Less than ten years old, Pinterest has rapidly grown from being a social site for “pinning” pretty pictures to a valuable marketing tool for businesses. With over 175 million registered users and 100 million active users, Pinterest offers businesses a huge platform from which they can promote their brand and services; the new Pinterest for Business makes the platform even more appealing to B2B marketeers.
Surprisingly, research shows that only 14% of businesses use Pinterest for B2B marketing. There is no doubt that the other 86% are missing a trick; as of September 2016, Pinterest is the second highest referrer of traffic to websites (second only to Facebook). Here we look at the ways in which your business can get the most out of the visual marketing revolution and how you can optimise B2B marketing via Pinterest and other visual networks.
The key to making the most of visual marketing is to establish the suitability of a platform to your business; a digital marketing agency will be able to offer you guidance on the different platforms and whether they have the potential to help you access your target audience. Once you have decided to take the leap into the magical, mysterious world of Pinterest, you need to consider three things: strategy, strategy and strategy. Ad-hoc pinning of pretty pictures may seem quick and easy but if you don’t take the time to plan and create a strategy, you could miss out on serious marketing potential.
- Set up. Look before you leap and, if in doubt, consult a proactive Digital Marketing Agency in London, who will be able to guide you through the process of setting up your account and talk you through the resources available in the Pinterest Business Centre. Make sure you install your “pin it” button on all pin-able content, including blogs and products, and your “follow me” button on the homepage and all correspondence. Link your account to all your other social media applications to make the most of your activity.
- Research. In-depth research on keywords, target audience and your competitors will help you to gauge how your community interacts with certain posts. Research is key to creating compelling, pin-able content and will help you to create boards and board titles that are engaging and search-friendly (creating a fantastic board with a great name is no use if no one can find it).
- Pinning. Don’t make your boards all about you; demonstrate your knowledge and commitment to your industry by pinning from other sources that will help engage your target audience. There are a few basics to pinning that will stand you in good stead: check your source if you are using external images, credit your source, and watermark all your original content. These three rules will help you to maintain your integrity and ensure that, wherever your pins end up, they are still promoting your brand.
- Interact. While Pinterest is starting to flourish for B2B marketing, it is still a sociable platform! Occasional pins alone won’t help you to grow your brand; your Pinterest account needs to be properly managed so that your account follows, comments, replies and generally builds a good rapport with your target online community.
Pinterest presents a unique opportunity to showcase your products and services, but, more importantly, it allows you to show, at a glance, your story, your commitment and your innovation. Join the visual marketing revolution and see how it benefits your business.
