Three Things You Need to Leap Into Pinterest

As marketers ponder what to do with Pinterest, a few leading companies are reaping considerable traffic and sales from the emerging platform, now one of the most popular social media channels for women 25-54. There’s a debate going on as to whether B2C companies in the consumer goods space are the only beneficiaries of this growth, or whether B2B and services companies can also leverage it. Colleagues across the country are weighing in, with some B2B firms finding that there’s value there for all. The debate over whether to join Pinterest or not, whether it’s relevant or not for your industry, misses something of the point: companies do well on the channel if they resonate with the core audience. Industry is less important than finding a niche that’s fresh, relevant, and works in the unique universe of Pinterest.

Regardless of industry, there are a few things every great Pinterest page has in common:



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Passion-Pinterest is the community for hobbyists and enthusiasts of all stripes, from quilters to knitters to graphic design fans. You need to share your audience’s enthusiasm if you’re going to connect on a visceral, meaningful level. It’s better to pin what you’re passionate about than to devote hours to pinning content that is purely meant to make a sale. Find your company’s niche, one you can geek out on, whether that’s a pinboard of great fonts for a creative agency, financial infographics for a bank, or social media quotes.
Quality-Pinterest’s community, more than any other, is quite vocal about wanting to keep the channel free from promotional content. Sure, you may see pins that are not of any interest to you, but that’s part of the charm of the channel—it’s all about niche passions and individual creativity. Pins of high quality, meaning something that’s meaningful, visually compelling, and professionally-produced, attract thousands of repins. Make sure your images are truly appealing. For consumer products, it’s essential to invest in professional photography and perhaps even a photo stylist. For services, top graphic design quality is a must. Spammy content gets voted off the Pinterest island very fast.
Fun-For a channel that focuses on the creative side of life, it’s essential for companies to bring fun to the table. Contests that encourage interaction among brand advocates, great images, and personable comments need to be the order of the day on Pinterest. Again, it hearkens back to the idea of passion—choose topics for your boards that you truly can engage with, and don’t be afraid to exercise creativity in how you position products and services. This is a new, experimental channel for many companies, with few hard and fast rules. Your audience is on Pinterest for recreation, so facilitating that fun is a great way to win loyal followers.

Putting these three keys to Pinterest into play is the essence of making it work for marketers.