Pinterest is a web-based social network system which allows its users to pin (post) images or pictures to virtual boards that they create according to their interests (Lee, 2011).  The social networking aspect of Pinterest takes place when users share images. Moreover, Pinterest is having a Facebook-like interface with Twitter-like metrics, thus enables business to engage customers at a higher level and capture measurable ROI metrics (Loren & Swiderski, 2012). Furthermore, corporations also view social media an important way to reach consumers and thus many companies are adding social media to their marketing strategies to offer more interactivity with their consumers. For example, Ferguson & Greer study in  2015 showed that media organizations use Pinterest to promote themselves and their programs. However, their study also suggested that boards carrying images associated with lifestyle are able businesses to enhance connections with their targeted audiences better than promition-related content. Therefore,  Pinterest could be considred as a suitable platform for certain service businesses (e.i. fashion, garderning, home decorating business or event planning) to attract new customers or traffics and also increase brand’s visibility and recognition.

There are several features of Pinterest which allows  small businesses to employ and facilitate their digital marketing strategies.

1. Adding pins to Twitter and Facebook easily and quickly. For businesseses that already have an Facebook or Twitter account, they are allowed to share the images they pin immediately on Twitter and Facebook. This is not only time saver for marketers in order to have consistent content among all its social platforms, but also increase visibility (Bennett, 2014).
2. Promoting business’s pins via Pinterest’s email. Businesses are able to email their pinners, customers or even prospects a pin that they might find helpful or information they might want to see via the Pinterest’s email feature.
3. Invluding extra information right on the Pin itself. There are 6 types of Rich Pins which includes app, movie, recipe, article, product and place. Different Rich Pins serve different function, for example, a home designer could use the Product Pins in the Pinterest page which allows the users to purchase for the product directly off of Pinterest by having a blue “Buy It ” button next to the red “Pin It” button (Abdurrahman, 2015).
4. Pinterest’s analytics. Similar to google analytics which enable busienesses to gain better understanding about their audience on Pinterest through collected data. Businesses will also receive analytics on the performances of their pins which allows businesses to know what could be made for better performance. Moreover, such feature also benefit the businesses by showing the right visual or content to their targeted audiences and thus increase engagement and sales.
5. Adding Pinterest Page widget to companies’s site, so that users who visiting the site will the businesses are on Pinterest and thus increase the number of followers.

References:

Abdurrahman, S. A., 2015. Want to Know How Pinterest Can Benefit Your Business?. [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-know-how-pinterest-can-benefit-your-business-suzan [Accessed 22 March 2016].

Bennett, A., 2014. 7 Pinterest Features You Probably Aren’t Taking Advantage Of. [Online] Available at: http://www.business2community.com/pinterest/7-pinterest-features-probably-arent-taking-advantage-0841489#c3ZtUpAxp8USuIPG.97 [Accessed 22 March 2016].

Ferguson, D. A. & Greer, C. F., 2015. Pinning and Promotion: How Local Television. Journal of Promotion Management, 1(21), pp. 64-81.

LAIRD, K 2012, ‘PINTEREST RATE’, Marketing Magazine, 117, 5, pp. 8-10, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2016.

Lee, E. (2011, September 20). Pinterest lets people share their passions. San Francisco Chronicle, Business, p. D1.

Loren, J. & Swiderski, E., 2012. Pinterest for Business: How to Pin Your Company to the Top of the Hottest Social Media Network. 1st ed. Indiana: Que Publishing.

Neher, K., 2014. Visual Social Marketing For Dummies. 1st ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

We are now living in a world where information is overloaded with words and figures which may result in the lack of active attention leads users to unconsciously ignore content which require longer time and attention to analysis it  (Lambie & Hair, 2012) . However, several statistics shows that online content with visuals grab more attention and engagement from users.  Moreover, science also revealed that nearly half of human brain is involve in visual processing, interpreting visuals in less than 1/10^th of a second (Pettersson, 1989). Additionally, when users navigate mounting distractions, the average human attention is less than 9 seconds. Besides that, our brain process information more deeply when we receive it in a form of stories because storytelling is a fundamental of human brain functioning (Parkinson, 2010). Therefore, visual storytelling is getting vital in digital marketing today.

Visual storytelling includes the use of graphics, images, charts, and videos to engage with a target market and deliver a brand’s message in an effort to drive emotions and encourage a certain action (Alton, 2016). A compelling and captivating visual content is able to evoke emotions which results in deeper engagement with users and drives potential consumers to purchase for a product or service. Thus, visual storytelling has attracted many brands to employ it in content marketing in order to increase website traffic, customer engagement and even sales (Lasquite, 2015). Furthermore, visual storytelling also helps businesses to connect, inspire, and engage the brand with their consumers better and faster than a simple text (Gregorio, 2015).  There are 4 key principles that make a powerful visual:

1. Authenticity: Authentic visual marketing draws emotions and passions from the users, they are then turned into advocates of the idea the brand is attempting to tell.
2. Achetype: Archetype visual storytelling technique are used by brands to create engaging content through learning about archetypal stories that form our values and culture.
3. Sensory currency: Sensory stimulation is one of the element which enable a brand to connect with their targeted consumers.
4. Relevancy: Incorporating cultural relevancy in visual storytelling makes for a good and powerful campaign as it creates a deeper emotional connection.