Welcome back to the next installment in our series on utilizing some of the "other" social websites in your social media marketing!
Unlike the big two - Facebook and Twitter - most of the other services have more specialized focuses or user groups, so they may not be right for every online marketing plan. None the less, by talking about them in more depth, we can help you identify new services to target that may solve specific challenges that you're facing in your social media marketing.
Today, we'll be looking at two of the newer services on the block: Google Plus, and Pinterest.
Google Plus in Social Media Marketing
Google Plus is, of course, Google's attempt to challenge Facebook. They have a lot going for them, including the gigantic existing Google user base, but G+ has struggled to find a stable user base. On the other hand, Google continues to add G+ services that integrate with their search, so they may end up gaining a stable user base through that path.
Looking at the demographics reveals a couple interesting points. First, the G+ user base is tilted quite heavily towards males, by roughly 2:1, even though most social sites tend to be more equally balanced. Also, the average income of G+ users is somewhat higher, meaning there's more of a potential for marketing upscale items.
If you're looking to leverage Google Plus, here are a few entry points:
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G+ users are extremely interested in technology. Most of its biggest "circles" - specialized member groups - are devoted to Internet and Tech matters.
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Open source and similar "free" content systems do well on G+. Android is more popular than iOS, for example.
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Since anyone with a Google account has a G+ account by default, non-active users can be enticed into becoming more active with promotions.
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The level of discussion on G+ tends to be of high quality, so contributing positively to conversations helps build followers.
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The male focus and higher income suggests you may have good luck pushing higher-end items.
Pinterest in Social Media Marketing
On the other end of the spectrum, picture-sharing site Pinterest has an overwhelmingly female bias, with their demographics coming out at nearly 70% female. Pinterest users also tend to be a bit more affluent than other social services so, like G+, higher-end customers can be found here.
Pinterest has been especially popular as a virtual storefront among smaller retailers. Shopkeepers on the crafts site Etsy have had a lot of success putting pictures of their wares on Pinterest. Its scrapbooking-like format also makes it easy to accumulate pictures from across the web that all relate to common subjects.
In some ways, like YouTube, Pinterest works better when used in conjunction with other social sites. It integrates directly into Facebook's photo system and can be easily linked to from G+, Twitter, and other services as well. If you don't sell anything that's terribly visual, you can still utilize Pinterest to house pictures that enhance your message.
Look to Pinterest if you:
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Have a product aimed more at women than men.
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Have attractive items for sale which can advertise themselves in pictures.
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Are a freelance artist, web designer, or such looking to create a public portfolio.
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Want to direct more traffic to your website, since linked pictures automatically link back to the source.
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Sell furniture, other home furnishings, or housewares.
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Want to help define your business's attitude or philosophy through visual collections of curated content.
And that wraps it up for this edition. Stay tuned for our next installment, where we look into FourSquare and other location-based social media marketing opportunities.
Call DeepSky Marketing to find out how you can create profitable marketing strategies for your company. DeepSky Marketing is a company that provides businesses with profitable marketing systems and verifiable return on investment (ROI). To schedule a brief no-cost consultation call 707 823-3888.
