BizRate recently analyzed the motivations and desires of Pinterest and Facebook users, and the results show distinctions that make Pinterest an appealing option for certain businesses. According to the survey, 70 percent of respondents said they use Pinterest to “get inspiration on what to buy.” On the other hand, only 17 percent said the same for Facebook.
Pinterest’s rapid growth in the last year forced many businesses to consider the platform for social media marketing. Last month, Brafton highlighted client data from Shareaholic that showed Pinterest produces more referral traffic than both Bing and Yahoo. Pinterest’s highly visual format lends itself to browsing certain companies’ products online. As such, ecommerce companies and consumer-facing brands stand to benefit from a strong presence on Pinterest perhaps more so than with Facebook or other social platforms.
BizRate’s study also found 67 percent of respondents browse Pinterest “to keep up with the latest trends on things that I like.” The survey named fashion, home decor and similar interests as the primary criteria for the response. As such, companies in these industries can vastly improve awareness and drive convertible traffic by sharing content on Pinterest.
BizRate’s study found 67 percent of respondents browse Pinterest “to keep up with the latest trends on things that I like.” The survey named fashion, home decor and similar interests as the primary criteria for the response.
With Facebook, consumers seem more concerned with remaining in contact with friends than purchase research. Fifty percent of respondents said they use Facebook to connect with people who have similar interests – far more than those relying on the network for shopping insights.
In terms of brand engagement, 55 percent of Pinterest users interact with companies on the site, compared to 48 percent of respondents on Facebook. However, BizRate found Facebook users are more likely to directly endorse or communicate with a brand – Liking or commenting on posts. Additionally, Facebook attracts more following of businesses, with 55 percent keeping up with Pages, compared to just 26 percent of Pinterest users.
Meanwhile, Pinterest users enjoy sharing branded content with their contacts on the social network, as 55 percent of respondents said they spread word on the platform. Behavior on the platforms generates relevant engagement for companies. The distinction comes with a brand’s goals, and choosing the network most likely to help accomplish them.
Where Facebook truly wins, however, is overall reach for social marketing content. Recently, Facebook surpassed the 1 billion-user milestone. Meanwhile, the latest numbers from Pinterest indicate the site has about 18.7 million active accounts.
The competition between the networks for marketing focus seems minimal to an extent . However, a recent development from Facebook suggests the social leader is fully aware of Pinterest’s appeal to both retailers and their customers. Brafton detailed the release of Collections and the Want option, which allows companies to showcase certain products. The Want feature enables users to endorse items and share them with friends.
