Although Pinterest is the 3rd largest social media site after Facebook and Twitter, and a relative infant with regard to social media marketing,  statistics tell us that to ignore it would be unwise.

Here are some amazing Pinterest Marketing statistics that should easily sway you to include Pinterest in your social media marketing arsenal.

Amazing Fact #1

Many subscribe to the notion that all you need is a good traffic source, and purchases will automatically follow. This may be true depending on your niche, but we all know what matters most is conversions. And according to Venturebeat , conversion rates for Pinterest traffic  are 50% higher than conversion rates from other traffic sources. That being said, as the highest converting traffic  source, visitors are more likely to purchase from you – via Pinterest.

Amazing Fact #2

What could be better than a high converting social media traffic source. Well, the order of magnitude  in spend, of course. Comscore quotes Pinterest buyers as spending more money, more often, on more items than any of the other top 5 social media sites. eCommerce here we come !

Amazing Fact #3

Since mid-2012 Pinterest is growing 40% faster than Facebook when it first launched. (source: socialstrand).

Amazing Fact #4

Average Pinterest users clock over an hour per month on the site.

Average Twitter users clock 36 minutes per month on the site.

Average Facebook users clock 12.1 minutes per month on the site.

(source:QuickSprout )

Amazing Fact #5

In 2011, Pinterest-generated revenue accounted for approximately 2.7% of all social media revenue. Today is it over 17%, a real challenger for Facebook. Pinterest also creates  4x more revenue per click than Twitter and 27% more per click than Facebook.

Pinterest is often referred to as a “First Touch” social media source, and as  THE “top of the funnel” channel. It introduces new customers to your brand , an initial matchmaker if you will. As a true lead generator, businesses are clearly benefitting.

Amazing Fact #6

So here’s one of my favourite stats : 80% of total Pinterest pins are repins. Which means the probability of your pins becoming syndicated and propagated viral is better than average.

Amazing Fact #7

Pinterest’s growth in web traffic referrals from September 2012 to September 2013 is a whopping 66.52%. According to this statistic it is THE fastest growing social media traffic source out there.

Summary

There you go … a sample from the amazing story that is Pinterest, with many more successful chapters to be told, I am sure.

For business and personal branding, it appears that Pinterest is the social media marketing tool that is providing real eyeball competition to the stalwarts of Facebook and Twitter.