Having uniquely positioned itself within the social media network landscape as the place for planning and content discovery, Pinterest is a channel at the top of many brands' minds for owned content publishing. In order to maximize the value of the channel, it is important that brands adhere to a few key principles.
Discoverability
Beyond acting as a social search engine, Pinterest has long declared itself as a network for users to discover content on. What this means for brands is that content should never be conceived with the idea of a real-time feed in mind. Yes, it's true that users have a recent content feed, but typically they are using the network to search for content to support their planning and information organization efforts.
Acting on the channel with this mindset means that real-time efforts, events and moments are not nearly as important as angling for long-tail engagements and topical expertise. The more value you can provide for niche topics that an audience is known to engage with, the better your Pins and Boards will be positioned for engagement and shareability.
(Image created by www.benkuyper.com)
Format
In addition to coming to the table with a mindset of discoverability and servicing an audience's search needs, the content itself needs to standout from the crowd. Below are three trends I have noted that can help branded content performance:
-
Creating Long Pins
On Pinterest, size matters. Take a look at search results on either desktop or mobile and you can instantly see how easy it is for smaller sized photos to get lost in the results. The length of Pins, within reason, can drastically increase the chances of being noticed or viewed. The smaller, more reasonably sized Pin will surely be lost in the sea of other content surrounding them.
-
Using Distinctive Overlays or Text Treatment
On most social networks, using text overlays or heavy branding is often discouraged, but on Pinterest it should be encouraged. Again, the reasoning comes back to creating distinctive, ownable content that stands out when a user is searching. If a text overlay can denote exactly what the Pin links to or what the key takeaway of the content is, that is crucial for a user deciding what to engage with in the moment. Similarly branding marks can help to apply consistency and imbue a level of expected value to users.
-
Publishing Actionable Content
"Actionable" is broad term, but on Pinterest there are a few often-used formats that are well suited to the network. Namely: Step by Step, Tip, or Infographic pins. All three types are common across many categories and brands and provide instantaneous value to a user. These type of Pins don't require a click-through or a detailed viewing to glean value from, but rather present their points up-front in an accessible way. While it's possible these formats may not be suitable for all brands, the idea of striving to provide immediate utility for users should be taken to heart by any Pinterest user.
Interactions
Engaging, Repinning, and Following. These are the actions brands should be sure to incorporate into their channel strategies to build affinity with active users. The engagements will not only show that your brand is listening to and sharing valuable content, but help to build one-to-one relationships with relevant users and provide them with notifications about your engagements that will hopefully nudge them towards following your brand's' presence and engaging with your content.
Providing value to users should always be the top priority on any social network and Pinterest is no exception. While the above suggestions are important optimizations that can help drive engagement, they are still dependant upon quality content. As brands align their strategies to aid user planning and interest organization efforts, I look forward to more relevant branded content surfacing in my Pinterest searches.
Thumbnail image via Shutterstock