​Recent data shows that verbs can drive website conversions and engagement on Pinterest and Facebook.

​The words marketers choose to use online can have significant effects on lead generation and social engagement. Of course, content marketing requires brands to craft compelling stories to push readers further along the sales cycle, but on popular social hubs like Facebook and Pinterest, finding the right words to elicit responses from followers is key to increasing socially assisted conversions.

A recent study from Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota has identified trends on Pinterest that can help marketers craft better content moving forward. Led by Assistant Professor Eric Gilbert of Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, in collaboration with Professor Loren Terveen from the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, the report revealed the verbs most likely to drive engagement on the digital pinboard site. The data showed terms like ‘use,’ ‘look,’ ‘want’ and ‘need’ drive marketing programs for brands across Pinterest.

The data showed terms like ‘use,’ ‘look,’ ‘want’ and ‘need’ drive marketing programs for brands across Pinterest.

“Those four verbs uniquely describe Pinterest and are particularly interesting,” Gilbert said. “Words encapsulate the intent of people, revealing the motivations behind their actions. You can use the word ‘this’ after all of these verbs, reflecting the ‘things’ at the core of Pinterest.”

Brands using Pinterest to drive traffic back to their ecommerce sites can use this insight to improve their future content strategies. Pinterest focuses on visual content, but words still play an important part in peoples’ engagement with posts on a regular basis, as evidenced in the recent Georgia Tech and University of Minnesota study. More, content marketers may also be interested to learn that the verbs most effective on Pinterest aren’t the same on other popular sites like Facebook.

Brafton has reported on HubSpot data that highlighted the verbs that drive social comments, shares and Likes on Facebook. According to the source, ‘Should’ and ‘Would’ grab consumers’ attention more often than terms like ‘Why’ and ‘How.’ This insight can help brands tailor their Facebook posts and content headlines to maximize reach and engagement. Failing to factor in consumer trends can put Facebook marketing programs at risk.

Businesses must spend more time developing stronger editorial strategies to put the most persuasive media in front of their customers. In some cases, changing one word to a more resonating verb could mean the difference between more website conversions and higher bounce rates.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.