Were you that kid growing up that would cut out pictures of people, places, and things that you wanted to be, go to and have? Put together a scrapbook, pinned them on a corkboard, or dump them into a box of “wishes”? Well, the newest social media craze, Pinterest, has taken your scraps and made them pins on virtual boards for you to organize any dream or plan you wish.
The brainchild of Cold Brew Labs, Pinterest started out as a closed beta site in March 2010 and now operates as an open beta invite-only site. The site has exploded the past six months with more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined.
Don’t think it’s just for girls planning their wedding or child’s tea party either – though women make up 58% of the traffic, I have personally seen more men join the sit
e in recent months, pinning furniture options for new houses, dream motorcycles, and even recipes.
Marketing minds have started to take notice of the new social media addiction, with big names as across the board as Nordstrom and The Wall Street Journal adding their own boards. Yes, this is a whole new way to get people to pay attention to what is going on at your store, your non-profit, your business. Is your brand on Pinterest? Why not? It’s another “free” (aside from the time it takes to pin) way to get your name, designs, purpose out there.
Personally, I have found new recipes to try, been encouraged by friend’s posts of inspirational quotes, discovered a necklace from an independent jeweler on Etsy to purchase, and pin “built” my dream home in recent months. I have taken notice of brands that I’ve never heard of or haven’t looked at in a while.
Not sure how to get started? Read up a little more from a recent article in the Dayton Daily News with a great how-to.
Now, go forth and pin!
*Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any pinning addiction that may occur due to this blog post.*
