You may have heard of Pinterest, an online social media platform for “collecting and organizing the things you love.” For those of us who like to cut out pictures in magazines and save those ideas on bulletin boards, Pinterest takes them out of your boxes and folders and allows you to save them electronically instead. You can personalize your set of boards to any categories you choose including your core business areas, hobbies, and clothing styles. You can have as many boards as you like and have as many Pins in each board as you can find. Pinterest is a social media site, you can follow people of interest and others can follow you.
Just in the last month I have noticed more and more individuals joining Pinterest. You may have seen the famous “Pin
It” at the top of many internet articles or alongside an item in an online shopping website. As a social media consultant I keep my eyes out for online trends and started building up my own Pinterest account. I have boards with a professional spin and some with ideas I really need to focus on (like fashion).
If you are a small business owner Pinterest can benefit your business in a number of ways:
1. Reach a segment of potential customers and clients who may not be elsewhere. Pinterest is filled with women pinning ideas and information about every single facet of their lives. If you are trying to reach women you should be on Pinterest.
2. You can “Pin” your own articles, links to your goods and services, and pictures given your content another online showing. That activity will appear in your Pinterest newsfeed, could be repinned by others, and drive some traffic to your website.
3. Your followers can see you as a person with hobbies and interests they can relate to. You can really show your personality and style and connect with them in a personal but professional manner.
But, do you really have time to support another social media platform? Yes, you do. Set-up of Pinterest is simple and you can actually have some fun, learn a few things, and collect information on projects you would love to start (or just dream about being able to do). As always, just get started with a personal account and then learn the ins and outs as you go along. Name boards around your core business areas as well as some personal ideas related to you. Make sure to highlight your business appropriately but also show your personal style.
How do I have the time to support another social media site? While you should have a social media strategy to promote your business on most platforms, Pinterest is much more personal and very very easy to fit into your regular routine. You search and save information directly related to your core business areas, interests, and hobbies. When I first started building my Pinterest account I committed to “10 pins a day.” This plan takes less than 5 minutes and builds your account rather quickly.
Meeting the challenge is easy and is very fun. I’ve developed boards for all areas of my life and have connected with new individuals. Pinterest also offers an app for your phone and ipad so as you have a few minutes when waiting for a carpool or for a client you can Pin on the go.
