As we emerge out of winter and prepare for spring, I thought of the wonderful visuals that time of year brings. From blooming flowers and trees to birds returning from their winter migration to green grass and the various rivers and lakes finally free of ice, the season demands attention.
How does this relate to B2B marketing and Pinterest in particular? Because Pinterest presents visuals extremely well and images, videos, infographics etc. are only becoming more important as marketing tools for all businesses including B2B. I wanted to provide several ways B2B companies can utilize Pinterest to help with website traffic, lead generation, social networking and branding while also having some fun along the way.
First, what is Pinterest? Pinterest is a platform that allows companies and users to organize and share visual content they either developed themselves or gathered from another source to share. This content can range from graphics to photos to videos to infographics to book covers to Excel charts and everything in between. Each visual item is added or “pinned” on virtual boards based around specific topics.
For example, manufacturers or other B2B companies could pin pictures, videos and infographics to promote their products and services in multiple ways:
- As part of a regular sales pitch to prospects for a specific product or service
- To introduce a new product or service offering
- To highlight a special limited time promotion
However, Pinterest can also be used to assist in recruiting and human resources efforts. Many talk about how a particular company culture was one of the things that helped convince them to work for their employer. Pinterest, since it is based on visuals, is a great tool to provide insights into a company’s culture. The visuals can show how people work and celebrate together, what values are important to a company and why working there could be beneficial. Companies that genuinely express their values visually can engage prospective candidates quickly and even make contacts with talent they did not know was available.
Like all social media outlets, Pinterest’s value to a manufacturer or B2B company depends on how it is utilized to showcase the company’s strengths, reinforce the brand and communicate how they are the best resource in their particular field or industry. What is put in does impact what a company gets out of Pinterest – if a company puts little effort into creating a community, it will likely not happen on its own whereas if a sincere and consistent effort is undertaken, the chances of realizing value increases. In addition, more and more people see visuals (pictures, videos etc.) as important in their decision making process. That should place Pinterest on any sales or marketing person’s radar.