People are visual creatures. Most likely the first thing that caught your eye was the picture accompanying this post. Over the past year there has been a lot of hype over Pinterest, the social image sharing sight.
The numbers say it all: last April Pinterest became the third largest social networking site, daily users visiting the site have increased 145 percent since 2012 and the conversion leads from Pinterest are better than traffic from Google Image Search.
For B2C companies the allure and usefulness of Pinterest for business is undeniable. Clothing companies, restaurants, jewelers etc., all can capitalize on the visual component of their products. Yet how can B2B companies get in on the action?
In a post by Social Media Examiner, author Mitt Ray lists 7 tips for B2B companies to use Pinterest. Here are my three takeaways:
1. Show you’re an industry expert
Post pictures that link to relevant articles and white papers. Pin and re-pin infographics and images with interesting statistics related to your business. Use the data and articles to link back to your services and product.
2. Create a community
Just like any social media site, it’s about give and take. Follow interesting pinners, other businesses in your industry and interact with them. If you re-pin someone’s picture, they’re much more likely to take a look at your boards, and maybe even your product or services.
3. Have a bit of fun
Pinterest is the opposite of stuffy and boring. Create boards that relate to your product, but don’t forget to create fun ones too! For example, General Electric has a board called “Badass Machines.” WordWrite has a board titled “cuteness to get you through the day.” Pinterest is all about creative, colorful material.
Many B2B companies have had lead success with Pinterest. Hubspot notes that “our visitor-to-lead conversion rate for Pinterest has been nearly double than that for Google+: 16 percent from Pinterest vs. 8.4 percent from Google+.”
As a B2B company, is it absolutely necessary to be on Pinterest? No, but it’s something to consider. The moral of the story is that Pinterest is here to stay, and perhaps it’s time to consider the positives of pinning.
Interested? Check out WordWrite’s Pinterest. Still not sold on social media for a B2B company? Check out our 6 reasons why it makes sense.
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Caia Caldwell is an assistant account executive at WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter at @CaiaMaria
