It’s hard to deny the widespread appeal of social media phenomenon Pinterest. With 53 million users in the U.S. alone and climbing, Pinterest has established itself as the place to post, find and share ideas.
Though Pinterest is certainly a large company, small business owners can learn some marketing lessons from the social media giant. Take a look at a few:
Visuals Sell
Imagine if Pinterest had been launched as a platform where people could type the text of ideas that they wanted to share. Envision a board with random words about ideas for your kitchen remodel, or a list of healthy lunch ideas for kids, or even paragraphs describing the latest fashion trends for fall. Doesn’t sound like a social network you would join, does it? Yeah, me either. The same is true of any small business communications. There is a place for descriptive writing, but whenever you are able to use a visual to tell your story, do it. Visuals are transmitted to the brain 60,000 times faster than text alone – so use them whenever you can!
Shareable Content is Valuable
It is not enough to provide quality information that your consumer base appreciates; it should be so compelling that they want to share it with others. Think of how easy Pinterest has made this concept for its users. When something strikes your fancy on someone else’s board (even a business board), you simply re-pin it and then all of your followers can see it too. Look for ways to apply this concept to all the content your business produces. In some cases, niche material is what you want to deliver to separate yourself from competitors; but try to cast a wider net on occasion and reach a more general audience with your business message and expertise. Make it very easy for your content to be shared through social buttons on your blog, website, and social media accounts.
Strategy Matters
If Pinterest gave every member just one board and told users to just pin whatever they wanted, willy-nilly, the end result would be a jumbled mess of content with no rhyme or reason. Instead, Pinterest organizes information in ways that make it easy to find what you are looking for and to organize your own pins easily. This idea should translate to how you present your own company information too. Make sure you have a communications plan that focuses exactly on what you want to say in a concise manner, and use multi-channel approaches to deliver. Without the right plan and a focused method, your company messages risk becoming overwhelming, confusing, and ineffective.
What large business marketing tactics have you adapted for your small business?
Image via Shutterstock
Business Articles | Business 2 Community
(439)
