If you aren’t expanding your social presence beyond Facebook and Twitter, then you are missing out! There are some amazing opportunities on other channels, such as Pinterest and Instagram. While it seems strange to invest valuable time in channels that don’t actually promote an official account there is an added benefit to you as a small business when implementing Pinterest and Instagram into your social media marketing campaign.
How and why, you might ask? There are lessons that can be learned from valuable demographics about visual social channels. Women are inherently present on Pinterest and Instagram has a younger demographic. Remember, even if you aren’t present on the channel there is a very good chance that your target audience may be talking about you. Keep that in mind when determining if either of these channels is a good fit for your business. Also, do the research and background work so that you are aware of what your audience is talking about (whether it’s you or not).
One of the greatest assets to visual social media is the ability to send your audience directly to your website, or even a blog post where your brand is being talked about. Aside from Fan Growth, what else can you gain from being present on social? Think about ways to increase brand awareness as much as Fan Acquisition.
For Pinterest, brands should think about their areas of expertise and how they can use unique ways to get users to engage by incorporating Long, Place, Recipe, and Rich Pins into their content. For Instagram, brands should pay close attention to the hastags being used by industry peers and influencers, as well as what their audience is talking about. Hashtags, both on Pinterest and Instagram, are a way for users to search for relevant content as well as reference any brand specific hashtags that the brand can then use to start conversations with their audience.
Still not convinced that visual networks are for you? You’ll never know what success you could have unless you try. Do the leg work and research where you audience spends their time on social media. Think less about creating a marketing campaign that is only about increasing Fan growth. Think more in terms of starting a conversation about your brand that your target audience can resonate with.