How a B2B Can Leverage Pinterest (Yes, It's Possible)

“Go where your audience is.” It’s a piece of advice that social marketers encounter all of the time. Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, if people are engaging with a site, your business should be there, right? For the most part, people would agree.  However, there is one social network that has proven to be a point of contention for many B2B marketers.

Despite being the 14^th most visited site in the United States, Pinterest has been met with resistance from many in the B2B space.  Many B2B marketers claim that there is, “nothing there for them.”  While Pinterest use is certainly centered on fashion, food, and design, saying there’s, “nothing there for B2B,” is simply not the case.  Plus, between its highly active user base and recent $2.5 billion valuation, Pinterest isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Marketing on Pinterest may not be as easy for a B2B as it is B2C, but it is absolutely possible.

One of the main barriers of entry B2B marketers see with Pinterest is that their company’s product offering does not inherently lend itself to visual content.  While your direct product or service may not be picture-friendly, the solutions you provide may be.

The folks at 12most had a great idea: organize your boards in a way that tells the story of what your company does.  Perhaps you’re a data security company. You can use your first row of boards to post infographics on the dangers of security breaches, best practices for protecting data, or case studies of companies who’ve had prominent security issues in the past.

Follow up with a row of boards showcasing images of your company’s successes.  These could be as simple as graphs of network security metrics, just dress them up a bit! To close your arrangement, you can have boards featuring your happy clients. You already have glowing endorsements from their CIOs and CTOs, add a headshot and make them more personable.

Along with telling the story of what your business does, a Pinterest page offers a great way to communicate your business’ culture.  Photos of the day-to-day happenings at the office, company parties, and awards you’ve won all offer potential customers a look inside your operations.  Remember, while the products and services you deal with may not be outright “personal,” there are still everyday people behind the purchases.

So, are you convinced that Pinterest can work for B2B? If not, do you ever see it becoming a resource? What changes would have to be made? If you’re a B2B marketer who does use Pinterest, what other best practices have you encountered?