Pinterest mania is sweeping the nation. One might even call in “Pinsanity” although that would be a lame joke, so don’t. You can call it “Jeremy Pin.” Then it’s a meta joke. By the time you read this it may not even make sense anymore. See, there was this basketball player named Jeremy Lin. He did well when no one expected to and everyone referred to it as “Linsanity” because everyone makes bad jokes and terrible puns…
Anyway, moving on. Pinterest’s popularity is astounding right now, and whenever any social media website achieves success, the first question most companies ask is “how can we take advantage of this website’s popularity for our own personal gain?”
The Likelihood of Pinterest Marketing
Pinterest marketing is certainly possible. Any website that allows you to easily share photos and images at the click of a button is one that has the potential to help you market your website or products. But before you decide to break into the Pinterest world, there are several things you need to know:
- Demographics
Pinterest has very specific demographics: Women that love crafts and/or photos of crafts and/or clothes and/or romantic pictures. Most are between the ages of 18 and 40ish. Pinterest’s popularity may be huge, but at the moment this isn’t the kind of place where the manufacturers of Axe Body Spray will market their goods. The products and companies need to be attractive to women. This may change over time, but for now it’s important you realize your company may not be right for this market.
- Pretty
What you market needs to be visually pretty. Photos are and always will be the most important part of Pinterest, which means you’ll need to take lots and lots of high quality photos, make sure they’re well cropped, edited, etc. Once again, this is going to limit the potential for a lot of companies. Exterminators probably aren’t going to find much success with Pinterest.
- Visually Interesting
Beyond pretty images, the photos have to have a purpose. Pinterest is about pinning and repinning things that interest you. For example, a bracelet you want to make or a wedding dress you want to buy. Sometimes funny images or cute images make the rounds, but in general the products you market or images you use need to be of subjects that draw the curiosity or emotion of the viewer.
Using Pinterest to Market Your Business
Don’t let this discourage you. Pinterest marketing is absolutely possible, and potentially a great tool for branding. Makeup companies can provide makeup tutorials, and use images of women with perfect, interesting makeup to attract pins. Companies that sell Mp3 players can use a professional photographer to capture an intimate and attractive moment between a couple, with a subtly placed Mp3 device somewhere in the room as a way of branding the product.
All of this is possible, but all of this is difficult. Pinterest marketing may evolve as Pinterest evolves, but remember that Pinterest is not for every company, and your ability to achieve success with your Pinterest marketing (especially in terms of cost/benefits) is slim.
