In this fast-paced tech landscape it’s tough to keep tabs on things from a high level when new social communities experience explosive growth. The news tends to focus on the mechanics of these social communities after the initial wave of growth stats. Then, eventually, the stats surface again somewhere.

I want to help you with periodic snapshots of some of the key stats (based on the most recent, credible resources) and mechanics, etc.

This is the first in my series of Social Media Snapshots, which will hopefully make your job easier when you have to justify using, or not using, a particular social channel. Also, please note that in specific cases estimates are necessary due to a lack of transparency from the social community (i.e. Pinterest doesn’t talk user numbers) or discrepancy between sources.

Pinterest Statistics and Data July 2012

Launch date:

March 2009 (closed Beta)

Overview summary:

Marketers should take note of Pinterest because it has now surpassed Twitter, Google (Including YouTube, but not including non-organic or Google+), LinkedIn and Bing in referral traffic and the data shows that the ratio of users to purchasing behavior is higher than most other social communities. Demographically speaking, women and food are the strongest cross sections on Pinterest at this time. The site grew out of the midwest/central US and has a concentration in these states but has gone on to develop a global audience.

Current user base:

Estimated 20MM users

(Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/09/pinterest-now-beating-google-referral-traffic-plus-bing-twitter-stumbleupon/)

[Note: Pinterest doesn't talk user numbers estimate is based on third-party resources.]

Current traffic size:

Estimated 20MM uniques per month

(Source: http://blog.compete.com/2012/06/28/pinning-down-the-impact-of-pinterest/)

[Note: I would prefer to use comScore, but I wanted to find something more recent than March. Also note, according to a few resources traffic may be leveling off at the moment in June/July.]

Current demographic composition:

Age: Predominantly 25-44

Sex: 80% female

(Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/14/this-is-everything-you-need-to-know-about-pinterest-infographic/ and http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32362/35-Statistics-That-Fuel-the-Battle-Between-Pinterest-and-Google.aspx)

[Note: Reports ranging from 57% -> 97% since January of 2012. I went with TechCrunch and their sourcing from comScore and Shareaholic - I also cross-referenced Hubspot.]

Geography:

Approximately 50% US-based and 50% disbursed globally

(Sources: http://socialtimes.com/how-popular-is-pinterest-around-the-world-infographic_b92472 and http://www.appappeal.com/maps/pinterest/)

[Note: I reviewed several resources, and it skews depending on where you look - but generally 50% US-based is what all data pointed towards.]

Current staff size:

50

(Source: http://pinterest.com/about/team/)

Notable brands on platform:

Starbucks, Red Bull, Coca Cola, Gap, Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s, Elizabeth Arden

TOS/Guidelines/Acceptable Use Policy:

http://pinterest.com/about/terms/

[Most notable: "Send any unsolicited or unauthorized spam and spam comments on posts, advertising messages, promotional materials, email, junk mail, chain letters or other form of solicitation;"]

Platform paid marketing options:

None at this time.

Brand examples to view:

http://www.dreamgrow.com/41-great-examples-of-pinterest-brand-pages/

[Note: Checkout Bergdorf Goodman, they asked their Facebook followers to complete the following sentence "In the morning I never forget…" and pinned the responses to the Bergdorf Goodman Pinterest page.] http://pinterest.com/bergdorfs/i-never-forget/

Five interesting stats:

1. Marketers – take note, Pinterest users cited the following in terms of items they interact with on Pinterest – also note, they could select more than one option

(Source: http://blog.compete.com/2012/06/28/pinning-down-the-impact-of-pinterest/)

57% Food
40% Home
34% Arts and Crafts
30% Style/Fashion
26% Products
25% Vacation/temporary
25% Humor
22% Travel
20% Inspiration/education
14% Children
4% Other

2. Pinterest is also attracting consumers who have not previously interacted with a social media. 15% of Pinterest users reported that they do not use any other social media sites. That number climbed to 23% amongst consumers with income less than 30K.

(Source: http://blog.compete.com/2012/06/28/pinning-down-the-impact-of-pinterest/)

3. As of January 2012, American users spent an average of 97.8 minutes on Pinterest.

(Source: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1008932&R=1008932)

4. Shoppers referred by Pinterest are 10% more likely to make a purchase than visitors who arrive from other social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. They’ll also spend 10% more on average.

(Source: http://mashable.com/2012/04/02/pinterest-wayfair/)

5. Pinterest referrals spend 70% more than visitors referred from non-social channels, including search, according to industry reports.

(Source: http://mashable.com/2012/04/02/pinterest-wayfair/)

Please offer feedback and suggestions, I welcome them and I would love to increase the value of these snapshots. You can help by adding your suggestions at the bottom.

Jason Small
Social Media and the Big W
Founder
www.SocialMediaandtheBigW.com

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