Ok. Here's the thing. I like Pinterest. I like Pinterest when ordinary people use it to have fun or share ideas or creativity. I like Pinterest when companies use it to have fun or share ideas and creativity with the intention of marketing their business. The kicker? ONLY if the company has a PLAN and it FITS.
Pinterest can drive unprecedented traffic to a website. But, is it the traffic you really want? Do you know what to do with the eyeballs when they show up? Is it targeted traffic? These are questions every person and business using social media to reach new audiences NEED to think about every day. Getting someone to click LIKE or CIRCLE or RT isn't the end goal. The ultimate goal is to have them show up at your doorstep or website and consider making a purchase. CONVERT. There comes a point where I can't automate or council a company on converting leads to customers. That is a unique process to every company. Sorry, if you're in business, you should at least know how to convert leads to customers.
I don't use Pinterest in any planned, structured way for business. I use it because it's fun. Now, when I look at my website stats, I see Pinterest blowing out even Google+ for traffic. But…. it's to a post about mothers and daughters . It's not even my original content – it was a 'share'. It has nothing to do with my business or ideas. But there you go, 22,000 repins on Pinterest. Not one click of that inbound traffic has made an impact on my business.
Here's a story for you about how social media and digital publishing can get bastardized in the eyes and ears of regular everyday business in our communities. This is also the result of crazy garbage that gets passed between faux social media consultants and link-bait online magazine sites.
Without naming names, I recently had a pre-sales conversation with a company (B2B, chemical/industrial, hasn't updated their website since 1998, sales cycle of about 1.5 years) for a complete digital reboot. The company is family-owned and recently passed to from father to daughter. Dad obviously didn't care much for the Internet, but the inherited owner and management team does see a need to at least exist online. This wasn't social media or ecommerce help they were looking for, they wanted to know how to become digital citizens and use the 'net as a communication platform.
Then one of the managers said something that made my heart sink. "Can you put us on Pinterest before all this other stuff? We hear we will get a LOT of traffic that way!"
Thankfully this was a conference call and they couldn't see my face turn pale. Okay, backup. What do you mean by traffic? Where is the traffic going? (I'm thinking they will say to their decades-out-of-date website.) They thought Pinterest would drive traffic TO THEIR ACTUAL BUSINESS OFFICE, which I might add, is in an industrial park.
Don't laugh. This is what a good number of businesses that don't speak 'social' think. They don't speak the language we do. They want help. They see bits and pieces of information floating around or hear things at 45 minute presentations at their local business networking groups. These are the businesses that put money into local economies and that are finally stabilizing and getting back to doing actual business – not just trying to survive. This, of course, really got me to thinking why this company had heard of Pinterest and not so much of Google+. (I'm still crafting a long-worded article on that topic.)
Don't just think it's little local companies that don't get it. A lot of the brands and companies you see and follow on social sites are stagnent or missing the point. They chase the almighty follower count and page view stats.
More is not better. Better is better.
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I think it is a traffic driver only… It is up to the landing page the traffic is driven to, to do the normal marketing it would do with any kind of traffic-driven prospective buyer. Yes, there has to be a strategy, and it must fit Pinterest demographics and clientele. By the way, almost half of marketers surveyed have no interest in Pinterest as a marketing platform (recent survey).
Great piece. I've not used Pinterest because I can't see how the traffic it would generate would work for me. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm not entirely sold. I don't believe any traffic is good traffic because hey it's traffic. But I'm a small time player and maybe that's why I am that way. Hilarious about the foot traffic comment. Wow. I believe it.
+Blair Warner most likely because Pinterest doesn't fit the needs of almost half of marketers clients. (Or that's my hope anyhow.)
+Lynette Young Great write up , by the way.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. <insert tool here> is a focused way for you to get to your goals. You still need to know your goals first. You can have all the hammers, nails and wood in the world, but if you don't have a house plan, that first abode is going to be a mess. Great thoughts, Lynette, as per the usual.
To their actual business? Thank goodness that was a phone call! LOL Most of my content is not really pin-friendly. The occasional tutorial, but that's about it. I did one recipe once and it's been repinned a lot and I get traffic from it- but I'm sure those who land there will be disappointed that I don't have other recipes on my site.
I did some consulting work for a business that owned several day spas (sadly, not in my area or I might have bartered my work). THEY are killin' it on Pinterest (and Google+ to be quite honest – go Hangouts!). A industrial chemical company with no prior web history to speak of – not so much.
I should note that I did some education with them and gave out 'homework' – I wanted this company to understand the social web on a personal level a bit before I was willing to sign them as a client or take money from them.
Get on Dudepins http://Dudepins.com
Sounds like the purpose of social media is to "exhaust all gains from trade"