Pinterest is all about interests – it’s literally in the name. Pinterest users collect things that are of interest to them. While a users’ “work” board and their “cat-lover” board may not seem all that related, Pinterest has come to understand that people have varying categories of interests. Marketers with an understanding of those categories, and how they relate to their target audience, can better take advantage of their pinning activity.
Back in April, Kevin Knight wrote a post for the Pinterest on the five general categories all Pinterest users’ interests can be divided into, including:
- Passions. Key interests that are a central part of who a person is such as art or music.
- Professional interests. Information that’s relevant to a person’s career, such as room decorating ideas for an interior designer.
- Hobbies. Something people enjoy doing in their spare time such as scrapbooking, golfing or hiking.
- Projects. Tasks with a pre-established timeline such as planning a party or building a new home.
- Personal preferences. Things that may change over time such as the style of clothing a person likes.
Marketers can connect with their target audience by creating boards that align with one or more of these five categories. By providing content your followers find valuable, you increase your chances of engaging your target audience.
Here are some tips to help you use these five “interest” categories to your advantage:
Know your audience.
Find out what your target market is interested in. Create boards and cultivate content that speaks to those interests. For example, if your followers are DIY enthusiasts, consider creating a board that shows different projects you can do around the house such as painting a bedroom or refinishing old cabinets.
Create multiple boards.
Don’t try to fit a round peg in a square hole. If you have useful, content for multiple interest categories, create a separate board for each one. And customize the content you post so it’s pertinent to your audience.
Be specific.
Pinterest allows users to be very specific about the types of content they see and don’t see. When you find out what your target market is interested in, make sure the content you share is relevant both to them and the board you’ve created.
Mix it up.
By now, almost everyone knows Pinterest is a great way to raise awareness about a business. But it’s not enough to provide only your content to followers. It’s important to share a variety of content that speaks to your followers’ interests whether you’ve created it or not. Include a mix of your content, your followers’ content and content from boards you “like.” Your audience will appreciate the information, and it will keep them coming back for more.
