While Pinterest is quickly gaining a reputation for a devout and ardent user base, most brands have not yet discovered how to capitalize on the opportunity. The social media up and comer is centered around photo sharing and commenting, which makes it a powerful tool for marketers. This is especially true for those in the retail and service industries. Making the most of every social media opportunity is crucial for brands if they expect to expand online exposure.

Pinterest has demonstrated that they are a business friendly platform with the recent release of their web analytics tool. They are currently working to expand the tool allowing brands to better understand the effectiveness of a Pinterest marketing campaign. Early adapters seem to have found success with these interactions on Pinterest.

Pinterest: Important Demographics for Brands

It’s no secret that Pinterest has been dominated by female users. However, the Pinterest advantage is these users are spread evenly through out age groups and characterized by high education and household income levels.

The network’s user base and rapid growth has made it an attractive target for marketers. Jim Yu says “Among the top 100 brands, three out of 5 have Pinterest presence – the announcement of Pinterest for Business being a huge catalyst to this adoption rate.”

The take away message according to Yu “There is a clear fragmentation in the world of social media. As a result, brands are also engaging users on niche platforms that work for niche sectors. Pinterest is ideal for visuals. Having a strategy that include multiple social media platforms, not just Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, helps many brands and marketers reach a wider audience.”

Pinterest Best Practices

Effective brand campaigns on Pinterest follow a system of best practices. Jim Yu recently posted some good tips and suggestions for brands looking to engage Pinterest users on Search Engine Watch. According to Yu:

“Users love Pinterest and brands have taken notice. Many brands are beginning to focus on talking to their target audience on Pinterest. What’s the best way to go about doing this?

• Know your audience: Be sure to document who your target audience is, what matters to them, and how they consume information (in this case, visuals).
• Start relevant boards: For each audience, short list a handful of themes and kick start boards aligned with some or all of these themes. Pin images that are visually attractive and are aligned with the theme for the board. Don’t aim to sell. Aim to inspire your users. Ideas include the values behind your brand or business, DIY projects and moods, among others. Allow your users to pin on to these boards.
• Moderate the board: Study which boards are more popular and reinforce what is working.
• Have fun: Pinterest is fun. Keep things informal and have a great time!”

Specific Actions to Maximize Pinterest

Additionally, Jeff Bullas provides a great infographic listing 64 marketing tips and tactics that you can apply to your Pinterest account to get you started and refine your strategies.