Not Just for Recipes: Why Pinterest Works for B2B

Whether you rely upon Pinterest for all of your brunch recipes, or thought that the name meant "pretending interest," the social media platform can be a powerful tool to market your business. 67% of users pinned on Pinterest from a business website, and your B2B business can use Pinterest to drive traffic to your website and gain insight into your markets.

Many B2B companies believe that Pinterest is strictly for B2C businesses, because many of the pins on the site are for items such as food, clothing or beauty products. However, the top reason why users in the US follow a brand or company on Pinterest is because they want to share their interests and lifestyle with others. That means that consumers want engaging information, and they don't care what type of business they get it from. The topic can be anything from business tips and productivity advice, to infographics or blogs about your company's field, be it agriculture, transportation, or manufacturing. To get the most out of your Pinterest profile, follow the tips below!

1) Be Human: Remember that everyone you want to attract to your business is an individual, whether they're a top buyer for Wal-Mart or a Marketing intern. That means that your content must be informative, engaging, and even fun! Create pins out of infographics and link them to your blogs, make "tip" pins, or create boards about fun topics pertaining to your business. For example, TD Bank has a board titled "Our Littlest Bankers" that displays adorable child patrons of their banks. Though banks are both B2B and B2C, this is a great tactic for creating engaging, fun content that will draw users into your brand. 

2) Post Interactive Pins: Did you know that you can post videos, SlideShares, podcasts, and PowerPoints on Pinterest? Pictures and infographics should be engaging and educational, but you should also utilize other methods of giving your audience valuable content.

3) Organize: Make sure that your content is separated into discrete boards, and use pin descriptions with as many keywords as apply for each pin that you post. This will help people who search key terms find your pins and boards. Follow other companies and users with interests similar to your business. For example, if you are an agricultural distribution company, follow foodie Pinterest boards. Then, create remarkable content by making a board dedicated to recipes using farm fresh produce.

4) Step Back: Finally, determine if Pinterest should be a major component of your social media strategy, or a smaller facet. Women use Pinterest overwhelmingly, with 85% of users identifying as female. If your main target personas are all men, you may consider utilizing Pinterest as a complimentary effort for SEO purposes. If some of your personas are female, Pinterest could serve as a major focus of your strategy.

So What?

Many B2B businesses believe that Pinterest isn't an effectual tool for them, since they do not cater directly to consumers. However, this is a misconception, because all B2B companies cater to human beings. These individuals want valuable content, and Pinterest may be just the place for you to deliver the information that will drive users to your site, if you use it correctly.

Image courtesy of Flickr user mkhmarketing.wordpress.com.