April 23, 2013 3.08 pm This story is over 131 months old

Benefits of Pinterest for brands

Getting social: It’s not just retailers that can benefit from Pinterest; businesses can use it as an effective marketing tool to engage and persuade customers too.

Over the last five years, the number of businesses using social media has risen enormously, with companies keen to showcase their brand and increase traffic to corporate websites.

This rise has seen the development of a number of new social sites, including Pinterest – an online pin board allowing users to share their likes and inspirations. The site has become a shopping sensation with millions of active users driving traffic and sharing purchases with friends.

Pinterest has become a shopping sensation with millions of active users driving traffic and sharing purchases with friends.

Pinterest has become a shopping sensation with millions of active users driving traffic and sharing purchases with friends.

But it’s not just retailers that can benefit from Pinterest, businesses offering services can use it as an effective marketing tool to engage and persuade customers.

So what can you do to maximise the benefits of Pinterest for your brand?

Showcase your products

Displaying products through interesting and engaging mood boards gives customers a shopping experience that can influence purchase behaviour. For example, a clothing brand may create different boards for occasions such as weddings or holidays, or be accompanied by accessories or locations to inspire customers into a purchase.

Build your brand identity

The images pinned on your board should represent the personality and values of your company. It should portray a lifestyle that customers can relate to. The images should be thought provoking and inspire customers to question how they can have this item and transform it into their reality – a Pinterest image should “sell the dream”.

Interact with customers

Pinterest is about creating conversations. It can be a powerful word of mouth tool – it generates interest in your company and gets people talking about all things relevant to the brand, with the opportunity for content to be shared virally amongst members.

However it is important to evaluate Pinterest’s target audience with your companies own market. Currently the primary audience is female, with the most popular topics relating to interior design, arts and crafts, fashion, food and gardening.

But what do you think? Does your company use Pinterest? Have you seen the business benefits, or are you loyal to the more traditional social sites?

Why not let me know your thoughts – drop me a line at [email protected] or tweet me at @lava_lisa.

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Lisa Yates is the design manager at Lava, an award-winning marketing agency in Lincoln.