No matter how much money might be saved by taking a DIY approach to online marketing, it can be costly in terms of time. Wouldn’t it be better to get your customers to do some of the marketing instead, and to enjoy it? This is one of the possibilities offered by Pinterest, if marketers know how to take advantage of it.
The long-cherished ideal of social media marketing is a situation in which customer recommendations promote a site without its owners having to make any effort. This is now more difficult than ever, as the likes of Facebook have reduced the visibility available to those who do not pay for promotion. On Pinterest, however, things work differently. There are several free or low-cost ways that businesses can engage with customers and get them to increase their visibility with no need to pay for advertising.
One of the most effective ways to do this is through competitions. This is ideal for businesses in the fashion or home decor industries; it also has potential elsewhere. The key is to pick a highly-visual product range and encourage people to pin images of it, such as by offering a prize for the most creative image featuring something from a new kitchenware range or the best photo of someone wearing part of a new range of summer clothing. Vouchers make ideal prizes, as they encourage further spending and have inbuilt appeal for people who have bought products from the same company already.
Pinterest competitions are more likely to be successful if kicked off with a few inspiring and creative images from the company itself. These images have to be promoted in the right categories, but doing this is considerably more resource-effective than simply doing all the promotion of a product range directly. It also creates that all-important sense of connection that inspires brand loyalty and makes established fans of a brand feel valued.
Pinterest competitions and campaigns can also be advertised on a business website. If the competition rules include giving the business the right to use the pictures, this can be an excellent source of free images with high visual impact. It can make a website more appealing and at the same time appeal to Pinterest users by giving them extra visibility and effectively marking them out as particularly talented.
If a business wants advertising and Pinterest users want to be seen as impressive image-makers, there is a natural partnership there that can benefit all involved.
