Using Pinterest to Target the Female Audience
Pinterest, the social media platform that shot to fame for an aesthetically pleasing pinboard style layout, has seen phenomenal interest from female Internet users. Although estimates vary as to the percentage split, with some sites reporting that the user base is upwards of 90% female, Google AdPlanner statistics show that women account for 79% of U.S. users as of May 2012. Whichever figure rings true for you, it’s a trend that falls in line with the majority of findings from social research and Pinterest undoubtedly offers an excellent opportunity to target female buyers.
According to Curt Finch, Founder and CEO of Journyx, Businesses can use two specific tactics to target women on the Pinterest platform. The first method is the fairly simple directive to showcase products or services that hold a traditional appeal to women. Undoubtedly, this will be easier for some firms than others. Popular categories on the site include gifts, crafts, food, holidays and seasonal events, so firms that can somehow fit their marketing efforts into those niches are going to do well. That’s not to say that if your company doesn’t fit neatly into those boxes, you can’t make an impact. It might be that you have to focus on an aspect of your offering that does appeal and leave the rest of your message to be played out on other more suitable platforms.
The second tactic to effectively target women is to put direct selling and self-promotion on the back burner and instead focus on building relationships with the female audience by connecting your personal interests with theirs. Pinterest is about personality, so if you concentrate on enhancing your likeability on the platform through common interests, you may just find that you attract custom from the unlikeliest of places. Throwing up a bunch of links to your site is not really what Pinterest is about, so smart companies will take the time to get involved and build a presence that female users want to be part of.
Pinterest offers an enviable chance to see things through the eyes of your potential buyers; an intimate and incredibly visual look into their likes and dislikes. However you tweak your approach, it’s important to get onboard. Pinterest is the fastest growing social network ever, so there’s every likelihood your competitors have already started to make a name for themselves. Get involved now. These things take time to build properly, so there is little point in delaying the process.
Sources
Mashable: How Pinterest’s Female Audience is Changing Social Marketing
http://mashable.com/2012/02/28/pinterest-women-marketing/
Google AdPlanner
https://www.google.com/adplanner
