#visual web

1. Pick a pin, any pin.

Which pin would you like to promote? Pinterest helps advertisers get the ball rolling here by displaying the pins that were most clicked and most repinned within the last 30 days.

But what if someone wants to promote a pin based on more distinct analytics? Curalate users could turn to the Dashboard to learn which was the most popular pin within a specific timeframe, as well as to unearth the most popular organic content. Let’s imagine 4th of July is just a couple of weeks away, and Pinterest users are scouring the platform for clever recipe ideas. A brand might have a great red, white and blue cupcake recipe living on its site from the previous year that was never pinned onto a board. However, consumers stumbled upon the recipe, and avidly pinned it onto their own boards. By tapping into these analytics, the advertiser would learn that this would be great content to promote on Pinterest in the weeks leading up to Independence Day.

2. Add more details.

Once an advertiser has nailed down what to promote, it’s time to add the most accurate search terms to reach the right audience.

The first step is to add terms related to the pin that will reach people making relevant searches. A purse, for instance, could be targeted to reach users searching for “leather bag,” “cute purse,” and a myriad other terms. Pinterest will offer search suggestions based on the pin description.

Advertisers can either search for terms within the platform or import their own. They can add as many relevant terms as they’d like.

Curalate’s Dashboard comes in handy here, too. Upon locating a specific pin within the Dashboard, a user can hover over it and spot the top keywords associated with the image. For example, the obvious keywords associated with an article of clothing might be “skirt” and “tulle,” but a quick look at the Dashboard would tell the advertiser that people highly associate the term “Cinderella” with this item, even if it isn’t marketed as such.

As soon as the advertiser begins adding terms, they will begin to populate in the right-hand column. An “estimated weekly impressions” number will fluctuate depending on which terms and how many are selected.

3. Refine your audience.

For even more specific targeting, advertisers can select a designated market area in the U.S., a language, device and gender.

The Community Insights feature on Curalate is a great accompaniment during this step. This tool provides a breakdown of a brand’s Pinterest followers by gender, location and device. A user could pinpoint, for example, that in Indiana, 14% of followers identify as male, while 86% identify as female.

4. Finalize the budget and campaign details.

Once everything is settled, a maximum cost-per-click bid is placed with the stipulation that advertisers only pay for clicks to their site.

And that about sums it up! After setting up the pin details, advertisers are asked for their billing information and to accept Pinterest’s Terms of Service.

It’s that simple! Now to look forward to additional ad formats Pinterest is in the process of testing for brands, like animated pins!

1. Exhibit diversity.

This generation of young adults is the most racially diverse in the history of the U.S; 43% of them are non-white, per Census figures. Moreover, approximately three-fourths of millennials support same-sex marriage, a significantly higher share than any of the older generations.

With that said, millennials are highly aware of social, political and economic inequality. They are much more cognizant when brands miss the mark on diversity. Retailer Brandy Melville, for example, has made headlines in recent months for its “one-size-fits-most” attire and for portraying a very specific look in all of its marketing copy. Though the brand has amassed a following among aspirational teens, women of all backgrounds have taken to social media to express feelings of exclusion while browsing the brand’s ecommerce page and Instagram feed.

A great example of a retailer acknowledging a need for diversity is Nasty Gal. The brand consistently features photos of people from all backgrounds on Instagram. In November, the brand re-grammed a post from Mindy Kaling, a celebrity who is frequently lauded by millennials for being relatable. In addition to it being an exciting treat for her fans, it served as incredibly valuable UGC since the picture showed Kaling trying on an outfit in a Nasty Gal store.

2. Play into nostalgia.

#tbt. #flashbackfriday. Every BuzzFeed listicle known to man. There’s something about remembering the 90s that just hooks millennials. In fact, the constant chatter surrounding now defunct products has led some retailers to bring them back.

Last month, #ExplainThe90sIn4Words was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter for at least two days. Twitter users reminisced about their favorite shows, games and snacks. Several brands jumped on the trend, and used the opportunity to engage with their nostalgic fans. 

Urban Outfitters, for example, produced one of the top tweets with its reference to “Clueless.”

JCPenney tweeted a photo of a Steve Urkel shirt alongside his signature phrase. The tweet included a link to JCPenney’s site, where users could then purchase the shirt.

3. Tap into their optimism.

Adulthood has been no picnic for Gen Y. It’s an oft-repeated tale: “Everyone told me that as long as I went to college, I’d end up with a good job. Now, I’m underpaid and buried in student loans.” It’s no wonder they’re the most stressed generation. Armed with significantly more debt than their male counterparts and rising rates of single parenthood, millennial women feel it a bit more.

But for most of them, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Eight in 10 young women say they are optimistic about their current standard of living. And when it comes to celebrity role models, they are more likely to look up to those who have overcome adversity. In a 2014 survey conducted by AOL, they ranked Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gandhi as their top role models.

Brands that tap into this demographic’s feelings of optimism will come across as highly influential.

Nike, for example, is in the business of helping consumers fulfill their athletic and fitness goals, but the inspirational quotes that accompany every one of the photos posted to the brand’s Instagram feed are a big pull for Gen Y. Some millennials have declared that they simply follow the brand to get a dose of inspiration.  

4. Be funny.

The key to resonating with millennial men, on the other hand, is laughter. Some 88% of millennial men reported in a Comedy Central survey that humor is crucial to their self-definition. 

