Could the rise of influencer marketing bring Pinterest back into the fold and help the platform make a comeback?

Pinterest certainly thinks so, but do marketers? Considering recent issues from Instagram throttling their API and restricting data outputs to marketers, there's certainly some potential. But the company still has a few obstacles to overcome before the influencer marketing world will fully invest.

Because of this, we're diving into the benefits and disadvantages that Pinterest provides in regards to influencer marketing.

The Benefits

1. Content has a much longer shelf life than the somewhat disposable content on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
2. The platform is built for eCommerce. So when a consumer is inspired by an item, they can click all the way through to purchase, which is great for conversions.
3. Pinterest is a visual search engine that's getting more and more powerful with time.
4. Targeting capabilities are getting better and better on the network. Marketers are able to know what a consumer clicks, searches, re-pins and more. So as the targeting gets better, branded content is going to surface more accurately.

The Disadvantages

1. Most marketers are excited by seeing people engage with their content, and the engagement rate on Pinterest is terrible, especially with their recent updates.
2. The majority of Pinterest's content is how-to content versus the inspirational content seen on Instagram. So, Instagram is inspiring the consumer to do something fun while Pinterest is telling them how to do something they may never actually do.
3. A lot of the content is unbranded. You see paint colors, but you don't know what brand of paint it is, and consumers that take the initiative to click through may still end up at a dead end.

 
So, as you can see there are strong arguments for and against Pinterest in conjunction with influencer marketing. At Carusele, we recommend that marketers let their overarching business objectives drive the strategy. If you're looking to produce content that has a long-term shelf life and can be easily discovered on a visual search engine, Pinterest may just be the avenue for your brand.

If you're in the process of developing your Pinterest influencer marketing strategy and looking for some expert advice or assistance, check out our on-demand capabilities or contact us today.