Sam Stein is a graduate of SapientNitro’s Spring 2012 Marketing and Strategy Internship program. In this blog, he shares how brands can benefit by using Pinterest:
Only a two-year-old startup out of Silicon Valley, Pinterest, an addictive social networking site in which users, or “Pinners,” collect and share images on digital pinboards, has set the social media world on fire and has everyone wondering if it’s the next Facebook.
Pinterest’s explosion in popularity is closely linked to our emerging societal trend to organize and share the things we are interested in. Brands have recognized this trend but have yet to understand what it means for their business and how they can take advantage of it. Here are five reasons why brands should integrate Pinterest into their social platforms:
1) Augment Effectiveness Through Design Simplicity
The Pinterest website design supports an excellent user experience through its cognitive load minimization – essentially, a reduction in the mental effort required to do what the site wants the user to do. Its website allows users to collect and share content through images, which is easier to consume than text-based content. This makes consuming Pinterest content easier to understand and use, which leads users to engage in desirable consumption behavior.
2) Empower Consumer-Curated Content
The rise of social media has emboldened consumers to demand a more curated shopping experience in which they drive what they consume and brands are there to inspire them, not sell them. Pinterest is unique in that it allows users to capture and collect inspiring images from the web. By pining web content and repackaging it within the context of their digital pinboards, Pinterest users are creating content. This curation of public content creates tremendous value among Pinterest users by providing inspiration from like-minded consumers, which leads to the point of sale organically.
3) Help People Discover New Things To Consume
Current social networking sites make it easier for users to talk to each other and share, but not necessarily on the platform where consumers are trying to buy. In contrast, users join Pinterest with the hope of finding inspiration to consume. Common boards include “dresses I love,” “places to go,” and “stuff for kids,” indicating that users engage Pinterest as a source for finding things they want.
4) Increase Website Traffic
The “Pin It” button is inherently simple in that it allows users to save their findings and refer to it later within a user-generated categorization. The addition of a “Pin It” button to brand websites would allow Pinterest users to add brand images to their digital pinboards while leaving a link back to the brand’s website for other Pinners to see and use. If Pinterest users are encouraged to pin things from the brand’s website, the site could see a significant increase in traffic.
5) Amass Relevant Consumer Insights
“Repinned” or reposted content allows Pinterest users to express interest in an item and place it within one of their digital pinboards. This action reveals their tastes and preferences within a consumer framework, which provides unparalleled insights into consumer behavior. The act of “Repinning” reveals who inspires users, what inspires users, and how users consume this inspiration.
|
|
|
 |
About the Author Sam Stein is a graduate of SapientNitro’s Spring 2012 Marketing and Strategy Internship program. He graduated this past May with degrees in Economics and Political Science from Emory University. When he is not relentless digging up consumer insights, Sam enjoys playing tennis, watching Jim Carey movies, and grabbing a craft beer. |
|
|
|
-
Semi
