Social media is the marketplace of today and every day is a market day there. Depending on what you sell and who you sell it to, you have probably explored most of the more popular social media platforms available today.

But while Facebook, Instagram and co., might be the biggest names in the social media space, there are some smaller platforms that are just as audience-rich and maybe even more conducive to niche audiences. A perfect example of this is Pinterest. 

What is Pinterest

Pinterest is a social media platform for discovering and sharing images—called “pins”. Users can view pins and create collections of them, called “boards”, which can then be shared to the public. Boards are usually dedicated to a single theme like food or animals, and serve as collections of ideas.

The company also has an advertising service; Promoted Pins, which allows creators’ exposure to an audience that might be interested in their work. Pins can also link to external websites.

The majority of Pinterest users are interested in one creative field or the other, and the platform is often described as a “visual search engine for good ideas”. Though Pinterest might not be as popular as the larger social networks, it still boasts a sizable audience of over 400 million monthly active users.

What type of people use Pinterest?

● Millennial women: 77.1% of Pinterest users are female, and 80% of American moms use the platform. This makes Pinterest a great place for fashion and grocery brands to build a loyal following.

● Regular buyers: 89% of users are actively searching for purchase inspiration, and Shoppable Pins are a great way to showcase your products. Even better, 85% of the Pinterest community have bought something they saw on the platform, so you are bound to increase sales.

● High income earners: 49% of US users earn over $100,000 a year, so they are more likely to spend on items they discover on Pinterest.

What companies should use Pinterest?

According to the company’s website, Pinterest helps its users discover, collect and share ideas. Artists, fashion designers and curious shoppers—basically anyone looking for inspiration from the work of others—make up most of the community, so if your businesses offer products or services aimed at this market, then you should use Pinterest for your marketing campaigns.

These brands are already using Pinterest

Many big consumer brands have realized the huge potential of Pinterest, and have used engaging visuals and exciting content to reap rewards from the site’s users. Here are a few great examples:

1. Ice.com

Ice.com is an online jewelry store that deals in designer rings, earrings, and necklaces.

The company’s Pinterest page features an assortment of gems and earrings featured prominently against a plain background, as well as simple fashion advice that accentuates its products. It also gives information on special offers and discounts available on the company’s website and showcases partnerships with other brands.

As of this writing, the brand’s Pinterest page has about four thousand followers. You can visit their page here.

2. Minted.com

The popular design marketplace company Minted is right at home on Pinterest, and it creates content geared towards the platform’s artistic and creative audience. 

Minted operates a crowdsourcing model where designers submit their ideas on the website, and visitors get to vote on the best work. The winning concepts will be made and sold by Minted; the designer earns a cash prize and a commission from the sale of their work.

On Pinterest, the company creates boards showcasing different designs and ideas its community has come up with, and also offers useful products and information that users might like. Its Pins highlight the high-quality design-driven nature of the company and are often themed.

Minted had a significant audience on Pinterest—over two hundred thousand followers. Check out their page for some useful tips.

3. Warby Parker

The American eyewear retailer Warby Parker sells most of its products online, so it is familiar with the social media landscape and, of course, Pinterest.

Warby Parker’s Pins feature the brand’s frames and lenses on models in everyday situations, as well as some single shots of the frames. It uses vibrant shades and bright backgrounds to highlight its products. It also posts pictures of its customers using its products.

As a B-registered corporation, the company also identifies as a philanthropic one; for each pair of glasses it sells, it pays for producing another for a charity. It also claims to be 100% carbon neutral. This helps the brand identify itself as a force for good in society; an idea many customers can identify with.

Warby Parker is apparently doing something right; it has amassed over sixty thousand followers on the platform. Check out their page for inspiration.

4. Dunkin’

Dunkin’, formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts is an iconic American coffee, donut, and quick service restaurant. Following its rebranding in 2019 as a “beverage-led” company, it has revamped its online presence to reflect these changes.

It mostly uses Pinterest to spread the word about special offers, new product offerings, and seasonal promotions. Its Pins are exciting and colorful, with engaging text and tags which bolster its new identity. They fit well with the visually oriented yet playful nature of the platform.

This content strategy has helped it build a substantial following on Pinterest; thirty-seven thousand followers and counting. You can check out its page here.

5. Rent the Runway

Pinterest has a large fashion-friendly female demographic, and the designer rental service Rent the Runway has taken advantage of that to build a loyal audience of over fifty-seven thousand followers.

Rent the Runway is an online service that allows its customers to rent, subscribe to, and purchase clothes and other accessories from designer labels. It offers a cheaper alternative to buying clothes outright and features items from over seven hundred designers.

The brand uses Pinterest to showcase the products it currently offers, as well as special offers and promotions. It follows the traditional style of fashion photography; bright and bold clothing worn by beautiful models against a muted background. Similar items are often grouped into boards, and the company leverages the Shoppable Pins feature to sell items. Visit their page for more details.

Final Thoughts

In a family of loud and obnoxious social media siblings, Pinterest is that quiet but intelligent sibling that people don’t know about but are always happy when they meet him. You need a space to show off the creative side of your business or engage with a niched audience, why don’t you try out Pinterest? You just might like it.