While other visual social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat are getting most of the press these days, Pinterest is still a growing platform that offers B2B brands and marketers an opportunity to grow and connect with their audience, drive brand awareness and website traffic, and enhance their overall social media marketing strategy.
But despite its potential, Pinterest hasn’t exactly been embraced by B2B. In fact, just 14% of B2B marketers say they use Pinterest to distribute their content, according to Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs’ B2B Content Marketing 2017: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America report.
One big reason for this may be that B2B companies struggle to find a way to fit in on a visual platform like Pinterest. Oftentimes, a B2B company’s products and services don’t always have a recognizable physical presence or give off an exciting vibe—which B2C brands typically have going for them.
However, at the end of the day Pinterest is all about providing a place for people to discover new things and ideas, and find inspiration for all areas of their lives. And isn’t that exactly what your marketing efforts—whether they be B2B or B2C—aim to do?
With that said, below we dive into a few ways that B2B brands can use Pinterest as a social media marketing tactic to share content, drive awareness and grow their audience.
#1 – Repurpose existing content into visual content.
Humans are visual creatures by nature, which is probably why Pinterest and other visual social media sites are growing so rapidly, and why other networks are working hard to enhance video and image capabilities.
A fantastic way to grab attention and promote your quality content is to repurpose it into a visual asset like an infographic. Did you recently publish an eBook? Create an infographic that highlights some interesting takeaways. Add the infographic to the main landing page for your eBook, and pin to your Pinterest page from there. This will give your audience a helpful, visual piece of content, as well as help drive traffic to your website and the eBook itself.
HubSpot is an infographic powerhouse. They have boards dedicated to marketing and sales infographics, as well as infographic content included on other boards, too. Some are their own, while others belong to other brands.
Already have infographic assets? Of course you should find a home for it on one of your boards, but you could also take a step further and break the content down into more bite-sized visual content pieces. Perhaps your infographic features interesting statistics that a recent report uncovered. Highlight some of them on their own individual images, with the pin pointing to the link where the infographic lives on your website. To pump these out quickly, consider using a graphic design tool like Canva.
#2 – Give industry influencers a shout-out.
Engaging with industry influencers on any social media channel is a great way to build relationships that can lead to a larger audience and future collaboration.
Continue to foster those relationships by giving them a little shout-out on Pinterest, featuring a favorite quote or insights an influencer has shared. Here’s an example from TopRank Marketing’s Pinterest page. After working with influencers on an eBook project on B2B marketing innovation, we created individual images featuring their respective insights.
#3 – Give all your content a second home.
Blog posts, videos, images, eBook, white papers, product tutorials, company news—any content that lives on your website can find a new “home” on Pinterest. Just make sure anything you save has a compelling image and caption to go with it.
Create boards that can house the different topics your content covers such as industry news and trends, new product launches, customer testimonials, and so on. Of course, don’t just pin your own content. Seek out other helpful pieces that your audience will benefit from.
#4 – Tell your company’s story.
Social media is an incredible tool for building brand awareness and showcasing what your company is all about. Consider giving your Pinterest followers a behind-the-scenes look inside your company’s culture or project that you’re currently working on. This not only helps your audience get to know you a little better, but can also be a great recruiting tool.
FedEx’s “I Am FedEx” board features interesting videos and profiles that showcase employees at all levels of the organization—from truck drivers to IT engineers. Some link back to the I Am FedEx blog or the company’s YouTube account, while some others to local news coverage featuring an employee.
SAP also highlights employee testimonials to add a human element and give followers a sneak peek at what it’s like to work for the company on its “A day in the life” board.
#5 – Speak to your audience’s other interests.
A great way to engage and entice new followers on Pinterest is to go beyond the pain points they have as potential customers and speak to their other needs, desires and interests—while also staying true and relevant to your brand.
Adobe’s Pinterest presence is a fantastic example. The company known for its creative design and document management tools features a number of interesting art-related boards that speak to some of the fundamentals of their target audience.
Boards such as “What’s Your Type?” featuring cool typography and “The Art of Fashion” showcasing amazing fashion creations aim to connect with followers on an artistic level, while reinforcing Adobe’s creative legacy.
#6 – Highlight your customers.
Your current customers are perhaps your biggest opportunity when it come to social media marketing. By highlighting how your product or services helped them get results, or by simply highlighting interesting and innovating things that company is doing, you’re not only giving them credit, but also showing potentials how you value your customers.
#7 – Create group boards that allow for collaboration.
Group boards allow multiple pinners to collaborate and share ideas in one space. B2B companies can use this capability to encourage more engagement and collaboration with influencers, or get company employees involved in contributing to the board. If you do decide to create a group board, add some text in the description to let people know they can participate, too, and provide a contact email so they can get in touch if they want to be added.
Is Pinterest Right for My Brand?
Pinterest is not going to make sense for every brand. Your audience, your marketing goals and overall business objectives, and the resources you have to work with all play a role in deciding where to put your social media marketing efforts. But hopefully this post has given you a little food for thought and some ideas for taking your social media marketing strategy higher.
If you’re looking to experiment a little bit, get some best practice tips from our post Is Pinterest Still Alive & How Are Brands Using It?
What unique boards or content to you promote on your B2B company’s Pinterest board? Why has it been successful? Tell us in the comments section below.
