Pinterest is an image sharing social media platform. While there are ways to handle images on other social media platforms such as Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest handles them a little different. Pinterest allows for long images or infographics. They also have a comment system so companies can engage users. In this article we will give you some information such as who is on Pinterest and how to use it for small business, along with some tips and tricks we have learned along the way.
There have been a number of studies on the users of Pinterest which are called Pinners. The studies have found that among active Pinners, 96% have used Pinterest to research and gather information, 93% have used Pinterest to plan for purchases, and 87% have purchased something because of Pinterest. The Pew research Center says that 28% of Internet users used Pinterest in 2014, which was up from 21% in 2013, with 42% of online women using the network. Men’s use is also on the rise — there are 75% more men on Pinterest in 2015 than there were in 2014 according to the Ahalogy 2015 Pinterest Media Consumption Study.
Pins largely represent brands and products. Pinners can help each other because, unlike other social networks, multiple people or companies can share boards. This means that each company can amplify its reach by the number of Pinners on a board. For example, I may have 500 followers and you may have 500 as well; if we add a third party with the same then we could have 1,500 followers for a board. Expanding your reach without having to pay for advertising. Companies can join together that may be similar but do not compete in some way. A boutique, for example, could join forcess with another one that serves a different geographic area.
To engage the users of Pinterest there are some general guidelines. Use high quality images or infographics. The users are looking at images often, so they will spot, and often ignore, low-quality work. Pin high quality images from your website. Each image can be uploaded from a computer or from a website. Once you upload it, an interesting thing happens, if any other pinner pins that same image you get credit; Pinterest adds a “via YourPinterestUserName” which links back to your profile, gaining some additional exposure. Small businesses can engage users by pinning new products or examples of works completed and then thanking others that repin it. Don’t forget to reply to every comment, that makes people happy and they are more likely to pin your product again. Happy Pinning!
