Pestworld Magazine Focusing on the Business of Pest Management
In today’s digital age, it seems that every time you blink, there’s a brand new, must-have social media tool bursting on to the marketing scene. Deciding which networks are here to stay and could have a significant impact on your business and audience is a challenge. Even more challenging is figuring out how to apply new social media tools to your business successfully and in a way that adds value to your overall marketing strategy. If there is any social media site that you should absolutely have in your arsenal but may not have fully considered as a tool to increase business opportunities, it is Pinterest.
The general perception of Pinterest is that it is a site geared toward women and used by women who are interested in recipes, crafts and fashion. Since the site’s launch in 2010, however, Pinterest has grown into a social media powerhouse for brands that are looking for a new avenue to reach relevant audiences and affect household purchasing decisions.
If you are unsure that Pinterest is a good fit for your business and the pest control industry, here are some powerful statistics that may change your mind:
• According to the Pew Research Center, 28 percent of all American Internet users are on Pinterest, with 17 percent of those users logging in daily.
• Although Pinterest is still dominated by women, men now account for 33 percent of new sign-ups in the U.S., and the number of men on Pinterest doubled in 2014.
• About 47 percent of online shoppers have made a purchase based on a Pinterest recommendation and the site generates 27 percent more revenue-per-click than Facebook.
• According to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Pinterest is ranked as the top social media site for user satisfaction.
• The average pin is 100 times more viral than a tweet.
Pinterest and the Pest Control Industry
While there may be a large number of users, they may not all fall within your target audience. Fortunately, the most frequent users of Pinterest are ideal pest control consumers. According to data from comScore, the average Pinterest user has a household income of more than $100,000 each year. Additionally, the large presence of women on Pinterest is a perfect fit for companies interested in influencing household pest control decisions. As reported by SocialMouths.com, 81 percent of women online trust Pinterest as a reliable source of information and advice.
Pinterest is also known for being a hub of do-it-yourself ideas and projects. The increased presence of the pest control industry on the site is a key part of enforcing the message online that calling a professional is the safer and more effective solution for home pest control. There is a significant value to having another popular social media channel to affect people’s perception of the pest control industry and pest control professionals.
Aside from the inherent value of your Pinterest presence in and of itself, each pin that is linked to your website will take people there whenever it is clicked by a Pinterest user, where they are able to learn more about your company and the pest control services offered. This is incredibly beneficial for increasing referral traffic to your website; in fact, Pestworld’s own Pinterest account is the fourth overall highest driver of traffic to Pestworld.org, and the second highest social media driver of traffic behind Facebook.
Using Pinterest to Grow Your Business
Pinterest differs from other social media networks in both the mindset its users have while they are browsing the site and the way Pinterest content is disseminated and consumed. People using Facebook and Twitter are most interested in connecting with other users. People come to Pinterest, however, for inspiration, ideas and to learn about topics that interest them or are of use in their daily lives. Pinterest users are therefore more open to the influence of products and brands, making them an ideal audience for companies that want to increase their exposure and, ultimately, their sales.
The content on Pinterest also differs significantly from that on other social networks. Content on Facebook and Twitter, for example, is not meant to be long-lasting, and quickly loses relevancy. The way both of these sites present information only allows recently posted content to be visible to people’s friends or followers for a short amount of time, usually just a couple of hours, before it is superseded by fresher content.
On the contrary, Pinterest content is most often evergreen, and will continue to resurface after it is initially added to the site as users share pins with their own unique sets of followers. According to data from Pinterest, every pin is re-pinned an average of 11 times and half of a pin’s total traffic occurs three months after it was originally pinned. Additionally, many Pinterest users will find a pin that interests them as they are browsing, pin it for future reference, and then return to it at a later date when something jogs their memory or they need the information—for example, if a user pinned a pest control tip and then, months later, discovered signs of an infestation.
Pinterest also differs from other social media networks because instead of mindlessly scrolling through whatever the site’s algorithm has chosen to feature in the newsfeed, people use Pinterest as a search engine to proactively find content that interests them. For this reason, it is important to make sure that any pins you add to your Pinterest page are highly searchable. Play with your Pinterest SEO by focusing on using keywords in pin captions that will ensure your pins stand out in people’s searches, which can ultimately lead them to clicking through to your website.
The Bottom Line
The value of Pinterest for the pest control industry is clear, and as the number of regular Pinterest users continues to grow, adding this tool to your marketing efforts could provide a major boost to web site traffic. If you’re new to Pinterest, check out the site’s help guide for assistance with getting started and head to Pestworld’s official Pinterest page, www.Pinterest.com/PestWorld, for content strategy ideas. Happy pinning!
Sources
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms-2/
http://marketingland.com/3-pinterest-tips-will-make-better-job-79063
http://www.business2community.com/infographics/30-reasons-market-business-pinterest-2014-infographic-0763727
http://socialmouths.com/blog/2012/06/28/blogs-most-influential-recommendation-engine/
http://mashable.com/2012/02/25/pinterest-user-demographics/
https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/why-you-dont-need-many-followers-you-think
