Pinterest marketing has become a hot topic. In fact, Pinterest has been the website on everyone’s mind lately. Though it has recently created a lot of buzz, many marketers are still unaware of how important this website is becoming. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be offering a crash course in Pinterest, the marketing potential it offers and helpful tips to help you harness the power of this website for your own business.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a new social networking website, but it’s not like any other social networking site out there today. It offers users the ability to compile things they like and enjoy. Instead of printing out ideas, emailing yourself important information or even bookmarking sites you want to check out in the future, Pinterest offers you the ability to create virtual pinboards where you can keep and organize that information. Both images and videos can be posted on the website, whether it’s your own image or an image that bookmarks a URL online. Not only can you enjoy posting your own ideas and favorites, but you can follow others and see what others are posting as well.
The Rise of Visual Social Media
Within the past year, the web has started become a more visual place. All you have to do is look at how the design for Facebook has evolved and you’ll notice that visuals are becoming more important. Visual social media has become a top breakout trend this year and businesses are beginning to realize how important it is to show people their products instead of merely using text to market products.
The marketing thought of a couple years ago was that “content is king.” While content is still definitely an important part of a marketing plan, many are beginning to realize the worth of a single picture for marketing purposes.
Web users and their shifting habits have also influenced the visual social media trend. People are engaging with social media differently, often using pictures instead of typing, since so many are using smart phones and tablets. One study showed that social media site users find pictures the most engaging.
Pinterest grabbed onto the concept of visual social media before it became popular, and now the visual social network is beginning to explode in popularity. This has led to the emergence of Pinterest marketing, something that online marketers can no longer afford to ignore.
Basic Pinterest Terms to Know
Before delving deeper into the basics of Pinterest, you need to know and understand a few helpful terms that are used on this website. Here are a few of the basic terms to know:
– Pin – When you add an image or video on Pinterest, it’s called a pin.
– Pinning – The act of sharing visual content on the website is called pinning.
– Pinboard – A pinboard is where you can group and organize your pins by topic.
– Pinner – Someone sharing pins or visual content on the Pinterest website.
– Like – The like button allows you to like what someone else has pinned without pinning it yourself.
– Repinning – The act of pinning something that someone already pinned.
Why People Use Pinterest
It’s also important to realize why people are using Pinterest? Why is it so popular? Not only are people using this website socially, but they are using it for fun. People enjoy checking out new recipes, viewing funny pictures and checking out what their friends are pinning. Some keep up with current trends in fashion on Pinterest. The site is engaging and interesting, bringing users back again and again. Of course, savvy marketers are beginning to take advantage of the site as well, using it for branding, to drive website traffic and more.
Important Pinterest Statistics
To best understand the importance of Pinterest and why getting involved in Pinterest marketing is such a great idea, take a look at a few important statistics.
– Users spend an average of 15.8 minutes on Pinterest each time they use it.
– Better than 28% of users make more than $100,000 annually
– Approximately 68% of users are women.
– Half of all users have kids.
– Pinterest offers a higher percentage of referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.
– The amount of unique visitors has increased by 2700% since May of 2011.
These are just a few of the statistics that show the explosive growth of Pinterest and the incredible potential it offers marketers.
Make sure you check back for the next post in this series on Pinterest Marketing. We’ll be discussing all the benefits that Pinterest offers marketers. Don’t get left behind on this new marketing trend. Learn everything you can and start reaping the benefits of the visual social media trend.
[button url=”http://needanarticle.com/index2/pinterest-marketing-top-benefits-marketers-today/” target=”_self” size=”small” style=”royalblue” ]About Pinterest Marketing – Part 2[/button]