20 B2B Marketers Losing their Brand on Pinterest

Pinterest LogoPinterest is the marketing flavor du jour. Media and press are touting the ability of Pinterest to drive traffic and the time spent on Pinterest.

Many B2B marketers do not have any presence on Pinterest. In my search for major B2B marketers on Pinterest, I only found a handful using it actively. Here are three of the better B2B marketing examples I found.

  • Hubspot: In classic Hubspot style, Hubspot’s boards are all about content. It isn’t surprising to see Hubspot as an early adopter on Pinterest. However, Eloqua and Marketo, both generally early adopters in content marketing areas, remain notably absent on Pinterest.
  • General Electric: GE makes, among other things, impressive machinery, and GE’s Badass Machines board highlights some impressive creations from GE over the years.
  • Constant Contact: Looking for marketing and social media tips? Constant Contact has done a good job of creating a collection of quick tips in a simple graphical format.

Given the focus on Pinterest from marketing bloggers and press, it isn’t surprising to see Hubspot and Constant Contact, both focused on marketers, active on Pinterest.

Turning to the broader pool of B2B marketers, the situation is significantly different. The most notable element isn’t the silence, it is the personal accounts sitting on what could be brand pages.

Individuals and brands are claiming the same space. In some instances, these may be classic cases of cybersquatting or trademark infringement, such as Microsoft, but the majority are simply individuals moving more quickly than brands and claiming their initials, names or nicknames.

Here are 20 brands with a significant B2B footprint and the profiles you would expect them to own, but don’t, on Pinterest.

Edit: More than a year later, a handful of the brands listed above do have the expected profile on Pinterest but the majority still do not.

The current legal discussion of Pinterest and copyright should give some marketers pause, but for marketers focused on sharing their own material, the risk appears to be minimal.

Is there a place for B2B marketers on Pinterest? I believe there is. Companies like HubSpot, Constant Contact and General Electric illustrate a range of ways B2B marketers can begin experimenting with Pinterest around products, content, events and culture.

Your Turn

Do you believe there is a place for B2B marketers on Pinterest? If you are uncertain, are you willing to sit on the sidelines and let someone else claim your brand name? Share your view in the comments below or with me on Twitter (@wittlake).

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