How food manufacturers can reach their audience via Pinterest
Ever heard of the social media site Pinterest? If not, you’d better read up on it quickly. Most of today’s savvy marketing managers use it already — and those who don’t are scurrying to catch up.
According to Experian Marketing Service’s 2012 Digital Marketer report, this invitation-only online pinboard site now ranks as the third most popular social networking site, right behind Twitter and Facebook. Pinterest members use the site to share (pin) links and photos of the things they love with others, especially eye-catching food, fashion and home décor images.
Not surprisingly, given the content, Pinterest’s audience skews female (60%) with an astonishing 97% of their Facebook fans being women (AppData quoted by TechCrunch.com). Since grocery shoppers are predominantly women (or men carrying shopping lists written by women), this creates opportunities for retail food manufacturers. Those with mouthwatering food shots that show off products to their best advantage can pin and be pinned, both as eye candy and as future menu options.
Because “Pinners” can follow specific boards (image groups you set up) or users (your company), Pinterest offers more opportunities for interaction than Facebook. Since pinners have the option to re-pin your images onto their own boards, your product images can take on a life of their own, ending up almost anywhere. Embedded links allow you to track popularity and drive traffic back to your website.
With nearly 21.5 million total visits during the week ending January 28, 2012 — 30 times that of just 6 months earlier — Pinterest is clearly a force to be reckoned with. And with big brands like Kotex, Martha Stewart Living, and Chobani Yogurt already carving out their own pieces of the pie, there’s really only one question to ask yourself.
Who can I get to invite me to join Pinterest?
