When you consider what Pinterest represents, it’s unsurprising that usage has soared during lockdown. A safe haven from the endless news cycle, full of light relief and inspiration for at-home projects. Tired of looking at your own four walls? Why not take a trip to interior heaven on Pinterest instead? Wedding postponed? There’s always more you could add to your Pinterest board.
In May, Pinterest’s global chief marketing officer said it was experiencing record levels of engagement with global searches up more than 60% year-on-year. Its user base is growing too. The platform revealed it has 367 million monthly active users in its Q1 2020 results, a 32 million increase since its Q4 2019 report.
But social usage has increased across the board this year – and Instagram has one billion monthly active users – so why should marketers pay attention to Pinterest?
Users have a future-focused mindset
Pinners are planners. They’re looking ahead to what they could to do, see and buy – and they’re keeping an open mind. 97% of the top searches on Pinterest are non-branded. That gives brands a great opportunity to showcase their products at this crucial stage, inspire Pinners and become part of that consideration.
Since so many are looking for inspiration and are ready to purchase, 85% of weekly Pinners have ended up buying something based on Pins they see from brands.
In a similar way to influencer marketing, Pinterest also gives brands access to niche customer segments. There is room for Pinners to explore every corner of their interests, however unusual, and a diverse range of boards are there to discover.
Maximise your Pinterest content’s value
While other social algorithms give content a fairly short life cycle, content on Pinterest can live on and on. Pins can be rediscovered by users indefinitely. So if you’re a brand investing in beautiful content, adding it to Pinterest will extend its life and maximise its potential. With minimal time investment from you.
But be warned, Pinterest, perhaps even more than Instagram, is home to some of the internet’s most beautiful imagery. Bland product shots simply won’t cut it. That’s why influencer-generated content feels particularly at home there. Creators with experience on the platform will understand the aesthetics that make a pin perform.
Even if you’re a brand with seasonal products, which may have sold out by the time someone re-pins your content, the potential for brand discovery is still valuable. As is the ability to drive a user to your website.
Powerful calls to action
While the platform offers ad options, even organic pins allow brands to effectively call users to action. You can include a link to your blog, website or e-commerce site on every pin and convert a browser to a buyer seamlessly.
In a recent interview, one of our influencers, @stylecuratorau, revealed that Pinterest drove more traffic to her website than any other social network. She said she had used the platform’s business analytics to hone her approach and understand what performed on the platform.
Growing number of ad options
Keen to make the most of its recent engagement audience, Pinterest has been rolling out ad options for brands. Pinterest ads look just like any other Pins, except they’ve been sponsored to receive extra exposure in relevant search results. You can target these by demographic, categories and interests, to ensure you’re getting the right eyes on your ads.
There are shopping ads, product pins, dynamic retargeting options and a Shop tab. To assist marketers using their suite of ad products, Pinterest released their 2020 advertising guide earlier this month
As is the case with any social media marketing investment, taking the time to identify whether your target customers are on that platform is an important first step. For Pinterest, the most significant percentage of users are women aged 24-35.
For the majority of brands already investing in influencer marketing, extending their strategy into the world of Pinterest should be a no brainer. It will give you an opportunity to extend the reach of the beautiful content you have already invested in and amplify your results.
Learn insider tips on how to use Pinterest to boost brand awareness, drive website traffic and sales in this webinar next Thursday 30 July, which you can register for here.
