If you’re like most small businesses, you’ve likely focused a lot of your social media efforts on the big three: Facebook, Twitter and, especially if you sell B2B, LinkedIn.
A few weeks ago however, I found myself wondering why Pinterest, the latest social networking site, kept popping up all over the place. Whether it was a blog post, a newsletter or even a mainstream business press article, I kept seeing the Pinterest name and yes, being the online hound that I am, I got really curious about all the buzz.
You see, I had signed up for Pinterest earlier this year, but hadn’t had the time to work my way back to play with the site (this happens to me way to often :-(). Determined to remedy that, I logged into Pinterest late one Friday evening and, two hours later, realized that I was in trouble.
I was hooked.
Behind the Addiction
My First Pinterest Board
Simply put, Pinterest is an image content curation site where users can create “boards” to which they can add images and comments around a common theme. For example, my first board was a collection of my “Favorite Geek T-Shirts”.
In many ways, Pinterest is similar to some of the big social shopping sites (such as Kaboodle) where friends can share recommended products in specific configurations (think “outfit for the prom”). Pinterest however, allows you to add any image from across the web and does not limit you to adding products sold only by certain merchants.
The advantage to the other social shopping sites is that you can not only view the products, but you can click a button and buy them right there. Believe me when I say that this exact functionality is high on the Pinterest team’s “must implement” list. 🙂
Even without the ability to click and buy, there are a lot of reasons why Pinterest is addicting. In my mind, Pinterest attracts users with its ease-of-use, design and tone and attitude but it’s the social aspect really hooks you in.
For example, within minutes (really!) of adding my first board, I began receiving comments and “repins” (where others share your images on their own boards) from tons of folks.
In an attempt to figure out why these folks had shared my stuff, I visited their boards and was incredibly pleased to discover people with the same twisted and geeky world-view as mine. Soon I was repining their stuff on my boards and before I knew it, a lot of time had gone by and I was still having a blast discovering new people and the content they had shared.
This is powerful social networking.
A Real Contender
The growth of Pinterest has been nothing short of amazing and many compare it to Facebook in its early days.
Most compelling, the primary demographic of Pinterest users is composed of women, an attractive and hard-to-reach online demographic.
Given these two factors, is it any wonder why businesses have begun to take notice of Pinterest? In fact, many businesses, both large and small, have used Pinterest successfully for a whole host of things from contests to marketing campaigns.
Personally, I found Pinterest to be an excellent spot to create boards that focus on different types of online software solutions. Thus far, I have created three such boards:
Best Accounting Software Small Business
E-Mail Marketing Services for Small Businesses
CRM Software Programs for Small Businesses
Pinterest can even be a used as a tool to improve your business’ search engine optimization (SEO) efforts – it’s a fact: many businesses have seen huge website traffic growth since they began using Pinterest.
Yes, Pinterest has become a social network that your business can no longer ignore.
So, to help you get started with this latest social networking phenom, I have included a whole bunch of useful links below.
I would love to hear about your experiences with Pinterest so please share your stories in the comments section below!
How to Get Started With, and Make the Most of, Pinterest
Overviews and Guides
These links lead to articles that will help you learn more about Pinterest in general and ease you into learning how it works:
- Everything You Need to Know About Pinterest
- How to use Pinterest’s pinboard for the Web
- Pinterest: A Beginner’s Guide
- Pinterest 101: a tutorial
- Pinterest’s “Goodies” Page – a good place to learn how to add the “Pin It” button to your browser and blog posts as well as how to get the Pinterest App.
- 10 cool Pinterest accounts you should be following – some examples of companies and individuals who do Pinterest right (many more in the “Why and How…” section below as well).
- Pinterest, You Are Drunk – a site which comments on some of the more interesting things people choose to share on Pinterest.
Why and How to Use Pinterest for Your Business
These links lead to articles which present business cases for using Pinterest as well as ideas on how to use it for your business.
