The social networking site Pinterest has received a lot – A LOT – of mentions on the web and in the press over the last month or so. Does this mean you should add the platform to your social media marketing efforts?
It depends.
Like the rest of us, I am a bit burned out with keeping up with all the latest and greatest social networks while maintaining a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+. Offhandedly, while attending February’s SEMpdx educational event at AboutUS, I mentioned I was thinking of creating a policy not to adopt any new social platform until it had cleared some user hurdle– say 50 million or so.
The downside to that I miss marketing opportunities with platforms that align well with my business. If I am joining after all the other marketers, somewhere between early adopters and early majority, I may miss the chance to be the next Gary Vaynerchuk (The Wine Library) or the Blendtec (Will It Blend). Not only did their innovators/early adoption of YouTube bring in but loads of revenue, but also established their brands as the market leaders on those platforms. Think about the benefit to the brand of being cited in nearly every how-to book written about marketing on YouTube.
This idea – to be the case study on an up-and-coming platform – was one reason I suggested establishing a brand presence on Pinterest for Sprig Health, a Portland-based eCommerce startup aiming to be the Expedia of healthcare where shoppers can find the healthcare services they want at set prices without the hassles of insurance cards or not having insurance.
I met several members of the Sprig team at the 2012 SearchFest held last week at Portland’s Governor Hotel.
We had learned some interesting facts about Pinterest from SearchFest keynote speaker Eli Goodman, media evangelist at comScore, an online research firm.
Basically, when it comes to Pinterest, where there is smoke there is usually fire. Goodman predicts that Pinterest brand pages will begin appearing in the Top 10 results on Search Engines, similar to a branded presence on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. As Goodman said that means more potential shelf space for your business.
ComScore reported nearly 14 million people visited Pinterest in January, spending about 90 minutes on the site.
What impresses him about Pinterest is that it is an aspirational platform. Rather than telling our networks what we’ve eaten for breakfast (sorry Twitter), we can share with our networks the vision we have for ourselves or our businesses – we can use the site’s virtual pinboards to visualize the future we want.
On its blog, the company says, “Pinterest plays different roles for different people. People use Pinterest as a creative outlet, a place to connect with friends in new ways, a tool to plan important personal projects, and of course, a source of inspiration and discovery.
The site’s roots are in wedding planning for soon-to-be brides, decorating homes, or getting input on a new dress.
If those sound like interests catered to women, they likely are. Goodman reported that the platform’s largest demographic are 70 percent women, and mostly in the Midwest.
I don’t know enough about Sprig Health and its target markets (I have no relationship with the company or its employees), but I would guess that women play a big role in its target market. This may be the right platform the company, which launched last fall, to build its brand and get the word out about its offering. One of the challenges the company has had is getting mentioned by news media – though their story seems ripe for a press mention.
Don’t think that only businesses marketing to women should be using Pinterest. When asked what were among his favorite branded pages on Pinterest, Goodman said one was the U.S. Army.
In the end, whether you’re deciding to build a presence on Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest, the first question you need to ask is whether the platform is where your target market is congregating and having a conversation.