Unlike what some people might believe, social media doesn’t just mean Facebook. It’s true that Facebook commands a great deal of attention from internet users, and dwarfs all other networks in statistics such as visits in a given month and number of users:
There are other social networks out there that are gaining popularity every day. The interesting part about this is that in the shadow of Facebook, other social media sites seem to be settling into a niche, and not simply trying to compete head-to-head with the giant.
A recent addition to the social media landscape is Pinterest. This is a network based on sharing pictures across a variety of interests, grouped into personal ‘pinboards’ on a user’s profile. Users can post pictures, re-pin them from other users, and comment on each other’s posts. This functionality encourages users to maintain online scrapbooks and wishlists of products or services that are attractive to them, or that they would like to share with others.
Pinterest has evolved in a unique way since its inception: the vast majority of its users are female, and they spend quite a long time interacting on the site, sharing pictures of everything from clothes to recipes to pets. In fact, Pinterest users spend as much time on the site as Facebook users do:
From a small business perspective, knowing the facts about which social networks serve which demographic, niche or user need enables a social media marketing campaign to be more efficiently applied. Depending on the type of business and targeted customer, a certain proportion of effort and activity should be divided out among the popular social networks. If done correctly, marketing dollars will go further and increase the return on investment.
The Blue Hat team is supported by years of experience and knowledge about social media. With constant emphasis on statistics, measurement and feedback, we ensure that our business clients harness the power of new trends in the most efficient and effective way possible.
