Instagram V Pinterest For Business
There is no doubt about it, Pinterest and Instagram both present excellent marketing opportunities to businesses worldwide and are becoming increasingly popular over other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Don’t just pick a platform to market your business without doing the research first. In this blog post we discuss the main points for consideration before choosing Instagram or Pinterest to fulfil your online marketing goals.
They are both visual social platforms but offer different strengths depending on what you are trying to achieve. Did you know that our wonderful minds adore great visuals and studies suggest we can process visuals over 60,000 times faster than we can text!? That’s enough reason for us to use image-sharing platforms. The main goal of any online marketing plan is to engage the right viewer and convert, convert, convert!
What’s the main difference between Pinterest and Instagram?
Instagram v Pinterest – While Pinterest is favoured for curating photography collections on different topics externally sourced from different locations on the internet (great SEO benefits & traffic flow), Instagram is more common for individuals and businesses uploading their own personal photo updates taken usually from a mobile device (painting a more personal image for a company brand or influencer).
10 POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE USING PINTEREST OR INSTAGRAM:
Women love Pinterest & Instagram
Over 75% of Pinterest’s active users are women which suggests that if you are targeting a product or a service to women only (food, arts, crafts) Pinterest is strongly recommended to you. On average, women spend over 20% more shopping online than men do! Instagram is also loved by women but more so teenagers or women under the age of 30.
Chronological vs Thematic
Instagram offers the perfect set of tools to keep your audience informed and close. By providing the ability to take snaps on a mobile device and upload them instantly, Instagram timelines tell a story and present all content chronologically. Pinterest on the other hand, presents all your content in accordance to theme and allows you to create collections of topics that you have an interest in.
Pinterest Link System for SEO Boost
Pinterest allows users to compile collections of images and photographs from all across the internet and when a pin is saved, the link to the external source is also saved. Therefore, Pinterest is a well-connected site resulting in great business SEO benefits for companies wishing to promote and grow. When using Instagram there is only one place which can be used to direct traffic to a link and that is in the profile bio.
Engaging Social Community
Instagram v Pinterest – When it comes to engagement Pinterest takes the lead in so many ways. This curation based system may not offer the most effective targeting tools but it does generate a lot of engagement. Think about it, in one Pin Collection Display you may have collected the artwork of twenty different artists, that’s a lot of audiences you just entered, and a lot of links created.
Instagram Targeting Power
Ecommerce companies and various other types of retail organisations systematically target very specific audience groups and this can be achieved much more efficiently and profitably through Instagram than on Pinterest. Pinterest does have an advertising platform but Instagram holds more power in its targeting capabilities.
Personal vs Interests
Instagram offers a much more personal experience for brands and influencers to connect through sharing authentic content, behind-the-scenes news updates, team activities, etc. On Pinterest you will find other users more interested in your interests including products, useful tips and articles.
Economic Focus Preference
Research suggests that Pinterest should be used for targeting and reaching higher income households (aged 30-49) while Instagram is more popular with the lower income bracket (typically aged under 30). Think about who you are targeting and choose your preferred platform accordingly.
Industry Counts!
The industry you are in makes a huge difference when considering which social platform to use. It has been said that while Instagram is a better choice for automotive products, digital products and merchandise, Pinterest is favoured for antiques, books, magazines and computing services
Smartphone Required
Instagram requires you to use a smartphone if you wish to maximise results through Instagram business marketing. There is no computer version that allows you to upload content but you can follow, post and comment on profiles using a computer.
‘Click-to-Buy’ on Instagram
Instagram ads are said to be far more effective than Facebook ads as the reach is higher and the option to include a click-to-buy button increases the click through rate. Just think about how effective it is, someone sees your content and with one click of a button can take them straight to the check-out page. Conversion rates are high on Instagram and a lot of that is to do with this feature.
Instagram v Pinterest – Obviously you can go ahead and use both (or none) but don’t forget that the more platforms you use the more work you need to do. We hope you have found this blog useful and learnt the main differences to consider between using Pinterest or Instagram. Here at SME Media we specialise in designing social media strategies to help you grow your network and increase conversion rates. Welcome to get in touch with our offices on +44 203 418 0001 for more information. Our social media services in London and Surrey are always happy to take your call.
