According to the latest B2B Marketing Social Media Benchmarking Report, the most popular social media platform for B2B marketers is Twitter, followed by LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook. Noticeably missing from the list is one of the fastest growing social media platforms: Pinterest.
When most marketers think of Pinterest, they think of it as a great tool for reaching consumers. The visual nature of the platform lends itself well to consumer goods and other tangible objects – from the latest technology and consumer gadgets to ideas for your garden.
However, this doesn’t mean B2B companies should feel locked out of Pinterest, which according to comScore grew from 17.8 million users in February 2012 to 48.7 million users in February 2013.
A recent Vocus webinar led by Jennifer Evans Cario, “Pinterest: Marketing’s New MVP,” further explored Pinterest’s growing importance in the marketer’s toolbox. Bottom line: Despite Pinterest’s bent toward consumers, the platform can still serve as an effective tool for B2B marketers to reach decision makers.
During the webinar, Jennifer cited Constant Contact as an example of a B2B company that has successfully harnessed the power of Pinterest. The company – which helps small business, associations and nonprofits connect with their target audiences through email and online campaigns – currently has 78 active boards, more than 3,480 pins and more than 7,600 followers.
How does a company that primarily works though email and online create a visually rich page? By creating and sharing content that will help decision makers do their jobs.
If you’re considering Pinterest for your B2B business and need a jump start, here are some content ideas for your business page that we gathered from the Vocus webinar and our observations of other Pinterest business pages:
Create graphics. It isn’t always possible for a photo to capture your B2B company’s products. To get around this, create graphics, infographics and screenshots related to your product. Post these on your company blog to drive traffic back to your website. You should also consider pinning/sharing graphics and images from other sources that complement or are related to your products and industry.
Share research. Whether it’s your own or from other sources, research can help educate and inform decision makers about issues relevant to your products and industry.
Post articles. Articles about your company and your industry, which are often accompanied by an image or graphic, can also be of interest to decision makers.
Think out of the box. From tips to help decision makers do their jobs better to motivational quotes, most anything that is relevant and that could be of remote interest to your target audience is great content for your Pinterest page.
Even if you’re still undecided about Pinterest and whether it’s right for your business, at Communiqué PR we counsel many of our clients to claim their business page now. Should marketing or social media priorities change, your company name is secured and you’ll prevent someone else from claiming your name.
Is your B2B company on Pinterest? Share your tips for getting up and running on Pinterest in the comments below.