Pinterest offers window film companies a variety of networking opportunities in addition to a digital portfolio.

While many companies have become comfortable using social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn to bolster their brands, one newer site on the horizon may promise much more for window film retailers. Pinterest—a website that allows users to save images and information they find attractive to special boards—may be the new Internet-based solution for companies looking to generate leads and bolster clientele. The window film industry can benefit from the site, which is rapidly growing in popularity while offering free marketing and advertising opportunities.

With an estimated 25 million users to date, Pinterest is the fastest-growing social media site. Forbes even called it “the next social media giant.”

Additionally, a recent Nielsen study shows that Pinterest unique usage has ballooned over the past year, up 1,047 percent for PC visitors, 1,698 percent for mobile app users and an astounding 4,225 percent for mobile web visitors. Other popular websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, did not see anywhere near as significant of changes at -4 percent and +13 percent, respectively.

So what does this mean for the window film industry?

According to research published in the Huffington Post, “Pinterest referrals spend 70 percent more money than visitors referred from non-social channels.”

The same article states, “Pinterest pins with prices get 36 percent more likes than those without,” and goes on to add, “69 percent of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they’ve bought or wanted to buy, compared with 40 percent of Facebook users.”

Just how are window film dealers benefitting from the site?

For starters, Carrollton, Texas-based Ameritint has seen repins from big-name door and window companies such as JELD-WEN, further spreading their company name and brand across industries.

“I think it’s a great medium to get your information out and let you have a better following,” says Beth Kopitzke, marketing assistant for Ameritint. “It’s a good site for spreading knowledge of our products and services.”

“Mostly we’re getting people kind of shopping around right now since it’s the slow season. I’m still learning on the business side how we can use Pinterest but I plan to continue using it and link it through our website,” says Kopitzke.

As for tailoring her company’s page to best suit the business, Kopitzke says, “Most of our boards are for films we utilize and installs we do. We pin anything on saving energy, anything to give our clients or anyone looking to save money on energy overall awareness. Some of the other boards are services we offer that our customers may not be aware of, such as detailing.”

Branding has been a major benefit for Seattle-based WrapJax, which specializes in vehicle wraps and window graphics.

“It’s a very good platform for branding our company as well as showing our work,” says Jason Scott, co-founder and director of sales and marketing for WrapJax. “I get a pretty steady stream of repins of images we’re posting on the site. It’s an amazing way to engage customers.”

Source: Fahrenheit Marketing

The ease of use for multiple social media platforms is also attractive, says Scott.

“We use Pinterest in conjunction with Facebook; we try to use as much social media as we can,” he says. “It’s free advertising. I do a fair amount of research and continue to do more as we prepare to launch version 3.0 of the WrapJax website to include more social media sites for our customers and potential customers.”

Seeing how major brands such as Nike have used Pinterest to develop a following has been a source of inspiration for Scott.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research on companies that are really successful with their Pinterest marketing; really large brands are utilizing Pinterest and have a formula they’re using and engaging with their customer base who is turning around and maximizing their visibility on Pinterest. I think it’s a worthy social media environment for any business to utilize,” he says.