Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing social networks in the world. Sahra Kristina Herberger works as a social media manager at the Cologne agency Webmatch. On SocialMedia-Blog.Net she reports on her experiences with the social network:
Clearly defined target group
The target group is clearly defined: Pinterest tends to be a women’s portal – the majority of users are between 25 and 45 years old. All the better for companies that are interested in this target group. There is no other platform on which women can be reached as specifically as on Pinterest. In contrast to Facebook, more users connect with companies on Pinterest: while Facebook lags with 24%, Pinterest manages a full 43%. Another advantage of Pinterest is its high virality: 80% of all pins are repins because users collect other users’ pins on their boards. These repins increase the number of links on a website.
No Fear of Shitstorms
Since Pinterest mainly pins images, there is very little text. Comments on pins are rare. As soon as images are liked, they are repinned and liked. If you don’t like an image, it is very unlikely that a negative comment will be posted. So far, Pinterest has not been the subject of any shitstorms or negative discussions. Of course, before deciding to use Pinterest, you need to analyze whether the network is even suitable for a company as part of its social media strategy. One important criterion is content: If you already have high-quality images and videos on your website and blog, it would naturally make sense to use these for a Pinterest channel as well.
If your target group is a good fit for Pinterest and the channel can be integrated into your social media strategy, Pinterest is a promising platform for good content marketing. Another argument is that Pinterest’s social media marketing is still in its infancy. So far, Pinterest campaigns can be counted on one hand. So if you start now, it will be easier to win over the channel and thus customers before other companies step on the gas and the competition increases.
Nothing works without planning
On Pinterest, as with other channels, planning is key. Social media editorial plans can be an excellent tool for this: How much material do you have available? How many boards do you want to fill with a specific topic? In his Pinterest Guide, Andreas Werner recommends starting with five boards to generate your first fans. Important: These five boards should look professional and make a good impression. Andreas Werner recommends posting 30 images in six steps throughout the day, and not all at once. It is also important to follow other accounts once or twice a week to gain followers who will spread your content. It is also advisable to document successful pins. This way, more and more of these images can be pinned over time. The more active users are, the greater the chance of improving customer loyalty. Contests or inviting users to express their opinions through images are suitable ways to achieve this.
Pinterest can be a promising channel for companies
If the company’s main target group is female, or if this target group is to be addressed more in the future, it is certainly advisable to think about using Pinterest as part of the social media strategy. Especially when it comes to capturing an attitude to life in pictures, posted pictures of employees make an enormous contribution to the company being perceived as authentic. The user has the opportunity to see who is behind a company, and what is behind the brand. This can make it transparent whether the attitude to life communicated externally, which is packaged in pictures by Pinterest, also applies internally, or whether it ends at the company gates.