Unless you’ve been living off the grid and under a rock, you’ve heard mumblings about Pinterest and chances are you know at least one person who can admit to some sort of depindency. You may have even heard that Pinterest has lost some of its heat. No matter what you’ve heard, Pinterest is still a hot and growing social network.
Think Pinterest is some sort of foreign concept? Think again. Reality is this: you’ve been pinning in some way for longer than you’re aware, maybe like your whole life. Whether it was comic cards, posters on your wall, Flickr albums, forwarding silly emails, or posting photos on Facebook, we’ve all collected, saved, and shared images online and offline.
Now, Pinterest has allowed users to “pin” virtually any image they come across, this includes that $10,000 designer gown, the mouthwatering plate of Nutella brownies, that photo of Newman and Reford, the adorable wedding reception favors, those sky high shoes, the new BMW, the dream kitchen, the gorgeous bouquet of peonies or you can upload some of your own killer photography. So, now that Pinterest is the latest “hot” social media network, business owners are asking themselves questions like:
1. What is Pinterest?
2. Should my business be on it?
3. And if so, what should we be pinning?
So, here are the answers you’ve been waiting for.
1. What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a social media network with a simple idea, allowing people to “pin” what they find and love on the internet. Think of your Pinterest page as a virtual inspiration and visualization board. It is also the third most popular social network behind Facebook and Twitter.
2. Should my business be on it?
If you are a brand or business with an imagination then you can be on Pinterest. But should you invest the time on this new network? This depends, is your business a visual one? Are you in fashion, luxury, art, design, food, architecture, sports, photography, travel, etc.? Are your clients in any of these fields? If so, then yes you should definitely be on Pinterest. If not but you feel a call to creativity and imagery then by all means be on Pinterest but be sure to invest the proper amount of time.
3. And if so, what should I be pinning?
Rule numero uno: Make it eye catching! Do you have a library of images? Great start uploading your favorite photos. If you don’t have an image library then begin sorting out images that represent your brand.
Remember this is a great venue for sharing your brand’s aesthetic and vision. You can pin videos, share event photos, run contests, and reach a new audience. In a Business Insider story posted last week, they focused on how Pinterest can affect sales. In the article, Neil Blumenthal, the co-founder of Warby Parker, (spoke at the Behance 99% Conference on Creativity and) shared “traffic from Pinterest converts at a higher rate than traffic from Facebook and Twitter.” And that might be the best reason to pin away.
– By Maria Arguello, Director of Social Media at Schwartz Media Strategies
Comments