7 B2B Brands That Are Killing It On Pinterest

A recent report released by Pinterest states that the site sees 100 million active users every month. That’s a pretty big number to boast of for a site that has been around for just about 5 years.

Though the powerful trilogy of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has most of the socialverse captivated, Pinterest is slowly becoming an important ingredient of a brand’s social media plan. What makes Pinterest a lot more appealing is the fact that it’s less of a social networking platform and more of a visual content discovery tool. The site has high engagement levels with research proving that a whopping 70% of its users actively engage with the content on the site by clicking or pinning something.

With nearly 300 million boards on fashion and roughly 180 million dedicated to Food/Drink, the site is clearly a favourite among consumers. But what’s interesting is how B2B brands are utilising the site to curate and create content that’s reflective of their brand and philosophy. Here we bring you 7 B2B brands that have totally nailed it when it comes to effectively using Pinterest to engage with their audience.

Intel

The recently concluded SMX East (Search Marketing Expo) saw Intel’s Laura Ann Mitchell and Scott Jaworski present a session on how Pinterest is working wonders for their SEO strategy. The session was focused on how to create engaging content on Pinterest and effectively use the platform to target content consumers.

Intel has over 11K followers across their 18 boards dedicated to all things tech. While they cover a wide variety of topics across their many boards, ‘Women’s Fashion Tech’ really caught my eye. It’s all about how gadgets have revolutionised fashion to create things that are not just stylish, but also insanely useful! The best part about the board is that they don’t just include their own products but also curate content about products from other companies that are changing the fashion technology landscape.

Quite a clever strategy to follow, considering Pinterest boasts of a largely female audience. The results speak for themselves. Intel states that their Pinterest strategy has lead to a 48% increase in monthly engaged viewers and a whopping 364% increase in average monthly viewers!

Cisco Systems

With a strong presence on most networking sites, Cisco is one of the companies that understands the importance of a visual platform like Pinterest. They have over 3,000 followers who are regularly updated with content across 24 boards. Considering communications lie at the heart of Cisco’s innovations, most of their boards focus on topics related to how we connect.

One of their most interesting boards, ‘My Networked Life’ has short documentary style videos on how different people across the globe use technology to connect with peers everywhere and work more effectively.

There are stories of budding scientists who use technology to collaboratively research and innovate on important issues affecting humanity as well as stories of entrepreneurs who have been able to build successful organizations catering to clients from different corners of the world. Each story is unique and strikes a chord with the viewer because they show how technology can help solve real problems that cohesively contribute to making the world a better place.

GE

With a marketing budget that sees a digital spend of 35 to 40 percent, GE is one of the companies that keeps digital at the heart of their marketing strategy. As Beth Comstock, Vice Chair at GE succinctly puts it- ‘Mindshare before market share’ is what matters in the digital context. She recently handed over the reigns of the CMO to Linda Boff who says that she aims to promote GE as a ‘digital industrial company’ to both consumers and businesses alike.

Understandably, GE is one of the B2B giants on Pinterest.

They have over 25,000 followers on their 37 boards that cover a broad range of topics right from fun science DIY to boards on innovations in health and environmental issues.

Philips

Innovation legend, Phillips is another B2B company that’s winning big on Pinterest. They have almost 2,500 followers and 16 boards on their page. Staying true to their legacy, most of their pins are dedicated to improving life and information that can help in this regard. Stories of innovation, gadgets that are truly inspirational and historical milestones of the conglomerate itself, the page is filled with content that will impress.

One of the boards that really appealed to me was the one about ‘enlightened urban spaces’. It richly houses 130 pins that contain stories of cities across the world that have redefined urban living by bridging together convenience with conscience. Cities that are energy efficient, that have taken up large scale initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint and lighting solutions that are less taxing on the environment, these stories will enthrall you and keep you captivated.

Novartis

It’s nice to see a healthcare company stand strong among these largely technology focussed organizations. The strong presence that Novartis has on Pinterest is testimony to the fact that digital marketing is just as relevant in every single industry.

With just over 1000 followers and 20 boards, Novartis is one of the smaller Pinterest players in this robust list. The content on their page, however, is relevant and highly focussed on innovation in healthcare- the core premise of the company. Information on rare diseases, simple hacks that can improve daily living and data rich infographics, their page has it all.

One of the most interesting boards however, is ‘beautiful medicine’ which has information about beautiful plants and flowers that have unique healing properties. For eg. Did you know that the bark of the willow tree contains an ingredient that helps cure aches & pains and even helps prevent heart disease?

IBM

It’s impossible to be part of a discussion on digital marketing and not see a mention of IBM. They’ve been at the forefront of the digital revolution in every sense of the term not just through the products they create but in the way they try to stay relevant to their consumer. Quoting Matt Carter, Global Program Director For IBM Big Data & Analytics, “The object is to add something of objective value to the conversation. Not just ‘buy our stuff’ messaging, but actually educate the market, make them better consumers, provide the sort of information that they need to be more adept at big data and analytics in their own lives.”

Their Pinterest page proves their commitment to educating the audience. The page has 3,000 followers who are regularly updated with content on their 17 boards. I loved the ‘Women in Tech’ board that chronicles stories of women who have made it big in the world of technology. Though the stories are limited to women who have made a mark at IBM and not the world in general, it’s inspiring to read about these strong women who have stood their ground and made a mark in their place of work.

Fedex

Connecting people from across the world, one package at a time. The global courier delivery giant Fedex holds quite an enviable position on Pinterest. With almost 6000 followers and 20 boards, their presence on the platform is pretty remarkable.

Most of their pins are about packaging and gifting ideas. They have dedicated boards about gifting ideas around certain milestones in a person’s life, gender based gifting ideas and general packaging advice. One of the most interesting boards is centered around holiday gifting ideas that range from simple DIY projects to trending gifting ideas that are bound to be a hit with your loved ones.

If you’re a B2B marketer who’s interested in entering into the highly immersive world of Pinterest, here are some possible ideas for your board:

• Mix it up with humour: While the content on your blog or on SlideShare might need to prescribe to a serious and formal tone (not necessary, though), you can afford to lighten up on Pinterest. Use your board to post funny memes or some light-hearted humour. I’m sure we all could do with some of that!
• Repurpose content: Though long-form content is the clear winner across genres, you can pick up facts and snippets from your article and create bite-sized infographics that are also easier to consume.
• Inspire and be inspired: Pinterest is filled with wisdomous quotes about everything from the meaning of life to why your Terrier should eat organic dog food. Well, get yourself in there and share inspirational quotes from your industry.
• Be human: I love Bryan Kramer’s line: “There is no more B2B or B2C. There is only human to human (H2H).“ The beauty of a platform like Pinterest is that it helps us connect to that part of our nature. Find ways of being useful to your audience, and find a fun way of doing that. That’s pretty much all you’ve got to do.

Content that is created keeping in mind the needs of the customer is automatically more valuable and leaves a lasting mark on the reader. These 7 brands made it to this list not just because of the number of followers they have but because their Pinterest content is reflective of their commitment towards creating and curating content that is meant to educate and entertain customers in their specific genre/industry.

As Beth Comstock puts it, “Whether B2B or B2C, I believe passionately that good marketing essentials are the same. We all are emotional beings looking for relevance, context and connection.”

EpicEnterprise by Epictions monitors your owned and earned content across the web to empower you with content intelligence about what works best, where. Request a demo here or talk to us to find out how we can help your brand.