Pinterest Overtakes Twitter in Popularity

Pinterest’s popularity has grown more than Twitter and LinkedIn combined over the last year, according to a Dec. 2013 study by Pew Research Center.

The study provided digital advertisers with a wealth of information on where their target audience is currently and where it might be headed in 2014.

Online social media users love Pinterest and it shows. Pinterest, the social media site offering users the ability to create online boards of images and videos, grew the number of online adults using its website by 6%; more than Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram (coming in second in the study at 4%).

Demographics in the Study

It’s no secret that Pinterest appeals to female users. Women are more likely to use Pinterest than men attaching no barriers other than the 18 or older facet used in the survey. LinkedIn, on the other hand, is popular among college graduates and internet users with higher incomes, the study revealed. Twitter and Instagram resonate with urbanites, younger adults, and non-whites. Facebook holds 70% usage from whites, Hispanics and African Americans.

How Pinterest Works for Businesses

As with individual users, businesses create an account, then use the site to pin images and videos to its  online boards, which organize content into collections based upon interest. Existing and potential customers are then able to follow boards, which put the business’ pins in a feed from which they can repin, like and comment.

Businesses typically pin product and service-related offerings, and can create boards for employees, customers, contests, events and how-to’s for using products and completing projects.

Pinterest for businesses offers a web analytics tool and Pin It button for web pages. The social media site boasts increased referral traffic to business’ websites, resulting in potential for higher sales and market share.

Can You Run Ads on Pinterest?

Pinterest has only just begun to implement advertising. In October 2013, Pinterest began testing the promoted pin. These promoted posts work like regular pins with a promoted icon in the right hand corner, keeping the ads tasteful, transparent and relevant to its users.

Which social network do you feel is most useful to businesses?

About Bigfin.com

Bigfin.com LLC can create custom solutions for the social media needs of your business,  including the creation and management of Pinterest accounts. Bigfin is an industry leader in search engine optimization, web design and social media. Looking for online marketing or web development services? Contact us online or by phone at 425-822-8200.

Image Credit: http://www.pewinternet.org