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The Art of Making Your Brand Pinteresting
June 2012
Here are the facts: Pinterest is where women come to do what they love best – window shop; female users outnumber males 60-40 and skew 18-34 in age; the average female user makes $50,000 a year.
Here are some more facts: In May 2011, Pinterest debuted to 418,000 unique visitors per month. By January 2012, the site boasted nearly 12 million unique visitors over the same 31-day time period.
Here is the biggest fact you should know: In a world dominated by Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, Pinterest is the fastest growing website in history. If you’re the head of a brand and looking for new ways to get your product noticed, let that fact sink in for a minute or two.
Etsy users, DIY leaders, magazines, clothing brands, organic markets, design groups, artists, architects and anyone else who consider themselves a curator of style have entered into this “pin and be pinned” era of pop culture – promoting a strong referral base for individuals and brands alike. But what’s the initial allure for a brand? As Tanzina Vega, journalist for the New York Times, notes, “Pinterest has a message for the media: A picture is worth a thousand words.”
While content may still be king, visuals are making their push, as Pinterest’s rise comes right alongside Facebook’s recent purchase of the mobile photo startup Instagram for a hair-raising $1 billion. The takeaway here is simple: For a generation that’s used to being sold via TV, radio, web… via words, what could be more elementary than a site composed of nothing but pictures?
Many brands have already created their own pages, many with board counts approaching the hundreds. With the option to like a picture or even an entire board, consumers are professing their opinion, or put another way, their support, for any brand that catches their eye. For up and coming brands, and even for the established bookends of the industry, this is a never-before-seen way, so to speak, to build street cred. And there is nothing more powerful, more poised for viral growth, than awareness bred from authenticity.
Especially not for a generation that puts authenticity at the top of the list.
So instead of waiting for that next drive-time billboard to open up, create
10-15 boards for your brand on Pinterest. Focus on the image, on its personality and uniqueness. Strive for that original look, that Instagram-y look and feel that comes from the streets, and that convinces others of its inherent originality and swag. For Generation Y is no longer defined only by what they wear, how they look, or what they do. Generation Y is defined by what they want, by their own projections of desire and their ability to obtain anything.
In the battle between what they want vs. what they have, their self-promoted power and ability to obtain reigns supreme. So in a world that is becoming increasingly visual don't just tell them what they want, show ‘em.
Peace,
Curt Cuscino
Founder & CEO
HypeLife Brands
Here are some more facts: In May 2011, Pinterest debuted to 418,000 unique visitors per month. By January 2012, the site boasted nearly 12 million unique visitors over the same 31-day time period.
Editor's Update (September 2018): Pinterest now sees user traction (read: eyeballs for your brand) of 250 million per month.
Here is the biggest fact you should know: In a world dominated by Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, Pinterest is the fastest growing website in history. If you’re the head of a brand and looking for new ways to get your product noticed, let that fact sink in for a minute or two.
Etsy users, DIY leaders, magazines, clothing brands, organic markets, design groups, artists, architects and anyone else who consider themselves a curator of style have entered into this “pin and be pinned” era of pop culture – promoting a strong referral base for individuals and brands alike. But what’s the initial allure for a brand? As Tanzina Vega, journalist for the New York Times, notes, “Pinterest has a message for the media: A picture is worth a thousand words.”
While content may still be king, visuals are making their push, as Pinterest’s rise comes right alongside Facebook’s recent purchase of the mobile photo startup Instagram for a hair-raising $1 billion. The takeaway here is simple: For a generation that’s used to being sold via TV, radio, web… via words, what could be more elementary than a site composed of nothing but pictures?
Many brands have already created their own pages, many with board counts approaching the hundreds. With the option to like a picture or even an entire board, consumers are professing their opinion, or put another way, their support, for any brand that catches their eye. For up and coming brands, and even for the established bookends of the industry, this is a never-before-seen way, so to speak, to build street cred. And there is nothing more powerful, more poised for viral growth, than awareness bred from authenticity.
Especially not for a generation that puts authenticity at the top of the list.
So instead of waiting for that next drive-time billboard to open up, create
10-15 boards for your brand on Pinterest. Focus on the image, on its personality and uniqueness. Strive for that original look, that Instagram-y look and feel that comes from the streets, and that convinces others of its inherent originality and swag. For Generation Y is no longer defined only by what they wear, how they look, or what they do. Generation Y is defined by what they want, by their own projections of desire and their ability to obtain anything.
In the battle between what they want vs. what they have, their self-promoted power and ability to obtain reigns supreme. So in a world that is becoming increasingly visual don't just tell them what they want, show ‘em.
Peace,
Curt Cuscino
Founder & CEO
HypeLife Brands