Event Planners know the importance of social media as a way of distributing content and building a community, and each individual has their favorite sites. Interestingly, one extremely popular platform is largely overlooked by businesses—it’s Pinterest.
How does Pinterest stack up against other social media networks?
In January of 2015, the Pew Research Center released its report, “Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms,” (1) in which it revealed the percentage of all adult internet users (and the percentage of the entire adult population) that were active on the following major social media sites in the United States for the year 2014:
- Facebook: 71% of internet users / 58% of entire adult population
- LinkedIn: 28% of internet users / 23% of entire adult population
- Pinterest: 28% of internet users / 22% of entire adult population
- Instagram: 26% of internet users / 21% of entire adult population
- Twitter: 23% of internet users / 19% of entire adult population
According to the research, they discovered these percentages of all online adults were using Pinterest:
- 42% of all online women
- 13% of all online men
- 34% of ages 18-29
- 28% of ages 30-49
- 27% of ages 50-64
- 30% of internet users with some college education
- 32% of internet users with one or more college degrees
- 34% of internet users who earned more than $75,000 per year
According to additional research:
- Pinterest has signed up over 47 million monthly active users in the U.S. (2)
- They are expected to pass 50 million active users within the next year. (2)
- The number of male users has doubled this year—outpacing the general growth. (2)
- Nearly 40% of the network’s user base is international. (3)
- The site is translated into 20 languages, currently. (4)
- In March, Pinterest raised $367 million in funding to fuel global expansion (with plans to eventually raise another $211 million). (3)
- Millennial users increased from 25% to 33% between fall 2013 and spring 2014—a greater increase in the demographic than for any other social network. (5)
Clearly, the platform holds a broad appeal, and it is displaying remarkable growth.
Why is it Popular?
Pinterest is founded upon images. While Facebook, Google +, Twitter and LinkedIn easily accommodate images (and most posts perform better WITH them), Pinterest was based upon the idea of a digital pin-board. For any person who ever kept a scrapbook of ideas, a corkboard full of magazine clippings, or a binder full of cutout images—Pinterest is the modern solution. The app grabs any image and stores it, in a sortable, searchable platform. Users create boards to organize the images they collect. The “pins” are shared as a waterfall of images, creating a customized, personalized digital magazine, in which users have the option to capture or open the link to any image that interests them.
Why is Pinterest good for Business?
Although Pinterest has developed a reputation for having a predominantly female following, as well as being overrun with images linking to recipes, crafting, and fashion, Pinterest is NOT merely for the homemaking niche. Its format allows ANY content to be shared, searched and stored, as long as it has an image—including:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Articles
- Infographics
- Music
Within the last year, Pinterest has incorporated the following business-centered improvements:
- Search
- Analytics
- “Scoring Algorithms” that aid in classifying pins
- Business Accounts
- Profile Data
- Website Insights
- Platform Metrics
- Content Performance Metrics
- Sponsored Ads
Is Pinterest Relevant for Events?
In a word, yes! Event Planning incorporates both technical aspects and aesthetic aspects. Planners need to gather data on vendors, venues, industries, and technology—they’re responsible for thousands of details! Event Planners can use Pinterest boards to:
- Keep a visual record of exciting and unique potential venues in their area.
- Monitor trends in Event Design.
- Collect ideas for menus, table settings, invitations, decorating and other visual elements.
- Research tips, checklists, organization, printables, templates, and contracts.
- Gather information that helps them solve specific problems or helps them better understand a client’s customer base.
Best of all, with so many millions of users searching Pinterest regularly, it’s an excellent FUN way to help distribute news, content, and information regarding your business, your products, your brand, and specific events—getting the word out about your work!
Resources:
- http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms-2/
- http://mashable.com/2015/04/24/pinterest-smart-board-picker/
- http://mashable.com/2015/04/29/pinterest-evan-sharp-users/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-socmed-link
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinterest
- http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-as-a-brand-platform-2014-11?op=1