If you do any reading in the social media marketing space on regular basis, you know there are a number of platforms that are often discussed.
And they all begin and end with the word: “Facebook.”
In all seriousness, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are probably the most discussed–with Facebook leading the way by a large margin.
Not surprising, right? Especially considering brand usage of these platforms, which looks like this (from a branding perspective, at least):
But what social network site is lowest on the chart above? Which isn’t even on the list I mentioned in the lead?
Which, in my view, is the least adopted and most under-utilized among the marketing crowd today?
Pinterest.
Now, why is that? I find that curious–don’t you?
After all, Pinterest is still growing at a pretty significant clip. And, they have big designs on that growth.
They’re continuously releasing new advertising products.
They’re a huge site for retailers.
Historically, Pinterest has done a fantastic job of driving traffic, often one of the Holy Grails of measurement for the modern marketer.
75 percent of Pinterest usage takes place on mobile devices.
It’s a long-tail network as pins generate engagement and traffic for YEARS–not minutes.
And, Pinterest often requires less time and effort than other more “high maintenance” social networks.
So again, why are fewer brands adopting Pinterest as a key social media tool?
I have a few theories:
1: Companies are still finding it tough to generate compelling visuals
Keep in mind that not every brand is like Oreo. Some brands struggle to create a consistent flow of good visuals. This is essential for Pinterest. Without visuals, there are no results. It’s a straightforward formula. I believe this is something that isn’t discussed much since many marketers or communicators might feel embarrassed to admit that their company can’t produce the visuals needed to thrive on social media today.
2: The Pinterest “talent gap”
Consider this perspective: Since fewer companies use Pinterest, there’s a ripple effect on talent. Less brand involvement means fewer people gain experience with the platform. This makes sense, right? Almost every brand is on Facebook now, so most people in the industry have some level of experience with Facebook ads, for instance. But Pinterest? That’s different. There are fewer individuals with hands-on experience managing brand pages and paid ads because fewer brands are using it. Plus, I suspect many of those who do have experience managing Pinterest for brands are working in agencies. So, that’s another factor to consider.
3: Engagement is sexier (and more public) than traffic
Pinterest doesn’t really have a “newsfeed”–at least not in the traditional sense. As a result, it’s not one of those networks where you can instantly see huge results and success (what my friend Greg Swan would call “Success Theater”). Bottom line: I think Pinterest is a bit “less sexy” than Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn and Twitter. With those other networks, you post something, amplify it and minutes to hours later, you’re seeing direct results. With Pinterest, you post a pic and it could be days, months or YEARS before it blows up and takes off in terms of likes, repins and comments. That’s just the nature of the network. But, I think that works against it when it comes to marketer and brand adoption.
So, what’s a brand marketer to do?
Let’s address there one by one in the order above:
1: Get serious–and creative–about visual content creation
Don’t have the resources or capabilities internally to generate visuals for Pinterest. Outsource! But, outsource efficiently. Maybe you hire a photographer for a half day and make a huge list of shots around 2-3 topics or products you want to feature. That means you’ll have hundreds of pics you can use for MONTHS to parse out on any number of boards. Or, what about working with influencers to create visual content for Pinterest? An idea I’ve long thought was wildly under-utilized. Remember, brands don’t hire influencers only for their reach–content creation should be a big part of the ask.
2: Get smarter–or outsource
Figure out a way to get smarter about Pinterest–or outsource it to an agency partner or solo. Like I said above, agency partners/solos often have more experience here because of the breadth of clients they work with. So, you can lean on them to do the work AND to help you get smarter on the platform long term. Win-win!
3: Reframe expectations
Time to pause and reset. If you’ve become engagement-crazed, step back and consider if Pinterest might help you achieve any of your overall marketing and communications goals (chief among them, traffic and engagement). Many of the brands I see doing well on Pinterest are actually seeing a lot of engagement–they just might not see it as quickly as they would on Facebook or LinkedIn.