The new idea isn’t so much new as practical. It’s also a good brand move by Pinterest, moving from “Moods” to “Everything”. For online businesses, it’s a definite plus.
Social media marketing can be anything from downright strange to very handy, and all in between. Given the general loathing of social media ads, Pinterest’s Idea may well be the solution. Social media marketing is hardly an exact science, and Pinterest seems to have solved the problem very neatly with a simple “Search – Subject – Targeted ads” approach with this plan. Pinterest will be showing ads from catalogs, shopping recommendations, and a dedicated section for company information. It’s sounding a bit like a more structured version of Facebook, with a stronger emphasis for click throughs.
Seems that Pinterest has also solved the problem of commercial space on pages vs search content, with a simple “…More” link to the commercial interests. Overall, sounds good, well-planned, and highly relevant to site users.
Obviously, this move will also generate some revenue for Pinterest, and help it to evolve. One of the major, if vague, criticisms of the site is that it’s “just pictures”, too. Add links, and you have the world’s biggest billboard, ready to go, without compromising the basic idea or the website’s deeper values as a source of some truly incredible images.
Will commercial content spoil Pinterest?
Short answer, no. Pinterest is “gravity based”, meaning defined by searches. It’s unlikely someone looking for specific products or related information would be too upset about a bit more information in their specific areas of interest. One of the big problems with other social media sites, in fact, is the bizarre range of ads and unwanted content which seems unavoidable on them.
Actually, Pinterest could be doing users and businesses an unintended favour. If you’re an arts and crafts person, a gardener, or have a special interest which gets you wading through pages of images, the extra images won’t be much of a nuisance. Add some extra value with shopping options, and it could well be a major plus.
Good commercial move
After all, Amazon is an “everything” site; why not Pinterest? Pinterest could generate a lot more depth for itself, in fact, by this approach. From a browsing site to a more or less browse/buy/explore site is a natural evolution. Add to this the fact that most people do research their buying online, and Pinterest is a universally popular site. it’s a virtual no-brainer in marketing and advertising terms.
Also very much to the point in terms of content values and user experience – Pinterest is an extremely broad based site. It makes no sense to be just a series of image boards, when it can be so much more, and a good source of information for users as well.
Now just excuse me while I make sure I have all the images of my books on my Pinterest account….
