Pinterest’s useful features and it’s growing popularity make it an essential tool that should be utilised in your social media marketing strategy.
During the quarter ending in June, Pinterest boasted 300 million active users a month, a 30% rise compared to the previous quarter.
Pinterest users have pinned 175 billion items on 3 billion virtual boards, and these figures will continue to grow. While many in digital marketing have a habit of dismissing the platform as a second rate social media network, it’s coming up in the world. It is more important than ever to utilise social media to market your business, but you need to be smart about it as the landscape is changing.
With the introduction of unpredictable algorithms on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, an increasing number of businesses are including Pinterest in their social media marketing strategies to attract customers, and it’s working.
So, what is Pinterest?
If you’re not familiar with the platform, Pinterest works like a virtual pinboard. Users can create various boards and pin posts onto it. Like Instagram, it is visually focused, but unlike Instagram, links are enabled. No more of this ‘link in bio’ talk. A pin is made up of an image and a link to the original destination of the image.
Individuals are drawn in by images of items that they would like to purchase, and when clicked, the image leads them directly to a website where they can buy the items. This makes the platform a haven for marketers, one that many have left untapped.
Pinterest has 300 million monthly users
The platform reported hitting 300 million monthly users for the first time during the quarter ending in June 2019, which is a massive 30% increase from the same period a year earlier. Not only does it have millions of users, but it is also global in its nature as 80% of new sign-ups came from outside of the United States. This is excellent news for your brand. Pinterest opens up a route to reach new customers, both local and international.
Pinterest significantly influences buying decisions
In the US, 21% of Pinterest users between the ages of 18 and 24 said that Pinterest had a significant influence on what they bought online, compared to 18% on Instagram and Facebook, and 13% on Twitter.
Clearly, the platform is influential to consumers. Including Pinterest in your social media marketing strategy could mean that you increase sales without spending an extra penny.
Pinterest is popular with women
In the US, Pinterest reaches 83% of all women aged 25 to 54. This is an important statistic to keep in mind if your brand’s target audience is women. In a blog post, Pinterest called these users ‘the Deciders.’ These women between the ages of 25 and 54 are responsible for 80% of buying decisions, and the content that they see on Pinterest influences these decisions heavily.
The Deciders see the platform not just as a form of social media, but a virtual and visual space where they can plan their future. If your marketing strategy is heavily visual, Pinterest is one of the best platforms to use to showcase your products in a way that will appeal to your target audience. The Deciders invest in what they are passionate about.
The power of millennials
It’s no secret, millennials are hooked on social media. Half of millennials use Pinterest every single month, and they aren’t using it passively.
When it comes to social media purchasing, Pinterest leads the way with millennials. In fact, 47% of respondents in a social commerce study said that they had purchased something online after pinning it. This is a 9% increase on Facebook and a 14% increase on Instagram.
If your brand’s target audience includes millennials, Pinterest needs to be included in your social media strategy.
People are spending longer on Pinterest
Unlike other social networks, you may have a better chance of grabbing your target customers attention on Pinterest. According to Facebook, people spend an average of 1.7 seconds looking at a piece of content, and younger people swipe two times faster than older generations.
Facebook content is easy to swipe past. The average time spent on Pinterest by its users has risen to 14.2 minutes per session, and users seem to use Pinterest more mindfully. They are two times more likely to say that their time was well spent when using the platform compared to their time spent on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Instead of scrolling endlessly through a news feed full of random content, Pinterest users are more likely to research a topic that they are actively interested in, and as a result, they will engage with the results. If you use the correct tags and make your content eye-catching, people will interact with your Pinterest content. Content interactions mean clicks, and clicks can lead to purchases.
Just keep Pinning
Clearly, Pinterest is not a platform that should be left out of your social media marketing strategy. Using the platform effectively will increase your sales and create brand awareness online. 82% of weekly Pinterest users have made a purchase based on content they saw on the platform.
The numbers speak for themselves! Pinterest users are there to be inspired, and they are waiting to discover and interact with new content that will enrich their lives.
