Why it’s ok that your brand’s Pinterest page is less followed than its Facebook page

I recently made this page because clients are asking us how it’s possible that their brand’s Facebook page could differ so vastly in audience from that of its Facebook page. I wanted them to see that they aren’t alone and in fact are in good company with some of the nation’s top brands. Lots of brand managers have started wondering if they’ve been wise to pour time and resources into Pinterest only to get “followers” in the three to four digit range when they’ve grown comfortable with Facebook followings in the five to seven-digit range. And although formatted differently, much of the brand content is the same. Recently a friend who runs a stunningly social-media-savvy performing arts program told me she can’t get her Pinterest page where it needs to be because she can’t convince her budget-conscious board that it will be worth the “time suck”. Here’s how I’m advising my friends and clients:

Relax. Consider the scale. Facebook is one big giant apple compared to Pinterest’s teeny tiny orange. Consider also that Facebook has been around much longer, roping in even the slowest adapters. Come on, even your grandmother is on Facebook. It has sophisticated tools and simple-to-use applications for building your numbers of “likes” through low cost paid advertising and other tactics. Conversely, Pinterest only started in November offering tools for businesses, and is not currently set up for slick, quick paid advertising nor as a convenient space for retargeting your abandoned shopping cart prospects.

However, don’t hold off on spiffing up your brand’s Pinterest! Here are just a few great reasons why:

• Start with the fact that it gives your brand a chance to tell its story using a mixture of your own assets (photos, video, graphics) along with massive quantities of free assets. Millions of dollars worth of images shot by magazines, blogs and even other brands are now yours for the pinning to tell your story and create a picture-perfect brand environment. Free!
• Pinterest’s growth is moving much faster than other social media were at this stage, because it is simple to adapt and because people now adapt faster.
• Pinterest users are wealthier and spend more than Facebook users.
• Compared to other platforms, Pinterest nudges users into the purchase funnel with unmatched velocity and elegance. Those 25 million people repinning your stuff are your new, crowd-sourced pr firm. So beautiful are the storyboards in this editorial environment curated by ordinary people that Pinterest is practically a stealth sales team for your product.

If they can maintain this dreamy user experience while creating new means for improved search for users and brand visibility for marketers, Pinterest will certainly become the icon among social media platforms for lifestyle brands.

Right now less than half of the top 1500 U.S. brands have Pinterest pages, but all are expected to be “on board” by the end of this year. Now is the time to hone your social media team’s Pinterest skills and/or hire a professional brand strategist to get your content in order and keep it going strong using best practices for visibility, share-ability, search, brand continuity and messaging. Get your stunningly lit and brilliantly styled product images, clever and engaging pinning contests, charming and insightful info-graphics, easy and innovative DIY’s and gently art-directed off-price promo Pinboards ready and select a third party analytics tool so you can reward your brand evangelists and converse with your loyalists.

Prepare now and you and your brand will enjoy the rewards as Pinterest grows. You’re about to be pinned and it won’t hurt a bit.