Using Pinterest for Market Research

by Ashley Haugen

@AshleyKaia

We all know that Pinterest has hit the social media scene with a boom. It's only been a couple months into 2012 and already marketers are claiming it as the next big tool in their arsenal of branding tools for this year. However, there is a step yet to be taken with much of Pinterest. Not many have tapped into the insights of using Pinterest for market research. Here, I will show you some tips to utilize the site for a better understanding of your market.

1. See what's pinning. A cool trick I learned from Adam Helweh at socialmediaexplorer.com is to enter your website URL into the Pinterest URL tag. Type the following into your browser and replace “yourdomain.com” with your own web site: http://pinterest.com/source/”yourdomain.com”. For example, try www.pinterest.com/source/nytimes.com. Here you will find all of the images that Pinterest users have taken from nytimes.org. This gives a nice display of what users find visually appealing/interesting on your site. Pretty cool huh? Have you tried it with your URL yet? 

2. Look for themes. Is there a certain image that shows up consistently? That means Pinterest users have found that image to be very appealing and/or interesting, and have re-pinned it to the site. Look for any patterns or themes within your search. Popular images will tell you the type of article or product that is resonating with viewers. 

3. Get a little closer. Is there an "image ambassador" among your pinners? By that I mean, are there one or two people that have consistently re-pinned your images, or keep showing up? Click on their profile and check them out. See what boards they are pinning to, how many followers they have and what other products they seem to like. If they've added links to other social media profiles, you may even want to connect with them further.

I'm excited to see how Pinterest will continue to expand, both as a fellow pinner and as a marketer. One thing is for sure, it's not leaving our radar anytime soon. What do you think? Have you been using Pinterest? Do you follow any brands? Contribute to the conversation below in the comment section! 

Video Post: iPads Taking Surveys to New Heights in Marketing

In public relations, it is important to reach influencers that consumers will listen to. One tactic we have found particularly effective is the use of surveys, but it goes beyond simply handing out sheets of paper with boxes to check. 

Research with Rob: Skyping for Depth

The following is a post by Rob Beachy, Axiom's Market Research Expert. Research with Rob is a weekly series of posts about the role of social media and technology in market research.

Smart phones have revolutionized the way we keep in contact with one another, but through video chat services like Skype, smart phones have changed the landscape of research as well.

For instance, I discussed panels vs. focus groups last week, but sometimes group interaction is not critical to the research process. This is where depth interviews (one-on-one interviews) come in, since they provide a great deal of information.

Being in-person is often difficult and time-consuming, so video chat alleviates the expenses associated with one-on-one interviews. We're constantly developing the role of social media technologies like Skype in our market research. Social media tools make depth interviews easier and faster to implement, while avoiding the time and financial cost of traveling.

The keys to an effective Depth Interview are:

• Qualify and Probe – Can you elaborate, explain, etc
• Unbiased - Explain but never sell
• Counter Question Technique – How much should it cost, weigh, etc.
• Common basis for comparison
• Flexibility to change and manage time

Depth interviews should be a strategic source of market research in every company and everyone involved in product development from marketing to technology should be trained and involved.

It is often as easy as scripting your questions and calling.

Research with Rob: When is a Panel Better Than a Focus Group?

The following is a post by Rob Beachy, Axiom's Market Research Expert. This is the first "Research with Rob" post, which will be a weekly series of posts about different issues involved with market research.

What is your goal with market research? If you have a product or service that has or could have a diverse demographic, and you want more than a two hour snapshot, then panels are the best alternative to long term market success.

Panels come in all sizes and types from in-person to online but it is imperative to understand the benefits of a panel.

1. Panels provide insight over a longer span of time providing the end-user more time to understand the product or service, its features and benefits, as well as providing the ability of the participant for more detailed likes, dislikes and new ways to use and improve your product or service.
2. They are a living conduit of information and feedback from quality to maintenance, warranty and service information.
3. They allow the marketing and technical teams more “time” to ask questions, potentially observe their product or service in use, and make changes or adjustments in the product or service to measure the end-user reactions.
4. They can provide all the qualitative benefits of a focus group and more.
5. Provides a larger, more diverse and often statistically significant sample to make better marketing and business decisions.

Costs per respondent are often the same a focus groups, but the value is much greater. If you are serious about gaining more insight into the use of your product or service, email or call us at (952) 224-2939.