Pinterest, the newest darling of social media, is no secret to individuals with a passion for home decorating, recipes, fashion, and more. We wrote about it back in September, as many of our bloggers were embracing the platform for personal use. With its recent explosion in unique monthly visitors, we now know that Pinterest has valuable legs for consumer and brand engagement.
In exploring branded content on Pinterest, it is clear that some brands are rocking it, while others either aren’t suited for the platform and its demographic, or have yet to develop clear intention and personality. If I were recommending Pinterest to a brand, here are some of the ”best practices” that I would suggest following:
1. Create a personality beyond your product.
Brands that are highly engaging are brands that go beyond repurposing online content for Pinterest. A brand’s boards shouldn’t read like pages out of a catalog or magazine. Jack Rogers reflects some of the brands personality traits in boards like {america, the beautiful}, {nautical but nice}, and {just jacqueline} (as inspired by Jackie O).
2. Organize content for different types of consumers.
One of the differentiating qualities of Pinterest over other social platforms is the consumer’s ability to pick and choose which boards to follow. By organizing content with consumers in mind, brands have the ability to target niche audiences. Real Simple has created boards for family, weddings, and books, among many others - and followers have the option to view just the content that appeals to them.
3. Pin fan content.
Pinterest allows two-way communication between brands and consumers. Lilly Pulitzer, an early adopter of the platform, repins brand-inspired images on their Creative Lilly Lovers board, encouraging followers to share their own creations.
4. Offer insights on your products.
DIY and recipes find success on Pinterest by using an image to pique interest and encourage click-through to instructions and more information. Brands like Whole Foods Markets create an experience for followers by posting images of recipes to make using their foods, while still organizing the content in a visually appealing manner.
As Pinterest evolves and grows, it will be interesting to see how brands maintain active boards and create new and interesting content. Are you on Pinterest? What are your personal best practices?
-Heather