At the heart of both Pinterest and Instagram is the experience users are responding to. What’s different about them is point of view.
If you think yours isn’t the kind of business that should be on Pinterest or Instagram, then it’s worth another look. Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google Plus, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined. As for Instagram, it was acquired by Facebook in 2012 and boasts 100 million active monthly users.
So it’s not really a question of whether your business should be using these social media platforms. The question is, should you use Pinterest, should you use Instagram, or should you use both?
Why Pinterest?
Every picture you pin to Pinterest can include a lengthy description, as well as a link to the web page of your choice. This includes product pages. So if a Pinterest user sees something they like, they can click-through and purchase the product on the spot. Plus, Pinterest users tend to spend 10 percent more on purchases than consumers who are referred from other sources.
Of course, yours may not be a product that you sell online. In that case, it’s simply a matter of including links to landing pages that will get users further along the path to conversion. A restaurant, for example, may pin pictures of their dishes, linking users to their menu.
In other words, if yours is a business that already has a catalog, product page, or menu, you need to be on Pinterest. Just be mindful that not all products are necessarily Pinterest-worthy on their own. For example, you’ll be far more successful pinning pictures of pretty bathrooms featuring your product than close-ups of the bathroom faucets you sell.
That said, it need not be a physical product you’re selling for Pinterest to work for you. It may be that you’re selling a service you can effectively showcase through pins that express an experience, feeling, or mood.
Note, be sure to sign up for a Pinterest for Business account.
Why Instagram?
The more consumers can sense from your company a human touch, the more they’ll be drawn to your product or service. Instagram is a great way of showcasing the human experience going on behind the scenes. While the photos you pin to Pinterest should be as polished as possible, Instagram users value candid glimpses into the lives of the people (and companies) they follow.
This is not to say you or your staff should use a company Instagram account to post personal pictures. However, it’s a great place to share pictures from office parties, events you host or attend, and fun pics captured doing “business as usual.”
If yours is a company with a storefront, you have even more photo-op potential. Provided you have permission from your customers, snap and post candids of people shopping, eating and, most importantly, having fun!
Why Both?
At the heart of both Pinterest and Instagram is the experience users are responding to. What’s different about them is point of view. Pinterest users see products or services they want to have or use. Instagram users see people with whom they want to connect (i.e., with whom they want to do business). What a winning combination if you can find a way to do both!
Do you need support for your social media marketing? CyberMark International can help. Contact Us for more information.
