Key takeaways
- Pinterest’s buyable pins growth highlights four email lessons: mobile-first design, multi-platform support, customer-led content and contextual/geo-targeted messaging.
- Design emails to be responsive, load quickly and feature clear, clickable calls-to-action for mobile users.
- Optimize inbox content for all major mobile platforms (iOS and Android) rather than favouring one OS.
- Make emails personalized, valuable and entertaining, use human-interest stories, interactivity and cross-channel links.
- Use local context and geotargeting in emails, supported by strong audience segmentation and high-quality consumer data.
Introduction
Back in June, the team over at Pinterest announced the release of “buyable pins” that provide brands with the ability to market products and services via promoted pins that show up in the feeds of targeted consumers. As most predicted, this feature has quickly become one of the most powerful tools available to organizations that interact with audience members in the world of social media.
With a few recent changes to this buyable pin system going into effect, as well as the continued bond between email marketing and social media standing stronger than ever before, there’s never been a better time to delve into the world of marketed pins and see if any of the strategies and practices enacted on this front can also help you win in the inbox.
The Mobile Craze Is in Full Swing
The first lesson email marketers and brands alike can pull from Pinterest’s buyable pin program, according to the Kathleen Chaykowski of Forbes magazine, is that making the most out of the mobile craze is always a good idea. Specifically, Pinterest has doubled the number of buyable pins available for purchase by retailers to 60 million from the initial 30 million that hit the market at launch back in June.
So what’s the main reason for this influx in inventory? Chaykowski points to an ever-growing mobile audience that simply can’t get enough of this kind of content as they scroll through their feeds on smartphones and tablets.
As a brand that’s working in the inbox to connect with customers, the same concept surrounding the need for great mobile offerings holds true. From responsive designs that load fast and adapt to the smaller screens of these devices, to easily identifiable – and clickable – calls-to-action (CTAs), it’s beyond vital that you follow this lead and provide consumers with content that makes the most of the mobile craze.
Taking Note of Multiple Platforms
Going a step farther, the team behind Pinterest’s program has also provided service and support to Android platforms as part of this increase in buyable pin inventory. The message on this one should be pretty clear – optimizing and providing inbox content for only some of the major platforms simply isn’t the best way to make a splash with your audience.
While certain segments and slices of your audience might prefer iOS, Android, or any of the other major mobile platforms, the truth of the matter is that you need to provide support for each of this operating systems and their related apps as you continue to build toward a better relationship with the on-the-go members of your contact list. Failing to capitalize on this potential in the inbox because you’re not willing to create content that works on a variety of platforms is an open invitation for your more email-savvy competition to take advantage of this unnecessary shortcoming.
Playing by the Customer’s Rules
In her look at what email marketers and brands alike can learn from a sound Pinterest advertising strategy, Media Post’s Jess Nelson notes that it pays to play by the rules that your customers set. Specifically, this means offering up an inbox experience that is personalized and chock full of value and entertainment.
Much like the unique content that spreads like wildfire on Pinterest, your email marketing campaigns must find ways to break the mold if you want to have any chance of standing out in a crowded inbox. Human interest stories, interactive messages, and properly connecting the content of these emails to other interactive channels (social media, on-site feedback, etc.) fit the spirit of this approach in a powerful way.
Context Is Key
The final lesson learned via the fervor surrounding Pinterest’s buyable pins and the advertising strategies that have arisen from this service is that context is crucial to the success of any online outreach program. Buyable pins that relate to local events or offer up geographically targeted content provide a unique level of context and immersion to viewers on this platform. Naturally, honing in on the same tactics in the inbox can produce similar results.
Obviously, utilizing “geotargeting” methodology and optimizing your inbox content with local considerations in mind requires a keen understanding of the needs of each segment of your audience, as well as first-rate consumer data to support these decisions. However, if you’re willing to enact this kind of strategy, as well as the rest of what you’ve learned here, then you’re well on your way to taking a page out of Pinterest’s book and forging a bond with the members of your target audience that will leave the competition green with envy.
FAQ
Focus on mobile-first design, support multiple platforms (including Android), create customer-led personalized and entertaining content and use contextual/geo-targeted messaging backed by solid audience data.
Use responsive designs that adapt to smaller screens, ensure fast load times and include easily identifiable, clickable calls-to-action.
Different audience segments use different operating systems. Pinterest added Android support and advises brands to provide inbox content that works across major platforms to avoid losing customers to competitors.
Deliver personalized messages that prioritize value and entertainment. Examples include human-interest stories, interactive messages and clearly connecting emails to social and on-site channels.
Contextual and geographically targeted content (such as messages tied to local events) increases relevance and immersion for recipients, making outreach more effective.
A keen understanding of each audience segment’s needs and first-rate consumer data are required to inform localized and geo-targeted inbox content.
Make emails mobile-optimized and fast-loading, ensure compatibility across major platforms, personalize and entertain content, add interactivity and cross-channel links and apply geo-targeting using strong segmentation and consumer data.
