One of the big problem getting analytics, especially on image platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, is that existing social media analytics are text based, versus image based. With the rise of visual platforms, getting Pinterest analytics is increasingly important.
Pinterest analytics
Recall from a previous post, Pinterest drives more traffic to your site than other platforms and this makes Pinterest an important social media tool, especially if your target market is women — the percentage of women on Pinterest is very high and they’re highly engaged on this social platform. In fact, 70% of social media engagement is through images — not text.
And the images on Pinterest, Instagram and other social platforms are full of brand love. In marketing, we know that emotions drive purchase, especially for consumer brands. And, images are much more emotional than text — when you see images of your friends having fun in images containing brand images, your emotions transfer to the brand. That’s the whole reason product placement in movies works — or used to until we began identifying with our friends — microcelebrities — versus the ones on the screen.
Certainly existing tools help track mentions and their spread on Pinterest when the Pinner fills out the description using brands or other keywords, but what happens when they leave the description blank or when they fail to mention the brand in their description? You’ve now lost the ability to track your Pinterest analytics, especially WHO is mentioning your brand.
Curalate for Pinterest analytics
Enter Curalate — a social media analytics tool for images. Curalate breaks up the image pixel by pixel to build Pinterest analytics — as well as analytics for other visual platforms, like Instagram and even images posted on social networks like Facebook. New integration with smartphones encourages users to share images on these social networks.
With Pinterest analytics, you now have tools to tell you which images get Pinned most. Pinterest analytics tell managers which images they should use on their websites. For instance, an image of a dress in a particular color might get Pinned more than other colors or a particular view of a shoe or piece of furniture might get Pinned more. Obviously, you want more images like the ones being Pinned. And, don’t forget your emails — populate them with images that resonate with users based on Pinterest analytics provided through Curalate.
Pinterest analytics also help you understand WHO is spreading your images. Firms use this information to encourage (motivate) these users to share more about the brand.
The transformation of social media analytics
It seems funny to be talking about transformation in an industry that’s barely 10 years old, but social media and social media analytics evolve at a very rapid pace. So, we’re already seeing a transition from “vanity” analytics, such as #Fans, #Followers, to something more meaningful — something that translates more directly to the ROI (Return on Investment) of your social media marketing campaign.
Engagement is really the name of the game in social media marketing. Engagement translates into exposure for your brand that amplifies your message across social networks. But, probably more importantly, engagement acts as an endorsement for your brand from people consumers trust — their friends.
Now, when we talk about social media analytics, we’re talking about metrics that reflect this engagement with your brand. New social media tools track this engagement including mentions, likes, and shares across multiple social media platforms. Because images spread farther and faster, not only on Pinterest, but Facebook, Twitter, Google+ ….. Understanding what makes these images spread through social networks, tracking WHO is spreading them, and where images spread is critical for effective social media marketing management.
