Google+ popularity (+1s) beginning to influence Google search rankings and display.11 Authors can associate their profiles with their content so that their Google+ avatars appear next to content, which boosts click-through rates (CTRs).
Many of the same amplification benefits as Facebook, just with a smaller audience.
Great for tech and other brands targeting male audiences due to gender disparity (users are 70 percent men, 30 percent women as of June 2013).12
CHALLENGES: Questions about usefulness and true user adoption rate. Lingering question as to whether users have truly joined or just been forced to due to Google’s use of market power in other channels.
No truly new features or “killer app” save for Google Hangouts. Consumers therefore continue to question why they should use it.
Much lower engagement among women (antithesis of Pinterest).
On average, far less engagement (+1s, comments, and shares) per post than on Facebook.
Site rapidly evolving to capture market share which could cut both for and against marketers.
1. Tom Waits, “What’s He Building?,” Mule Variations, Anti-, 2009.
2. Danny Sullivan, “Google: ‘Game Changing’ Features Will Boost Google+ Adoption,” MarketingLand, May 17, 2013, http://marketingland.com/google-game-changing-features-will-boost-google-adoption-44377.
3. Ibid.
4. Greg Finn, “Google Rewards App Developers Using Google+ Sign-In With Better Visibility on Google Search,” Search Engine Land, April 30, 2013, http://searchengineland.com/google-sign-in-now-pushing-app-activities-directly-into-search-results-157755.
5. Matt McGee, “Google+ Adds Content Recommendations for Mobile Websites,” MarketingLand, May 13, 2013, http://marketingland.com/google-adds-content-recommendations-for-mobile-websites-43556.
6. Jay Baer, “Social Media Lessons from the Open Source Movement,” Social Pros Podcast, Convince & Convert, January 30, 2013, www.convinceandconvert.com/social-pros-podcast/social-media-lessons-from-the-open-source-movement/.
7. Beth Hayden, “12 Ways to Connect, Create, and Collaborate Using Google Hangouts,” Copyblogger, March 13, 2013, www.copyblogger.com/google-hangout-content/.
8. Rand Fishkin, “Is Google+ Approaching Twitter’s Marketing Value?,” Moz.com, April 6, 2013, http://moz.com/rand/is-google-approaching-twitters-marketing-value/.
9. “Social Platforms GWI.8 Update: Decline of Local Social Media Platforms,” GlobalWebIndex, January 22, 2013, www.globalwebindex.net/social-platforms-gwi-8-update-decline-of-local-social-media-platforms/.
10. Jemima Kiss, “On Social Media Marketing: Plus Points,” The Guardian, June 2, 2013, www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jun/03/google-plus-social-media-jemima-kiss.
11. Cyrus Shepard, “Amazing Correlation Between Google +1s and Higher Search Rankings,” The Moz Blog, August 20, 2013, http://moz.com/blog/google-plus-correlations.
12. “Welcome to Google+ Social Statistics,” accessed August 6, 2013, http://socialstatistics.com/.
Chapter 17
Pinterest: A Collection of Beautiful Followers
The whole reason Pinterest exists is to help people discover the things that they love and then go take action on them.1
—Ben Silbermann
If ever there was a social media site that came out of marketing left field, it was Pinterest (@Pinterest). Founded by former Google employee Ben Silbermann (@Ben), the site is unique among its peers because its user base is over 70 percent female.2 Indeed, if you ask most male marketers where they first heard of Pinterest, it was probably from a very wise woman in their life.a
Pinterest’s feminine magnetism owes a lot to its mission: to help users curate beautiful collections of people, places, or things that inspire them. For artists, architects, crafters, and designers, the site is a godsend that enables the virtual aggregation, organization, and sharing of images. The act of “pinning” is akin to sticking an image on a corkboard—only this corkboard is digital, searchable, and available to anyone via the Pinterest website and mobile app. Within Pinterest, companies can create their own pin boards and:
Pin images (and add descriptions) that attract SEEKERS.
Inspire AMPLIFIERS to repin images to their own pinboards (akin to the share button on Facebook) as well as like and comment on pins.
Attract FOLLOWERS who receive updates when you pin something new.
Since images are at the heart of Pinterest, it’s a great channel to promote anything with a high degree of visual appeal, including:
Automobiles
Fashion
Food
Home Decor
Travel
Retailers have quickly become some of the fastest Pinterest adopters as the “Pin It” button is easy to add to product pages, thereby allowing AMPLIFIERS to share objects of desire with their own FOLLOWERS. Because of this rapid adoption, Pinterest has surpassed Twitter as a referral source for many retailers.3 Some companies are even converting Pinterest-sourced SEEKERS at higher rates and purchase amounts than SEEKERS from Facebook.4