As a marketer you know the importance of social media. However, you may not be up to date on all current platforms. Facebook and Twitter are no longer the only options to sustain an online brand image or customer base. Relative newcomers like Pinterest and Instagram are growing in popularity for personal and professional accounts.
“Pinterest has over 53 million monthly unique users globally” and “Instagram says it has 160 million monthly active users globally” according to The Guardian news. Instagram is an app that allows users to post pictures and videos with beautiful filters. Pinterest also emphasizes the importance of pictures for marketing, but it has nuances of an online cork board. Just as someone would have a cork board in their kitchen to pin their favorite recipes, and one in their office with their dream vacation photos, Pinterest users have different electronic boards.
Businesses using Pinterest need to have clever boards with their own original material, as well as relevant outside content. For instance, the Mayo Clinic’s top boards are “Healthy Recipes” and “Fitness.” They could pin pictures of their own recipes, as well as ones from different reputable sources. Other healthcare providers could “repin” the pictures on these boards, augmenting their account, and bringing more awareness to the Mayo Clinic which would be named on the pin.
Instagram has a lot of potential as well, because like Twitter, people use hashtags. This is a simple practice that attracts new followers and customers. A software company could Instagram a picture of their high-tech office space and write “Our state of the art facility utilizes the newest #technologies and #computers, and is #ecofriendly.” The words and phrases that are hashtagged act as links. By clicking on #computers, one would be brought to a page full of all the other pictures and videos on Instagram where people hashtagged the word computers.
Marketers have to try out different hashtags on Instagram and boards on Pinterest that pertain to their company to see which ones work best. Computer companies could determine if #computers increased their followers substantially, and if so, regularly include that hashtag on their posts. If unique computer designs on Pinterest are constantly being repinned, then having a board like “Newest Technology” would be beneficial.
Getting a large following on social media accounts has become a staple of online marketing. For product-based companies, like retail clothing stores, Instagram and Pinterest are essential. For example, Nordstrom has over 4.4 million followers on Pinterest where it pins its latest fashions, which followers can then purchase online or in stores. Unfortunately, it can be more difficult for service providers to convey their professionalism, reliability or friendliness via Pinterest or Instagram. However, service companies should still try out some of the earlier approaches mentioned in this post to see if they can gain more clients or revenue. If so, then Instagram and Pinterest can become a valued aspect of their marketing strategy and success.
Are you in the healthcare or technology industry and want expert advice on how you should be using social media? Contact our certified healthcare technology marketing agency. Call 877-887-7611 or visit www.clarityqst.com for more information.
Author: +Chris Slocumb