In a day and age where new social platforms emerge as often as Charlie Sheen says “winning,” it’s hard to tell right off the bat which ones will be successful, and in this industry- which ones will be worth a brand’s attention.
Pinterest- ‘Pin·trist,’ is slowly but surely taking social sharing and networking to a whole new level. The online pinboard (think cork boards where a smorgasbord of pictures, magazine clips, news articles, etc. are pinned) is growing as fast as Facebook was back in 2006- with 3.3 million users as of December, 2011.
The content collected on Pinterest has something for everyone, with home décor, crafts, fashion and food tending to dominate the boards. The platform is visually pleasing and simple to use. For instance- looking for the next vacation spot? Scour the traveling boards for pictures of exotic places to pin to your future bucket list of places to visit (check my own wishful thinking below).
An interesting trend to note is that Pinterest caught on with the DIY crafter, designer, artist and mommy crowd before the typical early tech adopters. Women constitute 70% of the 3.3 million U.S users, especially those in the 25-34 year old age demographic.
Data from Experian Hitwise shows that Boomers and Boomerangs, two groups characterized as baby boomers and young adults who are heavy web users that spend time on home and garden, sports and fitness, and family oriented websites are the most likely to visit Pinterest. This data is especially attractive to companies and brands wishing to post content that could be pinned and shared by Pinterest users.
Several brands have already taken to the site, most notably- Whole Foods, Nordstrom, The Travel Channel, TIME Magazine, Land’s End etc. But before brands jump in and begin pushing out their own content, it’s important for brand managers to understand the platform, and the way content is shared before pushing out brand messaging the same way they have on other social domains.
Pinterest is more of a hub to display brand personality- all in the up front. By compiling boards that are arranged to show the brand’s core values, they are in turn giving themselves a more personable and humanizing side. Chobani Yogurt takes this on with boards like “Nothing But Good” which is a compilation of motivational quotes they have pinned or their “Chobani Fit” board.
Besides running campaigns like Land’s End did with their “Pin it to Win It”, Pinterest doesn’t need constant attention like some other social platforms. Brands can keep engagement simple by repinning their followers or liking new content they come across. There are also opportunities to comment and create conversation on pinboards, especially if users are inquiring about where they can get their hands on your product.
And now- brands might have an added push to look into the boards. Last week, Facebook announced Pinterest as one of the 60 new apps that will work in conjunction with the site’s newsfeeds and timelines. Now, Facebook users will be able to see their friends’ pins via the ticker (similar concept as to what you now see when a friend is listening to a song on Spotify).
Below are some great articles for even further insight into the platform…And remember: “You’re not winning if you’re not Pinning,” (you know I had to after that intro…).
BrandChannel- #Pinning: Brands Get Pinteractive and Engaging on Pinterest
Business Insider: This Website Is Growing As Fast As Facebook Was in 2006
