With so many social media platforms around, what’s a brand to do and focus on when it comes to advertising and marketing? While Facebook continues to be the leader among marketers, other platforms like Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok are making inroads.

What’s Helping Pinterest?

There are a  number of things helping Pinterest. One is  Product Pins, a shopping feature it originally branded as Buyable Pins. Product Pins are associated with specific products and are discovered through searches or users’ home feeds. When a consumer looks at an item and then clicks on it, the Product Pin takes him/her to the brand’s website. In addition, consumers are also informed about a product’s availability and its price.

Another is Google Lens, which affords consumers who like to conduct visual searches yet another opportunity. The app allows consumers to take a picture of something they’re interested in, tap on it and then be shown similar products or styles.

Within a year after its launch in 2017, Lens said it was being used to conduct more than 600 million searches each month. The app is capable of recognizing more than 2 ½ billion products today. The latest update was made last September, giving consumers the ability to not only save their photos, but also convert them to pins, which affords them the option and capability of doing more searches at a later date.

There’s yet another improvement Pinterest made last October for brands. Called Shop Tab, the feature allows consumers to click on that feature and see the product’s inventory and entire catalogue, as well as scroll through it while shopping. Also viewable are product prices.

Finally, Pinterest also upgraded its Business Profiles. In addition to improvements in Product Pins and Shop Tab, prominent among the changes is the ability of brands to customize their profile covers that enhance their brand or story with pictures and/or video.

Coming Soon

In September, Pinterest rolled out its Shop the Look for select brands in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil and Japan. According to Pinterest, visitors using the app will first see a preview of four items, after which they can click through and interact with products they’re interested in. This app for mobile devices permits companies to display as many as 25 products in one image.

Consumers viewing the ads need only to click on it to be taken to the brand’s website. Pinterest says this feature will be available to U.S. brands soon.

Jumping Aboard

Brands with Pinterest business accounts are eligible to sign up for Product Pins and upload their catalogue with shoppable Product Pins. Interest among brands has been surging.  For the third quarter of 2019, Pinterest reported a 75% increase in catalogues uploaded over the previous quarter.

As if to confirm its popularity, Pinterest recently reported that 83% of consumers purchase products after seeing them on their platform. The company also revealed that they’d exceeded 320 million active monthly users.

As with any other marketing option, any  decision to move forward with Pinterest or any other social media platform should be based on a good understanding and knowledge of the brand’s target audience.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.