- Why Image-Sharing Network Pinterest Is Hot
- To Pinterest, A Love Letter
- Real Simple: Pinterest Drives More Traffic For Us Than Facebook
- 3 Ways Brands Are Using Pinterest And 5 Ways They Should Be
- Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips
- 6 Ways Brands Can Rock Pinterest
- 7 Creative Ways Your Brand Can Use Pinterest
- How Brands Can Use Pinterest
- How and Why to Use Pinterest for Business
- 9 Tips: Boost Your Business With Pinterest
- Three Ways to Use Pinterest for Business
- Using Pinterest for Business Marketing
- [INFOGRAPHIC] Ideas For Marketing Your Products Using Pinterest.com
- How 11 brands are reaching customers on Pinterest
- Pinterest: Great Opportunity for Lifestyle Publishers and Brands
How to Use Pinterest for Your Particular Type of Business
While researching this post, I found some articles that addressed ways to use Pinterest for particular types of businesses. The links to these articles are below:
Non-Profits
- HOW TO: Get Your Nonprofit Started on Pinterest
- Steal these 42 Creative Pinterest Ideas for Nonprofits
- Why and How Causes Should Use Pinterest
Bloggers
- Pinterest and Blogging :: The Good, The Bad and The Huh?
- Pinterest for Bloggers
- Pinterest: The ultimate guide (Blogger benefits and adding the Pin It button to your blog)
Journalists
Lawyers
Libraries
TV Brands
Pinterest and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As I mentioned earlier, many businesses have seen a large amount of growth in website traffic once they begin to utilize Pinterest. The links below lead to articles with information on how to make that happen for your business.
Weekly Link Roundup
Each week, I collect the 10 best posts that I’ve read and share them with you here.
These posts focus on web-based solutions, online resources and up-to-date news for small businesses.
Enjoy!
Top Online Project Management Software – Infographic: A great breakdown of the top online project management solutions currently available.
Bad for Business: 4 Poor Facebook Habits: Some easy-to-avoid mistakes that can hurt your Facebook efforts.
Why You Should Consider Outsourcing Computer Security: Hiring an expert to protect your business data seems to make sense. Find out if it’s right for you.
7 Video Best Practices in the Era of Social Media: Videos area a great way to attract and engage customers online. Here are some things to keep in mind as you create your own.
9 Small Business Social Media Success Stories: Some great case studies, with take-away tips, of companies that have done social media right.
Want To Build A Startup? Entrepreneurs & App Developers Are Going B2B: The B2B market is not as sexy as B2C, but it holds untapped opportunities for businesses to target.
Protect Your Facebook Account from the Latest Hack: Security is important, especially on the most visible social network, Facebook. Learn how to protect your business and brand pages.
Google Page Layout Algorithm & Penalty: Google rolls out even more search changes. Learn how they may effect you in this post.
Seven Ways to Whip Your Website into Shape: Some basic tips to re-energize your website and make it look and feel fresh.
7 Technologies Marketers Can’t Live Without: A great list of online solutions and tools for you to explore.
You just became my BFF! Look at all of this Pinterest information!!
Ha! Yes – lots of great stuff out there for Pinterest addicts like us. 🙂
Enjoy, but remember to take a break and eat every now and then!
-Matt
Eat? I have to eat?!?
Well…maybe not – but I do suggest sleep! It feels soooo goood on a snowy day like this one!
Good point! I’m VERY good at laying in bed and scrolling through Pinterest on my iPad.
You had mentioned the site before – i went there, checked it out did not make any direct connection of its usefulness in my business.
I’m printing this out this to read, digest this weekend and will explore again, now armed with what looks like more relevant info. 😀
Awesome! Beware – it’s addicting! 😉
Pinterest is really starting to gain traction and if your biz and if your products make good photographs, it’s now a must have social media!
I agree with your comment about photographs Niall.
What I found useful in some of the articles above were the tips on assuring that your best photos are picked up and offered as the images for folks “pinning” your site on Pinterest.
