Anonymous
Since early 2012 Pinterest has been a major photo sharing website. Themed “boards” organize your wish lists, vacation plans, fashion inspiration, dream homes, and more. Pinterest holds a great opportunity for PR and marketers, allowing people to connect with their company when they view their products and add them to their online wish lists.
Pinterest founder and CEO, Ben Silbermann, also one of the number one users of the site, is looking for a way to ensure Pinterest and its services are here to stay. He recently announced the launch of ‘Promoted Pins.’ Promoted Pins are a suggestion on things you might like depending on what you are searching for. These pins will be chosen from a group of businesses based on Pinterest user’s “pins”.
Many users worry that the site will no longer remain the same fun, interesting and useful social networking place it is. Silbermann promises users that all of the ads will be:
- Tasteful. No flashy banners or pop-up ads.
- Transparent. Always letting you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it.
- Relevant. The pins should be about things you’re actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that’s your style.
- Improved based on your feedback. “Keep letting us know what you think, and we’ll keep working to make things better” Silbermann says.
Pinterest indicated that Promoted Pins are being experimented with; the selected businesses are not paying for promotion yet. For the first test, they will promote a few pins in search results and category feeds. For example, a pin for a boutique bridal party outfit might be promoted in a search for “party outfit.” The plan is to see how things go and, more than anything, review their users’ feedback.
Nate Long, founder of Nate Long Marketing, believes that once the program is fully launched, companies on Pinterest will have a golden opportunity to improve their social media return on investment. This would be an excellent opportunity for many companies around the world to branch out and reach new markets. However, a successful marketing scheme also involves spending money in order to stay in front of competitors.
Will you be pinning its progress?