A blogger for digital agency Moosylvania identified the moment he remembered when Old Spice became a “cool” brand. After the brand launched some hilarious YouTube videos in 2010 featuring an NFL player, he found himself exclusively buying Old Spice deodorant.

Bud Light’s #UpForWhatever is another prime example of this. The brand, which markets heavily to adult millennials, features funny videos and photos on its Instagram and Twitter pages. Their campaigns frequently involve asking fans to upload clever UGC for a chance to attend exclusive parties and concerts.

5. Throw gender roles out the window.

Although certain messages might resonate more with males vs. females, marketers — particularly those in the CPG space — need to be aware that the lines are progressively blurring between the two genders. Six in 10 millennials feel they don’t need to conform to traditional gender roles.

Millennial men are driving the “renaissance” of males by embracing things that were once considered “feminine,” such as fashion and child care. The dads of today are significantly more likely to stay home with their children than their fathers were. If a diaper or cleaning product brand consistently omits dads from the picture, they aren’t recognizing the active role men are increasingly taking in U.S. households.

Pampers is a brand that wonderfully gives nods to mothers and fathers alike. The brand’s Facebook page is a collection of photos featuring mothers, fathers and babies from all walks of life.

6. … And along those lines, don’t forget the non-parents.

While parents are buying for an entire household, single consumers often spend more per person on groceries. They should not be forgotten. Slightly less than half of millennial women are moms, and even fewer of the men are parents. This presents an amazing opportunity for CPG brands to engage and resonate with non-parents, who still make up the majority.

Lysol, for example, tends to display young children and moms on its Facebook fan page, giving off the impression that other demographics aren’t as devoted to their products, which is simply not true. Kids aren’t the only ones who make messes! A brief look at their fan page shows men and women, who are clearly not parents, wanting to engage with the brand. The opportunities for Lysol to engage with single millennials is endless.

7.    Humanize the brand.

Millennials tend to see brands as celebrities. Getting a reply, retweet or re-gram from a much-loved company induces a high level of excitement in a young consumer. No one really thinks about the fact that a Community Manager or Social Media Manager is running the show. That person just feels ecstatic to have heard back from their favorite brand.

Imagine taking that one step further and actually being friends with a brand. Taco Bell is the quintessential example of that. In 2014, Taco Bell sent out 1,000 burner phones to people they had identified as superfans and social influencers, and called them at random times of the day with missions to complete. Their Instagram photos and captions emulate the way their target audience posts, with filtered photos and cleverly-placed lines of song lyrics from the likes of Katy Perry and Beyonce. They also have an active presence on Snapchat, giving their fans the feeling that they are getting personalized messages from a buddy.

Establishing Brand Loyalty

The common belief that millennials aren’t brand loyal consumers is somewhat of a myth. While price is often a major determinant in what they buy, about one-quarter of them feel that they and their peers are more brand loyal than their parents. Another 40% believe they exhibit the same level of brand loyalty as their parents. By listening intently and engaging accordingly, marketers can capitalize on that sentiment.

Methodology: Behind the Curtain

To understand how brands fared on Instagram during New York Fashion Week S/S 2015, we examined 6 of the most frequently used event-related hashtags from September 4th to September 11th, 2014. They are as follows:

#nyfw

#mbfw

#fashionweek

#newyorkfashionweek

#nyfashionweek

#mercedesbenzfashionweek

Additionally, to illustrate how engagement on Instagram is growing, we compared our findings to data from New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014, which ran between February 6th and 13th, 2014. For consistency, we tracked user activity and engagement across the same 6 hashtags. Then, we crunched the numbers and compared what we found.

Fashion Week, By The Numbers

In the infographic below, we illustrate not only which brands and images earned the most engagement on Instagram, but also how explosive this engagement was. But first, here are a few key highlights from our analysis.

Instagram engagement has doubled. Images shared during NYFW S/S 2015 generated over 10.8MM engagements (like + comments). That’s more than a 100% increase in total engagements when compared against these same hashtags last season.

Backstage beauty was front and center. Brands that earned the highest engagement rates weren’t limited to fashion. In fact, Aveda as well as official makeup sponsor for the event, Maybelline, outperformed all other brands in terms of engagement rate, proving that beauty products didn’t just rock the runway – they rocked Instagram too.

Bloggers break the top 10. Events like Fashion Week are providing valuable opportunities for bloggers and independent journalists to leverage social conversations and communicate with fans. 3 bloggers in our analysis (Mariano Di Vaio, Class is Internal, and Camila Coelho) managed to generate as much engagement with their images as many major labels that we tracked.

Curalate’s Official NYFW Runway Rundown

Now What? Turning Instagram Engagement into Instant Revenue

Instagram is outpacing every other social platform in terms of user interactions with brands. Curalate’s infographic supports this trend; in our analysis, we saw engagement with images during New York Fashion Week increase by more than 100% since just February of this very same year.  

To take advantage of what’s become an incredibly active social audience, marketers need to consider ways to not only spark fan engagement but to leverage those interactions to drive traffic and revenue. And with the most recent addition to Curalate’s suite of visual marketing tools, you can. Like2Buy, which launched in late August, is enabling brands to make Instagram shoppable, transforming photo feeds into beautiful galleries of products that can be bought. To learn more about how you can start delivering consumers from Instagram back to your website, click here.