Social Media

20 Creative Ways Brands Are Using Pinterest

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Pinterest has quickly become one of the top referring traffic sources for retailers.

Many brands have leveraged the capabilities of this popular social network through a number of key techniques. How does one go about getting their content re-pinned on Pinterest?  We’ll explore a few popular brands and see how they are maximizing the potential Pinterest holds in generating the traffic they want.

1. Anthropologie

For retailers like Anthropologie, Pinterest has drawn an impressive amount of traffic. 90% of Pinterest users are female and many of them enjoy perusing through and repinning stylish goods they want. One way they are utilizing Pinterest to promote their brand is through a board that is entirely composed of Anthropologie store layouts from around the country and around the world.

 

2. BirchBox

The beauty subscription service BirchBox is a brand that pins and repins a variety of beauty-related content on Pinterest. Some ways they are using Pinterest creatively is through the use of pinboards where un-boxing videos are shared as well as a board of tip and tricks on BirchBoxTV. This cross promoting of content gives a wider exposure to the brand.

 

3. Martha Stewart

Pinterest has become a huge traffic driver for the women’s lifestyle, home decor and cooking industries, and this is no exception for Martha Stewart. Pinterest is now the top referrer for both MarthaStewartWeddings.com and MarthaStewart.com, sending more traffic than Facebook and Twitter combined. Additionally, Marthastewart.com content makes up about 0.8% of total pins. This content is most suitable for Pinterest as recipes are one of the top 5 most re-pinned items.

4. Flickr

Flickr is one of the top sources for Pinterest images and rightfully so. It’s home to over five billion of the world’s photos, many of which are taken by professional, world-renowned photographers. The breadth of photographic content makes the site an easy choice for re-pins on Pinterest.

5. The Today Show

Motivational phrases or quotes are another highly re-pinned subject on Pinterest and are a great way of conveying your brands values or ethos. The Today Show does this creatively by pinning inspirational sayings that contain its brand name.

6. Chobani

The yogurt brand Chobani positions itself as a leader in its market by providing helpful tips and resources on Pinterest. Boards are created on wholesome recipes, nutritional pointers, and exercise programs. Additionally, some of their highly re-pinned boards include inspirational posters, which one of the top 5 subjects re-pinned most often. Including a descriptive one-liner helps the image pop up later in search results and increases the likelihood of being re-pinned.

7. Real Simple

As mentioned previously, mega-categories such as fashion, beauty, health, and cooking are prime targets for re-pinning. With over 100,000 followers on the site, Real Simple is doing a number of things right: Their board “New Uses for Old Things” has fared very well and includes some of the most re-pinned content on Pinterest. User-generated content is another subject that receives numerous repins. In the future, Real Simple is looking to do co-branded sweepstakes with advertisers, giving visitors the chance to win big prizes.

8. Amazon

Given the range of content available, Amazon.com is another site making waves on Pinterest. Amazon content makes up about 0.3% of total pins. A Pinterest tip for online retailers is to put a dollar sign in front of your price. This way, your pin will be pulled into the Pinterest gift section, which has a button in the navigation bar on the Pinterest homepage.

9. Style Me Pretty

Style Me Pretty brings chic, stylish weddings to the masses. From boards on bouquets to cakes and shoes, Style Me Pretty has amassed a six figure following for those who want inspiration for their own weddings. Quotes are one subject highly re-pinned, and you’ll find this is true for Style Me Pretty.

10. Etsy

Etsy is a site guaranteed to have alot of inspirational content ready to be re-pinned. Their engagement with their audience is also noteworthy – they have two boards where they will add you as a guest contributor. Also of note is the brief, bold text which brands should use to help their images be re-pinned.

 

11. Polyvore

The website that lets users make fashion collages has hit 15 million unique visits a month by utilizing Pinterest.  Another tip: hashtags (#) work on Pinterest just like they do on Twitter, adding hashtags to the comments on your pin makes them easier to find in search.

 

12. Apartment Therapy

The Apartment Therapy Pinterest site boasts a curated feed of the best original images from their House Tours, helpful design tips, style guides and more.

 

13. Whole Foods

Whole Foods is an example of a brand that isn’t overly promotional on Pinterest. It centers its boards around its core values of natural, sustainable, and organic and much of the content is pulled from interesting blogs and other resources, making it a resource for upcylcing advice and DIY projects.

West Elm on Pinterest

14. West Elm

West Elm, a furniture company, uses Pinterest to showcase its products in natural settings and offers decorating tips to inspire fans into sharing its pins. Clever ideas about recycling and suggestions about gardening and landscaping are two pinboards that elicit this action and take away the consumerism of the site. Their high level of engagement with their audience also fares well in the companies activity on the network.

15. Mashable

Mashable was an early adopter of Pinterest and has since loaded their page with memes, tips and tricks, and other useful info for the tech generation. Their infographic board is highly successful, and elicits not only many repins but comments from fans.

16. Kate Spade NY

The Kate Spade NY presence is another example of a fashion brand that doesn’t focus too heavily on their product in their social media efforts. Their heavily re-pinned boards encapsulate the lifestyle the brand is hoping to achieve in the minds of its customers.

 

17. Perfect Palette

Looking for inspiration for your upcoming wedding? The Perfect Palette includes over 8k pins of color palette possibilities.

18. Better Home and Gardens

Home, gardening, food, holidays, and living are all subjects that fare well on Pinterest. Better Homes and Gardens makes good use of the high quality photographic content into well-organized boards of all themes imaginable. From handmade gifts to blogger recipes they love, their content is a source of inspiration for those who are seeking lifestyle inspiration.

19. The Beauty Department

DIYs are a huge hit on Pinterest. The Beauty Department makes use of this subject on a board dedicated solely to clever DIYs tips and tricks.

20. HGTV

Scripps Networks’s HGTV Pinterest presence offers lots of tips on beautifying your home. In addition to HGTV design, decor and garden Pinterest boards, several staff-curated Pinterest accounts were created to get a sense of the personal design aesthetic of the creatives behind the brand.

What are some other brands using Pinterest successfully? Let us know in the comments.

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20 Creative Ways Brands Are Using Pinterest


Stephanie Hamilton runs a small branding and web design studio where she helps clients market their company online. Visit By Stephanie and let's collaborate to tell your brand's story. Visit the blog for more helpful design and business resources.

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