The Dynamite Duo - Facebook & Pintrest

The Dynamite Duo – Facebook & Pintrest

 

Article by: Maximize Social Media LLC

Can you name the top ten reasons people use the combined efforts of Facebook with Pinterest? If not, chances are you might be missing out on some major business opportunities. Whether you are a small business owner or a social media management firm using our white label solution, the dynamite duo approach provides a great opportunity to increase sales and connect with users during very critical times in their life…times that also happen to be strongly correlated with major buying cycles! Keep reading to discover the key to unlocking a hidden sales cycle that could transform your business into a booming solution provider.

Major Milestones

As any social media manager knows, there are certain times in life when people tend to make a lot of sudden…and ongoing…social media status updates. What may be less obvious is that those updates often have very predictable purchasing patterns associated with them! By tapping into these social media updates; small business owners are increasingly able to position their company as the preferred provider to those purchasing patterns. Of course, identifying those major milestone events takes a lot of time, effort and energy making it the nearly exclusive domain of social media management firms and big business analytic engines. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t fantastic information to be derived. Combined with strategic planning and a solid social media outreach campaign, it’s a powerful approach to increasing sales, generating new leads and forming long-term relationships with clients.

1. Graduation! One of the first major milestones in the life of a young person is an upcoming graduation. It signifies the transition from childhood to adulthood but along with that transition is a predictable pattern of spending. Graduation gowns, photographs, gift giving, college preparation, dorm room furnishing, vacations and much more are all necessities for starting out in life. Whether your business provides photographs or auto insurance, chances are the new graduate needs it!

2. Engagement. Undoubtedly the next major milestone event that has major spending patterns if the announcement of a new engagement. According to research, just under 10% of brides to be updated their status and made a major announcement within minutes; nearly 1 out of 3 did so within a few hours! Getting engaged might not sound like a major milestone but clearly jewelry, bachelor parties, catering services and other related events are each associated with predictable spending patterns.

3. Wedding. Wedding plans entail massive amounts of spending ranging from hair and make-up to catering and photography. Honeymoon vacation plans, dog sitter and everything else in between make this one of the more costly major milestones in life. Don’t forget the gift-giving ideas for friends and family because this is where social media really excels. Research shows that nearly 80% of brides to be use Facebook and Pinterest to share wedding planning and gift giving ideas with others. In short, email is out and Pinterest is in when it comes to creating a registry, getting feedback about bridesmaid dresses or even review announcements.

4. Buying a New Home. Somewhat predictably, buying a new home ranks high on the list of major life milestones where Facebook and Pinterest are being used. These power-users not only collect furniture ideas and paint colors, carpeting to appliance ideas but are increasingly searching for feedback about other areas like landscaping, schools and local amenities. Service providers are a vital key to this search as the house is only one part of the equation; everyone from lawn maintenance to reliable plumbers will be needed once the move is made.

5. Baby! The joyous addition of a new family member is cause to celebrate..and spend. In fact, having a baby lists right up there with buying a house as the most costly milestone in life. From new clothing for the mother to a new nursery for the baby, nearly every single aspect of life will be impacted. Schools, daycare, choice of vehicle and even the family pet all figure into the equation. Obviously strong buying patterns are associated with the announcement of a new addition to the family…along with the expected gift giving registry. Pinterest and Facebook are the preferred method of making needs and wishes known.

6. Anniversary. With each passing year life gives a reason to celebrate the success of the unity of two people so it should come as no surprise that gift giving and parties, vacations or other forms of recognition dominate anniversary related updates. Pinterest and Facebook are used to help plan parties or vacation destinations while creating a self-perpetuating cycle among friends and family who watch with interest the outcome. Post celebration photographs and testimonials are not only likely to be shared with friends and family but becomes sales tools of their very own as others plan their own upcoming event.

7. Retirement. Last but not least, retirement is yet another major milestone that often results in predictable spending patterns. From the purchase of a RV or motor home to travel destinations around the world, spending time in leisure pursuits creates a major buying opportunity. Restaurants, sports, travel and hobbies are all active areas of interest..and spending…among the newly retired. Better yet, they have the time, energy and know-how to share this information with others making new retirees relentless brand advocates.

Interested in learning how to identify major milestone events in order to provide the products and services during the resulting sales patterns? Take time to speak with your social media manager to learn more about our competitive intelligence solutions for social media marketing.