Is Pinterest Social Media?
Pinterest is not a social media platform. It is a visual search engine that has community engagement features such as comments and reactions. Since Pinterest is a search engine, content is found using keywords. On social media platforms, like Instagram, content is discovered when the post has more comments and likes.
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What is a Social Media Platform?
Social media has become increasingly popular over the last 10 years. But what exactly is a social media platform? Generally, social media platforms focus on community engagement. This is why it is often called social media networking.
Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn focus on sharing information to their followers. When content is posted on these platforms, it gets more views with more comments in likes. Essentially, when the algorithm sees that the content is popular, Facebook and LinkedIn start showing it more.
Another key feature about social media is that you need to build followers to expand the reach of your content. You have to build your audience. This is done by building connections, commenting on your own posts, and posting consistently. If you don’t build your audience or regularly post, your reach on a social media platform will be less than it could be.
Is Pinterest a Social Media Platform?
People often think that Pinterest is a social media platform. While Pinterest has some community engagement features, it is not a social media platform. Pinterest is actually a visual search engine. It’s used to find information, products and be inspired. It’s more than just what’s trending on Pinterest.
When we think of search engines, our first thought goes to the most popular search engine, Google. Pinterest works exactly the same way that Google does. You input a keyword into the search bar and it generates all the topics related to that keyword.
The major difference between Pinterest and Google is that Pinterest will generate images, while Google generates text. Since Pinterest focuses on keywords you have to use them in your pin title and pin description (similar to Google meta data) to get results on the platform.
Want to learn more about Pinterest keywords? Read my post, Enhance Your Keyword Research with Pinterest Search Tools.
Pinterest vs. Instagram
Two platforms that appear similar, but are actually very different are Pinterest and Instagram. While both platforms are visual, they should be used differently, particularly for marketing. Let’s discuss the differences between these two image-based platforms.
As mentioned earlier, Pinterest is a visual search engine. The user intent for this platform is to find information, products or to become inspired. This means that while comments, reactions, and follows are part of the platform, they aren’t necessary for success. In fact, if you never used these features, you could still have a successful Pinterest account.
Pinterest content also lasts longer than Instagram and other social media platforms. Since Pinterest is based on searching with keywords, when a user searches for a specific topic, a pin created 7 years ago can be found if it has a related keyword.
From a marketing perspective, the Pinterest platform wants you to create pins for your content, so that your pins can link to your website. Pinterest is more interested in content than it is building connections and obtaining comments.
Instagram is completely different from Pinterest. The purpose of Instagram as per their website is to “Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” Instagram is for building a community. It is to meet people and share anything from your day to your thoughts and options.
Contrary to Pinterest, Instagram content will not last on the platform indefinitely. Eventually, the content will disappear by being at the bottom of a feed. While you can use hashtags to search for topics, since Instagram isn’t a search engine, finding older content is extremely difficult. Content created on Instagram has a shelf-life.
Since Instagram is a social media platform and not a search engine, it is the perfect place to build connections. It provides different ways to build connections such as posts, reels, and stories. These features allow a user to market their business or blog via comments, reactions and messages, rather than searching for keywords.
If you’re interested in learning more about Instagram marketing, checkout the Soulful Content Collective by Instagram expert, Brittany Miller. (Use referral code, MATIKO10)
Can You Make Money from Pinterest?
The goal of every entrepreneur is to make an income and you can make money from Pinterest. You can use Pinterest several different ways to generate income. The first and most common way is using Pinterest as a traffic source. A Pinterest pin directs users to your blog, products or services on your website. This is the most common way to generate income.
Affiliate marketing is also a great option. You can use Pinterest pins as a traffic source to your affiliate products on your website or you can connect directly to them on the mobile app. The mobile app has stickers that allow you to connect to products or tag a brand partner. The product stickers create a product pin that will direct users to the affiliate product.
So, can you make money from Pinterest? Yes, you can make money from Pinterest by directing traffic to your website or promoting affiliate products.
Why Should You Start Marketing on Pinterest?
Pinterest started in 2009 and since then has become a top marketing avenue for bloggers and business owners. One of the great marketing aspects about Pinterest is that it has a huge audience on a variety of topics. Currently, Pinterest has over 465 million users every month. In addition about 45% of all US and Canada users have an income of over $100,000 per year. This means that Pinterest users have the wealth to spend on products.
As a business owner you want your brand to become more recognizable. If you invest in Pinterest marketing, your brand recognition will increase overtime because most pins are not branded on the platform. In addition, 80% of weekly Pinners discover a new brand or product on the platform.
Pinterest marketing is more than what’s trending on Pinterest. It is about increasing your brand authority and sales. To see the source of these Pinterest statistics and read more visit Pinterest Business.
If you’re interested in Pinterest marketing for your blog or business and want a done for you service or need help getting started, make sure to visit my Services page to book a discovery call.
So, Is Pinterest Social Media
While Pinterest has some community engagement aspects that social media has, Pinterest is not social media. Pinterest is actually a visual search engine that uses keywords for content to be found on the platform. Pinterest is not used for networking, but to increase traffic to blogs, products, and websites. With Pinterest marketing, a business owner can increase their brand recognition and profits.