Pinterest or Instagram? Which one is right for your creative business?
Pinterest or Instagram? Which one is right for your creative business?
Pinterest vs Instagram.
It’s the modern-day David vs. Goliath; pitching one of society’s fastest-growing social media trends against a platform that focusses on the steady growth of businesses through search. While Pinterest Marketing captures an active audience of users often searching for inspiration and specific visuals, Instagram seeks to drop users into an endless stream of pictures and captions.
So, which one is better for business?
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN:
Why use Pinterest.
Content sharing.
Audience difference between the two platforms.
Pinterest is value-focused.
Website traffic.
Why use Pinterest.
As a creative business owner, you will understand that different platforms attract a different audience. And yes, that means different content, different customer journeys, and different outcomes. It can be hard to keep up! My job is to help you recognize which platform is best for your business and to do that first I want to introduce you to each platform's unique purpose.
Content sharing.
Pinterest marketing is very similar to Google but designed with creative business owners in mind. While Instagram enables the user to post as many of their own photos as they wish, Pinterest encourages a focus not only on your own content but on content posted by other users that may be relevant to your own page. If, for example, you are a creative business owner selling baby swaddles, re-pinning the Pins posted by users who plan are interested in baby clothing will widen your network and show followers that you are relevant within their sector.
After all, the aim of Pinterest marketing is discovery, and no matter how a potential customer comes across your content, the job of your Pinterest profile is to capture their interest and convert them to click through to your website.
Pinterest is value-focused.
The best way to present this is to add value to every Pin, whether it’s your own original content or a re-pinned piece from another user – and that is where Pinterest differs from Instagram. When it comes to Pinterest marketing, customer value could be anything from a “How-to” guide through to a list of the top venues for a Summer wedding, whereas Instagram simply guides the user through images that the platform thinks they will most want to see – with the sole aim being to gain likes, comments and awareness.
Audience difference
As a general rule, the audience for both channels tends to be predominantly female, and in Instagram specifically, we see that the highest percentage of users – by a long way - are under the age of 30. Pinterest, on the other hand, is much more diverse when it comes to its age groups, making it considerably more valuable from a business perspective, particularly when your target market is not exclusive to the younger generations. Having said that, Instagram is the larger platform, and there is certainly a place for it in the social strategy of most creative businesses.
Website Traffic
Our final point brings us to link sharing and that all-important ability to direct users towards your website. It’s pretty simple really – Pinterest actively encourages and even prioritizes it; Instagram doesn’t even allow it (unless it’s in an Instagram story or in your profile bio). The inability to easily share links to products and your website renders Instagram far more difficult to use as a tool of capturing your customers, instead of making Instagram more of a supplementary marketing tool.
It all comes down to who your customer is, what their typical buyer journey looks like, and what actions you want them to take. After all, if all you want are likes, Instagram is the platform for you. If, however, you’re looking for customers to share your visuals and easily convert into website visitors and potential customers, Pinterest marketing is the way to go.
Still, stuck on where to go from here? My Pinterest management packages for creative business owners offer not only guidance on making the most of your page, but also encompass your existing strategies and brand presence to ensure all communication and marketing is designed in line with your target market.