Pinning is my Social Busy-ness
Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn is old school. For a lot of social media marketing professionals, Pinterest is the newest favourite! Well, what makes this new entrant so special? Why has Pinning become so interesting and important to brands & digital marketing companies? Let’s start from the start!
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. It lets you collect all the things you love without thinking about the price tag! So you can have one image board with the world’s most expensive diamonds; one board of your most desired gadgets; one image board dedicated to everything about your dream house; and the list can go on and on. Pinterest lets you express your needs and feelings through images; and show the world the different facets of your personality; and allows you to connect with people who share similar interests.
Why is it so important for brands?
Images have an inherent virality about them; something that text, no matter how well-written, can never replace. People or customers are always more likely to share images than share a piece of written content. A picture speaks a thousand words; and Pinterest gives brands the opportunity to speak volumes!
What can brands do on Pinterest?
Use images to tell their brand story, share infographics related to their business, connect with customers by sharing what their customers find most interesting. Adding images to Facebook albums and then sharing them on other social networks can get quite tedious, but Pinterest lets you combine all the albums into one; under various Pinboards; and also add links to them if they are from your personal website or blog. It helps drive traffic to your blog or website. This is particularly true in case of recipes; as pinners get interested enough to read and know more after seeing deliciously fabulous food pictures that attract their attention. Pinterest also helps in brand promotion; which is an integral objective of digital marketing strategy.
Sharing pictures on Facebook and Twitter has always been important because of the sheer reach in terms of numbers; but with millions of new pinners added every week, Pinterest is definitely gaining ground as the new channel of connecting people all over the world, based on shared tastes and interests.
How is Pinterest placed with respect to the other social media networks?
Till recently Pinterest was like a new kid on the block, but recently it has jumped over the other members of the social media bandwagon to reach Number 3 on the social network charts! No wonder then that pinning has now become the new social busy-ness for every brand and for almost every digital marketing agency. With a huge tribe of almost 10 million users and pinners, Pinterest is helping a whole lot of people connect to those with similar tastes & interests.
Why do I love Pinterest?
It’s as addictive as coffee! And it’s actually fun! Pinterest lets me be self expressive, drives curiosity, is anti boredom, and it gives relevance to different community dashboards. As a social media professional; I love it because it drives engagement, and creates a lot of attention & buzz for brands; something every social media agency strives for!
What are some of Pinterest’s pitfalls?
Here are some of the issues that Pinterest comes with:
- There is no tracking or analytics within Pinterest
- Websites can block Pinterest
- Only the last 10 repins can be shown because Pinterest doesn’t approve of repin history
But its cons notwithstanding, Pinterest really gives you full freedom to live in the imaginary world! You can plan the most beautiful wedding dress, design your house with exquisite home décor, and virtually live your dream! So I’ve accepted Pinterest with open arms and pinning has now become my new addictive social busy-ness!
Are you also busy pinning away to glory? What are your thoughts on the future of Pinterest? Will it make its mark in the face of social media giants like Facebook and Twitter? Do share your thoughts!
Abhishek is a part of the Ethinos search team and helps client with various search techniques.
what do you think?