In April, Pinterest announced they would be sun-downing the Like button.
And what happened?
Nothing! Or rather, nobody really noticed. We will have to wait for Pinterest to share any changes usage and engagement to know for sure.
Why did they do that?
According to their announcement, Pinterest found users better understood the platform without it. In other words, having too many options for action confused people. Maybe because the 'like' action didn't make much sense. After all, Pinterest is not intended to be a social network.
What can brands and companies take away from Pinterest's move?
A few things:
As I previously mentioned, too many calls to action leaves a user confused. Make sure your website, platform, messaging, ads, etc have one, clear CTA toward the logical next step for a consumer to take. Sometimes taking something away adds instead of subtracts.
While the goal of social media marketing is to increase engagement, beware of vanity metrics.
You already know social media is about fostering relationships and cultivating communities with your target customer. But does the number of likes on your post really correlate to the satisfaction or loyalty of your customers?
A 'like' on Facebook or Instagram can help increase the reach of your post. But on Pinterest it will not do much. Pinterest's change is good for brands because it means more repins of your content, giving it a longer life and greater reach.
Consider how your products and your marketing content fit within the context of each platform.
Pinterest may not be the ideal platform to promote a digital brand or products. The main purpose of Pinterest is inspiration and planning. Users come to Pinterest for help achieving their aspirations.
However, Pinterest has opened up the ability to make pins shoppable, so retail and ecommerce companies may find better results on this platform.
We would love to hear if you have changed your social media marketing strategy after Pinterest implemented this change. Please leave us a comment below!
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