We’re often asked to explain why Pinterest is so integral to our social ecosystem. Here’s what we say: The potential for cultivating community around topics that are relevant to our brand (as well as on the fringe) are endless. Not to mention, compelling storytelling through imagery allows for an intimate connection around passion points and provides tremendous insight into which topics and types of content resonate best with our audience. Our approach is simple: Explore, experiment, observe and react. We’re continuously amazed at how this platform performs at meeting business objectives and helps us optimize content relevancy and effectiveness, both online and in-store.As one of the very first brands on Pinterest, we’ve been active since summer of 2011. The journey began relatively simply, with the goal of building community around our brand values. Since then, it’s grown into an integral part of our digital landscape; driving tremendous traffic to even the deepest recesses of our website, communicating key differentiating stories that are difficult through in-store marketing, and helping reshape digital asset creation which in-turn is reshaping our approach to in-store messaging. Understanding that Pinterest is a social network, we’re extremely thoughtful of our audience and strive to maintain a delicate balance between marketing and community-centricity. Our most successful projects have given our Pinterest audience the opportunity to celebrate the joys of motherhood, discover great recipes through a virtual cookie swap, and share ideas and innovations for the best holiday party ever. We also provide multiple perspectives on seasonal holidays and ingredients through a variety of collaborations with bloggers and other brands. Working with partners allows us to cast a wider net while adding depth to our content stream with the expertise of different lifestyle brands. http://www.pinterest.com/wholefoods/spring-gatherings/ http://www.pinterest.com/wholefoods/you-say-tomato-we-say-heirloom-tomato/ http://www.pinterest.com/wholefoods/a-taste-of-thanksgiving/ Is it no wonder then, that Pinterest co-founder and designer Evan Sharp told Mashable that when it comes to marketing on the platform, he points to us as a great example. In fact, we’ve been selected by Pinterest as a partner for two major launches: Rich Pins and their recent API release. In 2013, we nearly doubled our community on Pinterest, leading to nearly a million page views on wholefoodsmarket.com, meeting our objective of not only building a community, but also in furthering our brand awareness. Beyond the metrics, our goal is to create a strong emotional connection with people around shared interests and passions. Pinterest allows us to share images that move us, and connect with others who are equally moved. Our boards are there to help people explore and deepen their interests, from cooking and entertaining to growing your own food to repurposing the everyday item into something functional and fabulous. It’s about finding inspiration and finding solutions… For both our community and us. To experience this strategy firsthand, just click here: http://www.pinterest.com/wholefoods/.
http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/pinterest-brands/ http://mashable.com/2012/02/23/pinterest-whole-foods/ http://www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org/blog/2013/05/pinterest-marketing-examples/
