Brief:

• Pinterest, the image-sharing social network with 200 million users, released self-service tools to let marketers place search ads on its platform without intervention from a live salesperson or help desk, per a blog post. The self-service tools are found in the Pinterest Ads Manager, the company’s browser-based dashboard for marketers and media buyers.
• The company also began testing an autotargeting feature to extend keyword campaigns into more searches, MediaPost reported. Autotargeting is an opt-in feature available to all advertisers using Pinterest Ads Manager. Marketers can use the service to supplement ad placements based on consumer keyword searches.
• Advertisers like Stainmaster are reaching customers at a lower cost, Pinterest said. The brand of carpet and vinyl flowing saw a 90% boost in traffic from new customers, driving incremental awareness at a 90% lower CPC than traditional search in the carpet care category.

Insight:

Pinterest is now among the tech companies, such as Facebook, Google and Snap, that let marketers of all sizes manage ad campaigns with a suite of self-service tools. By automating some ad-buying features, the company can expand its clientele among small businesses and individual users who want to run a search campaign on its platform.

Pinterest seeks to differentiate its service from Google AdWords and Bing Ads by touting how people use the platform to search for ideas, such as home decorating or fashion, not just information, a Pinterest spokesperson told MediaPost. More than 2 billion searches happen on Pinterest monthly, and 97% of those are unbranded, the company’s data show.

As part of its effort to educate marketers on how consumers use Pinterest, the company updated its Help Center and business site with more content to showcase search features. Pinterest also plans to release guides and webinars for marketers in the next few months. Pinterest Propel, a program to support marketers that are new to advertising on Pinterest, also provides an option for businesses looking to get started, MediaPost reported.

While Pinterest is a smaller platform overall than Google, its unique positioning as a social media network for inspirational ideas makes it an attractive investment for some marketers. 

“As a visual discovery platform, Pinterest has spent the last few months adding captivating content options, like video and search, that have been a natural fit for users and a platform for better brand storytelling for advertisers," said Marci Dobrow, SVP of advertising at HYFN in a statement emailed to Mobile Marketer. "Pinterest offers a terrific search and discover experience for an audience that has real purchase intent. New tools like the Pinterest Taste Graph are increasing ways to find customers, reducing a layer of friction and helping to move customers from potential to action.”