The increased popularity of image-based social media network Pinterest, begs the question, is a picture really worth a thousand words of marketing collateral? Maxine-Laurie Marshall investigates
The latest social media network to cause a stir is virtual noticeboard, Pinterest. It receives more referral traffic than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn combined, according to a study from content-sharing expert Shareaholic. Its decision to place a greater emphasis on pictures compared to other social media platforms, therefore, makes it a tool worth taking a closer look at.
Pinterest currently has over 10 million registered users and allows people to create their own online noticeboards on which they can ‘pin’ pictures and videos that catch their eye. Other users can then comment on them or ‘re-pin’ them on their own boards.
Pinterest’s popularity coincides with Facebook announcing it will extend its image-based Timeline to brand pages, as well as the continued rise of videos and infographics making an impact in B2B marketing. In the last couple of decades, the written word has historically taken priority in communications such as email, blogging and other text-based social media. But it seems pictures are taking over. So, are words old news?
Pinterest’s popularity and Facebook’s Timeline for brand pages could indeed be seen to highlight a revived trend in visual communications. Images are taking precedent in today’s social media landscape, so how can B2B brands leverage this new trend?
A viable channel for B2B?
Pinterest has been met with an open mind by some B2B marketers. Guy Levine, CEO of Return On Digital, says, “As markets get more difficult to succeed in, the question should not be ‘Should we, or shouldn’t we ignore the trend?’ It should be ‘How do we use this trend to our advantage?’” He suggests, “If you are a B2B service company, how about putting your portfolio online showing the results of your survey.”
Ayaan Mohamud, digital marketing manager at Pauley Creative also believes Pinterest could be a viable option for B2B marketers. She says, “Visual marketing is very popular at the moment, making Pinterest a perfect platform for businesses both within the B2B and B2C sector as we get bombarded with so much text-heavy information.”
Mohamud recommends using Pinterest to highlight case studies and any events brands are holding or attending. She advises, “Since Pinterest is a visual site, this is perfect for uploading pictures of recently completed, as well as ongoing, projects and also any customer testimonial videos you might have.
“If you take part in lots of events and trade shows, why not entice your audience with some sneak previews of your stand? Let them know where you will be and when.”
One advantage to Pinterest, over the likes of Flickr, for example, is its inbound links. When a user ‘pins’ something, the original link is stored within the platform so the original author can be credited. This could have significant implications for increasing a brand’s SEO.
So should brands be jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon? As yet there are no profiles available for brands and indeed the site’s T&Cs state that it can’t be used for commercial purposes (although what exactly constitutes ‘commercial’ could be seen as a grey area). In addition, the majority of its audience are predominately females sharing fashion and animal pictures. However, Facebook and Twitter began life primarily aimed at consumers but over time have grown to include functionality aimed at businesses, so Pinterest could follow suit.
The power of a picture
Even if you’re not rushing into Pinterest, you should still consider the increased value placed on images. Matt Gierhart, head of social at Ogilvy Action says, “The higher up people are in an organisation, the less words they want to see, and the platforms are now there to accommodate this.” So this new visual marketing trend mixed with the existing knowledge that senior individuals are time-poor, should be a sign that B2B brands need to become aesthetically pleasing. This doesn’t mean using pointless stock shots of handshakes or irrelevant pictures of animals.
Levine adds, “Google is bringing images directly into its search results. Facebook is based around images, and others will follow. Therefore, companies who do not embrace images, whether it be through great product shots, visualisation of data, sharing of graphical content, or simply good design, will start to feel left behind.”
Visualising data, i.e. infographics, is increasingly popular among B2B brands. However Drew Nicholson, MD of DNX also points out, “In B2B marketing, the visual medium of the moment is video. It’s being used to convey complex messages more quickly to wider audiences. And although there is still a place for whitepapers, websites and guides the more visually interesting they are, the bigger their impact.”
All seem to agree that images – whether moving or still – are important and act as bait to draw customers in. Danny Turnbull, MD of Gyro Manchester says, “Over the past decades their importance has become more critical to create cut-through in an increasingly crowded communications environment. What digital integrated communications allow us to do, is direct people to appropriate and more detailed communications once we’ve got their attention. Surely that’s the role of creativity in marketing?”
Whether picture-based social networks are to be the new home for your brand or not, now is clearly the time for B2B companies to find their inner beauty.
Pinterest pointers
How can B2B brands leverage Pinterest? Ayaan Mohamud, digital marketing manager at Pauley Creative provides five top tips
1. Customer research – use Pinterest to crowdsource product ideas and improvements. Create a board where users can pin pictures of your products, adding suggestions for improvements or even new product uses. Then run a competition to identify the favourite.
2. Case studies – pin pictures of completed projects along with customer testimonials to showcase your work and drive traffic to your website.
3. Branding – create a board dedicated to your employees and any other activities your company is involved in to build brand personality.
4. Events – use Pinterest to share previews and generate interest in your tradeshow stand. If you’re attending or hosting an event, post images of the event, as well as industry contacts or customers you meet and update those who are unable to attend.
