redpepper Integrated Ad Agency

Putting Pinterest to work.

We’ve created a thriving online community for Kirkland’s, and, we’ve headed up countless successful Facebook promotions. So, naturally, when Pinterest came along, we couldn’t wait to conquer that frontier too. But, while everyone else was focusing on merely having a Pinterest presence, we decided to take things a bit further. We turned this new phenomenon into a valuable tool that reached new audiences and provided measurable results.

Microsite

We know that our existing customers like sharing tips and pictures of home decor. We also know that Pinterest is widely used among women from 25-44 years old. So, we built The Pinning Parlor, a microsite full of inspiration, DIY tips and, yes, pinnable images. Besides engaging current customers, this site is geared toward reaching new people throughout the Pinterest world and drawing them to the Kirkland’s brand.

Pin-Worthy Photography

After studying how people pin and what they pin, we realized that it wasn’t enough to simply show product images. We needed to reposition those products in a way that would be shared again and again, to reach beyond our core Kirkland’s fans. Knowing that, we created custom photography of beautiful spaces (styled by us) and equally beautiful items (Kirkland’s, of course) and proudly placed our hero images front and center on The Pinning Parlor mantle.

Sweepstakes

We also kicked the sharing up a notch with an easy-peasy sweepstakes. One person a week can win a $2,000 prize pack simply for pinning an image from The Pinning Parlor. Each pin equals one sweepstakes entry, which encourages people to pin multiple items from the site. Entrants are also given in-store coupons. We structured this sweepstakes around two main goals: 1. Make it as simple as possible for people to enter and 2: Create ways to measure results (trackable pins, coupon redemption, etc.)

Reaching new audiences

We know a majority of Pinterest content comes from bloggers. Knowing that, we partnered with popular bloggers like SouthernHospitalityblog.com, DesignDazzle.blogspot.com and ChicaAndJo.com to spread the word about The Pinning Parlor. We also sent e-mails to existing customers, encouraging them to pass the news along.

Very Pinteresting Results

Although the Pinning Parlor will continue to have new content added regularly, our one month promotion has wrapped up – or more accurately, cleaned up. Having earned 150K pins in just 30 days, the Pinning Parlor more than tripled the industry average. Even more importantly, we’ve discovered the deeper realities of Pinterest as an advertising platform – from the lifecycle of a single pin to its value in ROI. Not bad for a month’s work, huh?