Should your organization be on Pinterest?

Earlier this year, Pinterest hit the 200 million mark for monthly active users. While that’s not as high as Facebook or Twitter, it’s still a lot of people.

You may be wondering how your brand can leverage Pinterest as part of your overall social strategy. For some companies, Pinterest is a great option. For others, it isn’t.

There are four different factors that come into play when evaluating any social platform.

Audience – Are the people you’re trying to reach on Pinterest? 70% of users are women.
Capabilities – Does what the platform is capable of match your needs?
Culture fit – Does the platform’s culture match your organization’s? Is it formal or informal?
Comfort level – How comfortable are you with the platform?

For a professional services firm selling an intangible consulting service rather than material goods, Pinterest probably isn’t the best fit. While the audience they’re trying to reach might be on the platform, they’re not on the platform looking for that type of service. The other three factors might be a fit, but if the audience isn’t there, it’s not the right platform.

When it comes to capabilities, Pinterest is a visual platform. But unlike other visual platforms (such as Instagram), Pinterest is really a social bookmarking site. It revolves around sharing someone else’s photos and content online.

Yes, you can include your own photos and content on Pinterest, but you’re still relying on other people to share them in order for them to be seen. If you’re posting original content, every pin should link back to your website.

If you have an e-commerce website, you’re likely to see better ROI from Pinterest traffic, because people on Pinterest are often ready to buy.

According to statistics released by Pinterest, 61% of surveyed users say they have discovered new brands or products from promoted pins, and 1 out of 2 made a purchase after seeing a promoted pin.

If the audience, capabilities, and culture are a good fit and you have someone on your team who is comfortable with the platform, then it’s time to get on Pinterest.