Pin it to win it, why you need Pinterest in your digital strategy

Pinterest became a grownup platform this year! With the arrival of advertising on this platform, Pinterest is now more interesting for brands than ever. But why is it an interesting platform? And why should you include Pinterest in your digital strategy? Read along!

The biggest misconception

First, there is one misconception about Pinterest that we need to clear right away: Pinterest is not a social media platform. Or to specify this more: it’s not a social platform like Facebook and Instagram. Why? Because it’s not about interaction and publishing your own content or consuming content from friends and family. As Pinterest says itself, it is a “visual discovery engine” that helps people find, buy and do the things they love. People go to Pinterest to find new ideas, possibilities and to design their lives: recipes, outfit inspiration, DIY projects, decoration ideas and so on. When people open their Pinterest tab, they are open for ideas and – here comes the holy grail for brands – your products.

Clear intent

Worldwide, Pinterest has over 250 million active users a month and this number is still on the rise. In the Netherlands, the amount of Pinterest users has grown last year with 18% to 3,5 million users. As Pinterest says, its users come to the platform with the intention to plan, whether this is planning a holiday destination for summer, browsing for wedding dresses for the big day or looking for a new couch to chill on. These plans often come with a direct intent to buy. The latest research shows that 55% of the people on Pinterest have an intent to buy, making this platform particularly attractive for brands for online sales. Somebody who is actively looking for new input is open to new ideas and suggestions, will be also open for your relevant products.

Clickable content

This intention from the audience is a big advantage or plus, but not the only reason to include Pinterest in your digital strategy. Pinterest also proves great performance when it comes to website traffic. Each pin is directly linked to a website, blog or webshop which is reachable with just one click. The platform is basically built for clicks and redirection, sending its users straight to your website. It’s a natural way to collect visitors for your website, where they can easily browse for more of your products.

But what does that mean for you as a brand?

Now that Pinterest advertising is available in Europe as well, brands can make themselves more visible on the platform and actively invest in reach. Even without this option, already 75% of the pins on came straight from brands, and half of the people who see these pins do not realize this. The availability of paid advertising for brands does not mean there will suddenly be a big increase in branded content. It means that this content will become more valuable for brands since it is traceable and gathers useful data. This isn’t just the case for brands working in food, fashion, and home decor. Brands from other sectors and niches find their way to Pinterest as well. Last year there was a massive increase in other verticals, such as entertainment, financial planning, tech, travel and other pins like cars.

Pinterest allows brands to extend their (potential) reach. As you are reaching out straight to customers who are actively on the lookout for new products, Pinterest reach might even become more valuable in comparison with other platforms: its users are clearly open for input. In other words: they won’t find it annoying when products are pushed in their direction because that’s exactly what they’re looking for. And that’s a very good reason to add Pinterest to your digital strategy.