The wonderful thing about social media is that it’s an easy tool for marketing.

The biggest problem with social media for marketing is that it’s too easy.

What do we mean by that? Let’s put it this way:

Here in America any yahoo with a wallet can buy a gun and go hunting. That doesn’t mean they’re going to hit anything other than their own foot.

Likewise, social media is open to all. That doesn’t mean you’ll accomplish anything just by opening an account.

A small business owner wanting to snatch a share of Mother’s Day spending might get excited about Pinterest’s 100 million active users, for example. It would seem like a logical place to post content given that Pinterest.com is the highest ranking URL for the top 5 out of 275 high-volume Mother’s Day-related web search keywords.

Q: Why not just open a business Pinterest account and start posting today?

A: For the same reasons you don’t just pick up a gun and head out into the woods. Among other considerations, you need the right ammunition.

Head to Pinterest.com, type in “Mother’s Day gift ideas” and take a look at the result. Pinterest is a highly visual medium. You see long columns of “pins” (images with captions) that contain high-quality photography, distinctive fonts, striking colors, attractive layouts … elements of high-quality design.

Where does that design come from? We’re glad you asked.

It ought to come from your print marketing. Why? Because, as we’ve written about before, the requirements for color, resolution, etc. are greater for print. It makes more sense to start big (print) and go down (digital) than the reverse.

Do you have photography and designs you’re already using on your business cards, pamphlets, newsletters, print advertising, etc? If so, you’ve already got strong visuals to work with. If not, consider starting with a strong print portfolio.

Before you consider using Pinterest for social media marketing, first things first. Contact us today to put a combined print and digital marketing plan together. We’ll make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot.

Happy Mother’s Day!