Dobango, the newest venture by Nexage founder Devkumar Gandhi, is attempting to change that. The self-proclaimed first social marketing platform on Pinterest aims to help brands directly engage with their customers and fans alike on the site.
The way Dobango works is pretty simple. The service integrates into Pinterest’s API, allowing it to push pins onto brand-sponsored boards, specifically contests created for the site. The service can also track user engagement on those pins in real-time.
“We are excited to finally provide brands with an option for social marketing on Pinterest,” says Gandhi. “We believe we have ‘cracked the code,’ and for the first time there is a simple way to run, manage and virally spread social campaigns on Pinterest.”
The service has already had several successful test runs. For instance, it recently ran a campaign with Outta the Park BBQ Sauce, asking users to post their best photos from picnics and the link on the brand’s Pinterest page. Dobango then tracked the likes and repins of the pins submitted and used that to determine the overall winner of the contest.
During the run Outta the Park’s Pinterest following increase 150%, and its Facebook page took a 40% jump. The project also caught the attention of several food bloggers who then contacted the brand.