Social marketers now need to add Pinterest to their arsenal

April 9th, 2012

Brands are already asking their marketers for expertise in Pinterest, which a recent report notes is now the third most popular social network.

Lori Gilson, president of Utah-based PRMarketing.com, said many of the agency’s social media marketing clients are now requesting Pinterestaccounts along with the popular Facebook and Twitter pages.

“Our clients are always looking for the new, up-and-coming social media websites. When they see how popular Pinterest has become in the past few months, naturally they want to know what marketing opportunities are available to them,” Gilson said.

Our clients are always looking for the new, up-and-coming social media websites. When they see how popular Pinterest has become in the past few months, naturally they want to know what marketing opportunities are available to them.

Looking to enhance their online public relationscampaigns, companies scrambled to Pinterest last year as monthly traffic to the website shot up from 418,000 to 11.7 million unique visitors, according to a report from comScore.

This has led to more marketing job postings with Pinterest experience preferred. A report by Wanted Technologies shows that since August there have been 59 new employment ads for candidates who have experience using Pinterest for marketing.

A search for Pinterest on Monster.com showed several companies looking for experts all over the country. Job titles include social media marketing specialist, social media manager, senior director of product management, sales and marketing associate and brand manager.

Pinterest is described as a virtual pinboard that lets users organize and share content they find on the Web. Well known for its strong female base, Pinterest helps users plan weddings, decorate their homes, share recipes and expand their wardrobe. With nearly 30 percent of users reporting an annual household income of more than $100,000, marketers have quickly noticed this prime demographic.

Nordstrom, Whole Foods, West Elm and ModCloth all have Pinterest accounts with more than 9,000 followers. Southwest Airlines, Zales and even President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign have started Pinterest accounts recently.

First-mover advantages

“It’s important to take advantage of Pinterest’s first-mover advantages,” said Alyssa Vincent, a social media consultant at PRMarketing.com. “Just like with Facebook and Twitter, gaining an audience early can save you money down the road. It is key to join the site while it’s growing instead of after membership has already plateaued.”

According to Pat Parkinson, director of public relations for PRMarketing.com, “If you haven’t joined, you’re already late to the game.”

“The important thing is you start now. Not only does it add value to your business but your products can also gain significant ‘word of pin’ traction,” he said. “

We’re not big Pinterest fans ourselves at the TechJournal. It has a more limited audience which seems to be primarily female and oriented toward naturally visual subjects such as food, fashion, and design. We have found some excellent infographics and graphs on the site.

Personally, the social network we see gaining traction – if our adds and interactions are any guide -is Google+.