I have noticed that some of the sites I try to pin have great images, but Pinterest’s “Pin” feature passes them over – perhaps because they are background images.
-Matt
Does everything have to be about work? Can’t Pintrest be an escape or a place to capture creativity? that is what I use it for.
Well, no, not everything has to be about work.
However, when people gather together, sure as rain someone is going to show up to sell them something (think public executions and food stalls in the middle ages – yes , I went there).
As far as I’m concerned, there’s room for both. If a vendor takes the time to make great information available to me for easy re-pinning, who am I to say, “No”? Heck, I LOVE it when Amazon suggests books to me!
I think the key is, as always in social media, to provide value and avoid selling.
-Matt
Wow, instant bookmark. I feel about Pinterest the way I felt about Twitter in 2007. Meh. But I was quickly proven wrong on that account, so I’m thinking I should give it a chance.
I’m in marketing, so I couldn’t figure out how I could use it…until I saw your examples of pinning software programs. Hmm. Food for thought. Thank you.
Susan,
Glad you found the post useful!
Yeah, it’s always hard at the birth of a social network to judge if it’s worth your time or not.
I think you have the right idea though: look for inspiration (of which the links in this post provide plenty!) and try it out. Worse thing that happens is that you learn it’s not the right platform for your business (or not YET the right platform if it needs to grow) and you have spent little time and money to find that out.
I would love to hear how your re-exploration of Pinterest goes! Check back in when you’ve given it a second spin. 🙂
-Matt
What a brilliant post (and I rarely get so carried away) – on to share far and wide as indeed, Pinterest is going to be of great interest and use to many of us.
Thanks, Matt
Thanks Babs – so glad that you found the information useful!
Thanks also for sharing it forward – love it when I get to help more folks! 🙂
-Matt
Hey Matt,
Thanks for all the links about how to use @Pinterest. What a comprehensive list!
You are so right it is very addicting so we must be careful to limit our time or I know I could easily lose a whole day. Also, along with the women demographic I think it will become very valuable for anyone whose business is visual like artists, photographers or interior designers.
It is especially easy to upload pictures from your smartphone. I just love the iPhone app!
Also I wonder how to sign in to your site because my comment did not pick up my gravatar and I am registered
Not sure why your gravater logo was not picked-up – it should match against your e-mail address and, if it finds one, then it shows it. This is the default functionality within WordPress (when it’s configured that way, which it is).
Sorry!
Lauren,
Thanks for visiting and for your kind comments!
I haven’t tried the iPhone app yet…maybe I’m afraid that life may become all-Pinterest-all-the-time? 😉
-Matt
Morning Matt, I ran across this amazing, information jam-packed Pinterest resources article and wanted to compliment how awesome it is! Very helpful links to all kinds of juicy information. Seriously, well done.
Also, I wanted to see about you adding my new Pinterest related site, http://PinFaves.com, to that list. I launched PinFaves as there will be a growing need in the future for individuals and businesses alike to get more exposure to their pins, which in turn will drive more traffic/leads/money to their respective sites. Few understand how much of a force Pinterest will be by the end of 2012. You know what I mean?
Anyway, at the very least I wanted to introduce myself and wish you all the best. I’m sure that this wonderful article will receive tons of Pinterest-related traffic this coming year!
Thanks for your kind words and wishes Ryan, and thanks for sharing the link to your Pinterest-oriented site!
-Matt
Matt,
I love Pinterest also, it has such great market appeal and will definitely be a great marketing tool. Thanks for all the great information on how to use Pinterest.
Wendy
Wendy,
Always glad to meet a fellow “Pinner”! Glad you found the post useful!
-Matt
I just joined the Pinterest Community last night. I already see the possibilities – and your article helps clarify what I was already thinking! Thanks, and keep up the great posts!
Brandi
Brandi,
Thanks for your kind words and, glad you found the post useful!
-Matt