Pinterest to offer “promoted pins”

Published May 27, 2014 at 9:14 am

As we’ve discussed previously on this blog, there is a lot of power in visual content, and marketers that understand how to leverage this to their advantage may be able to reach a wider audience by using popular social photo-sharing sites like Instagram and Pinterest as part of their campaigns. In fact, Instagram recently signed an official deal to begin rolling out a paid advertising program.

Instagram isn’t the only photo-sharing site linking paid ads to brands, as it has recently been reported that Pinterest will also be offering paid advertising opportunities, according to an Adage article. The site will offer Promoted Pins that will show up in user feeds, starting with select brands. This represents a big potential opportunity for marketers to reach a wider audience on this channel.

“When people use Pinterest, they’re raising their hand and saying they’re interested in something by the fact that they’re pinning it. That makes them a really strong market for advertising,” said eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson, according to Forbes.

This may be a step for the company to monetize its services, but could represent an opportunity for marketers looking to create visual campaigns if the service expands to include more businesses. Pinterest is notable because users pin photos that they like, which could be strategically used by marketers looking to increase brand visibility. Because people are actively engaged with content that is already of interest to them, the most compelling and relevant ads that take advantage of this aspect will likely have the greatest potential impact.

As consumers come to expect advertising to be entertaining content that provides value, marketers should consider which channels will be most effective for their intended audience.