Dallas, Texas (Dallas Internet Marketing Company) — According to leading digital research company ComScore, Pinterest, the relatively new virtual pinboard site, attracted almost 18 million unique visitors during February 2012. Named by TechCrunch as the best new startup of 2011 and listed by Time Magazine as among its 50 Best Websites for the same year, it’s understandable, if not inevitable, that business users are seeking ways to tap into the site that drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.
Marketing specialist Jay Ehret believes that, regardless of industry, success on Pinterest depends on three main factors: pinning interesting and shareable content, having products that can be presented visually and being able to devote enough time to marketing. It has to be seen like any other business activity with sufficient time scheduled to garner the desired results. An estimated 70% of Pinterest users are female, so businesses who sell products that appeal to women, or who can find innovative ways to make their product attractive to the female demographic, are likely to fare well.
To achieve success using Pinterest, small businesses should seek to provide visually pleasing pinboards using quality images of their products or content that is someway related to their offering. It’s a concept that works particularly well for the likes of restaurants and beauty salon owners whose products can be readily and often beautifully captured. Another example of where Pinterest is strong is the example of a small craft company who may have a strong local following and wish to expand into mail order; Pinterest is the perfect platform to showcase designs and extend the reach of a small company. There’s a good reason the handmade marketplace Etsy is the most pinned brand on the site. Even small businesses in a slightly less glamorous industry such as plumbing can inject a little creativity to come up with attractive pinboards.
Joining Pinterest offers businesses a greater degree of visibility among an audience that numbers in the millions. Small business owners, in particular, are in a unique position to build their brand and drive interest in their products and services using this platform. The fact that it is free to join and relatively easy, if a little time-consuming, to maintain is a huge driver for those seeking to optimize the effectiveness of their social media integration and marketing strategies.
Sources
Digital Buzz: Video Infographic: Pinterest Statistics & Facts
Small Business Computing: A Guide to Pinterest for Small Business
The New York Times: What Small Businesses Should Know About Pinterest
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