commenting. Also, anyone who has worked in a creative industry will be familiar with pin boards, essentially online mood boards, and even if you’ve never been a creative type, you’ll soon come to appreciate the concept of grouping by visual element.
Why is it a winner for small businesses, for special occasions, holidays and celebrations?
Valentine’s Day, yes, and any other day when gifts are in high demand, such as Christmas and Mother’s Day. Why? Because designers and lone entrepreneurs are using Pinterest almost like an online shopfront. Just think of pin boards as online product galleries. Pinterest is aware of this, and has coded in the ability to assign a price tag to images, which sellers can link back to their main website or blog, driving referrals to wherever their online sales channels may be.
A word of warning to brands looking to leverage Pinterest
If you’re a marketer reading this, or a company looking to get its catalog onto the Internet’s fastest growing social website, think carefully before pinning all your product images to your branded Pinterest profile. Pinterest has a strong community feel, sharing likes and interests between individuals, so coming on strong with the branding may dissuade Pinterest users.
Be an individual
The best tactic by far is to communicate with Pinterest as an individual, and above all be earnest. Demonstrate a love of your products, show care and pride in what you or your company creates, and Pinterest users will react well. Don’t forget to follow other people, even rivals – there’s no such thing on Pinterest, only like-minded companies.
Pinterest and Etsy, a match made in heaven
Etsy, founded in 2005, is an online marketplace where individuals can sell their handmade and vintage items. One look at the Etsy homepage and you’ll see the similarities to Pinterest, except one is purely for image sharing and referrals, while the other is an actual marketplace.
Still, Etsy has a thriving presence on Pinterest and is one of the best examples of everything discussed in this article so far. Etsy’s Pinterest profile displays many of its own products, which are in turn sold by individuals through the Etsy marketplace, but you’ll also find images pinned from other websites, blogs and Pinterest users. And, of course, Pinterest has a gorgeous Valentine’s Day pin board, it’s our featured image.
A tip – follow the Pinterest influencers
Once you’ve created your company profile, seek out individuals with large followings, that may like your products. Follow enough of these Pinterest influencers, and with any luck they’ll re-pin your images. Then, sit back and watch the referrals come flooding in.
Competitions and other clever Pinterest tricks
Some companies are now running competitions on Pinterest. Cost Plus World Market, for example, is giving away $50 gift cards to fans and followers who best display its goods in themed pin boards. It’s likely that quite a few gift cards will be given away as it’s no huge sum – rather it’s more of a way to encourage viral sharing of its product images, and those all-important referrals. The great thing about Pinterest is, no matter how many times an image is pinned and re-pinned, the link to the source website is always preserved.
