Social media marketing is central to most marketing strategies. Many businesses are now using social platforms to promote brand awareness or online sales. There are however a lot of social media platforms out there and it's not always easy to choose the best one for your business, especially if you are starting out. So which is best for your brand - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat? Some of them? All of them? You'll probably end up having several social media accounts for your business, but you need to be selective. If you are trying to choose between Instagram or Pinterest, this is the blog for you.
Instagram is a picture and video-sharing social networking app started in 2010. By 2012 it was already hugely popular and was purchased by Facebook for $1billion. The platform has huge potential as an advertising and marketing vehicle and is used by most leading brands. Some Instagram statistics:
Instagram is a proven platform for promoting brand awareness and increasing sales.
Pinterest is an image-sharing and networking site that uses pinboards to allow users to save and find content using photographs, animated GIFs, and videos. Pinterest launched in 2010 and is hugely popular around the world. Some Pinterest statistics:
These stats show that Pinterest is growing fast and has a primarily female audience.
Instagram has a larger reach so having a business account on Instagram will potentially get you more eyeballs than Pinterest. On the other hand, Pinterest's demographic is mostly female so - depending on your product or service - that might have a greater appeal. It's always a good idea to research your existing audience or client base to work out what platforms they are already using.
This is where Instagram wins. It's the leading platform for influencer marketing - there are currently more influencers on Instagram than any other social platform. 67% of brands use Instagram for their influencer marketing campaigns, while only 28% of marketers use Pinterest. In addition, there are lots of niche Instagram influencers who have thousands of followers that might be interested in collaborating with you and your business.
Driving relevant traffic to your site is a priority for many businesses. In this instance, Pinterest can work really well because it prioritises link storing and sharing. Instagram won't let you include clickable links in your posts unless you run a paid promotion. Your URL can appear in your Instagram bio but not in individual posts - a drawback if you are primarily interested in driving traffic. If however, you have more than 10,000 Instagram followers, you're allowed to use your Instagram Stories to post Swipe-Up links. Pinterest on the other hand allows you to post clickable links. It also allows you to share links from several websites instead of just one. If you are interested in making it easy for people to visit your site and you don't want to spend money on paid advertising campaigns, then Pinterest might have the edge.
There is no real difference here. Both Instagram and Pinterest have desktop and mobile versions. However, Instagram is mostly viewed on mobile devices, while Pinterest is mostly viewed via browsers on a laptop or desktop.
Instagram has built-in editing features so you can fine-tune and edit your image before posting. This will obviously help your image jump off the screen and attract more attention. Pinterest, on the other hand, doesn't give you this feature. If you want to edit your image, you have to use third-party software to do this.
A lot will depend on the priorities you have set out in your social media marketing strategy. Only you can decide which of these platforms provides the best way to reach your audience. The bottom line is, whichever platform you choose, your success will be determined by the quality, frequency, and consistency of the content you share and the engagement rates of your posts. Unless you have a strong preference either way, we would recommend undertaking researching your audience and starting with the platform where the majority of your clients are already active. You can always branch out onto the other platform at a later date. Both platforms have real potential to reach and engage new audiences and grow your market share. Good luck!
by Tom Siani | 27 Sep 23