How Pinterest is Influencing Today’s Communication

By Hannah Herreid, Media Relations Specialist, Business WireUsing social media platforms to tell your story is one of today’s best and most crucial tools for communications professionals in order to be part of a 24/7 global conversation. Now more than ever it is imperative to take advantage of the social features that are at your disposal. Every Business Wire press release that is distributed is ready for sharing on the top social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest. When an article, multimedia, or release is pinned on Pinterest, it lands on a platform that is quickly becoming known as a “conversion machine.”Pinterest has more than 100 million users who have contributed over 50 billion images, or “pins,” so it comes as no surprise that Pinterest has become one of the highest sources of conversions and traffic for e-commerce businesses.The platform allows users to curate virtual boards that show the world who they want to be and how they want to be perceived, but also helps assist pinners in planning for the future. Pinterest’s Michael Akkerman, Head of Marketing Developer Partnerships, states it best, “Pinterest is a future planning mechanism and a catalogue of ideas. Users curate what their nirvana is and retailers have the opportunity to play and win in that story.”Last month, Social Media Week-NY hosted a panel discussion, “Pinterest: From Inspiration to Conversion,” which offered tips, strategies and previewed the future of the platform. The panel, moderated by Adaptly President, Sean O'Neal, featured Akkerman and Warby Parker's Digital Marketing Director, Brian Magida. Here are the key takeaways for brands:KNOW THE MINDSET OF A PINNERThere are more mobile conversions through Pinterest than any other channel. Why? It's the purpose and reason users are there. Unlike Facebook and Instagram—where users are on the platform to view and interact with their friends and family—Pinterest is primarily used to engage with brands directly.A typical pinner’s path is to “discover, save, and do.” When a user signs onto the site to plan for the future, consumers are in what Akkerman refers to as the “consideration phase.” Whether pinners are planning a wedding, baby shower, DIY project, or simply researching recipes for dinner that night, pinners are more open to trying new things, making it is easier for brands to drive action.“The fact that users are searching and discovering more content is indicative of the platform,” said Michael Akkerman. During this “consideration phase,” Akkerman also noted that 72% of pinners say they find new brands on Pinterest that they wouldn't have found otherwise in their online searches. This provides ample opportunity for smaller companies and brands seeking to increase online visibility and engagement.SERVE RELEVANT CONTENTThe key to connecting with consumers is to focus on serving relevant content and to understand the planning cycle. Pinterest is largely a mobile-first app with a staggering 89% of pinners interacting with the site on a mobile device, as expressed by Akkerman. The good news is that Pinners are ready for action. According to Akkerman, 9/10 users that click on a pin and visit the brand’s website, convert that day. Consumers use Pinterest to find items to purchase, it’s what they are there for.SEO marketing is certainly not a thing of the past as it still adds up to around 60% of search results, however, a large portion of pinners have replaced search engines.Adaptly President Sean O’Neal argues that the old way of marketing was to look at platforms as solely social media channels. Instead, brands need to see the bigger picture and understand that similar to search engines, these platforms can help brands achieve many, if not all marketing goals.PROVIDE COMPELLING IMAGERYEarned media plays a huge role on Pinterest because organic and paid content offer the same value to pinners. 75% of the 50 billion pins currently on the platform come from brands directly. This includes brands posting on Pinterest or users pinning from the brand’s website. Each pin lives on the website forever regardless of whether they are organic or paid.Pinterest is a great tool for marketers to curate content directly to users. Not only does it provide awareness and easy discovery, but it delivers immediate action.  When it comes to press releases on Business Wire, having multimedia in your release encourages users to pin your images and engage directly with your brand. In addition, posting your multimedia to Pinterest with an embeddable URL to your release provides an easy way for users to click directly to your press release and learn more about your product.

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