Marketers, Start Pining for Pinterest

Social media marketing is an ever-evolving, multi-faceted channel for advertisers to explore and capitalize upon. According to a recently released study from comScore, consumers and ad agencies alike are discovering new platforms and functions.

The 2012 U.S. Digital Future in Focus report found that social networks took up 16.6 percent of the time consumers spent online last year. While Facebook maintains its iron grip on the No. 1 spot among social sites, up-and-comers like Pinterest are also making their presence known.

The startup, which comScore acknowledged was "barely registering" on its radar in mid-2011, has now pulled in a more than 8 million-member audience, with visitors spending an average of 80 minutes on the site.

The difference between Pinterest and other networking platforms is that users are connected by shared interests, rather than social ties. Researchers predict that "networking around shared interests" will become a bigger topic this year.

Linda Abraham, comScore CMO and executive vice president of global product development, said in a statement that this year will be an exciting one for "the digital media industry as the explosion of available content and proliferation of web-enabled devices drive the evolution of the digital consumer, creating new opportunities and challenges for the entire digital ecosystem."

"In order to be successful in this new paradigm, digital marketers must understand the key trends shaping the current marketplace and what that means for the future of their businesses," she added.

So how can brands use the likes of Pinterest to build consumer engagement? In an article for TechCrunch, Vitrue founder and CEO Reggie Bradford recommends integrating Pinterest with your Facebook presence and adding a "Follow Me on Pinterest" button to the website.