Are you pinning?

Pinterest has charged the social media space by storm with over 11.7 million unique users by January 2012 making it the fastest website in history to reach 10 million unique users. With 97% of the sites Facebook likes being from women, Pinterest is quite a force to be reckoned with.

So how does Pinterest work? – Users create themed image boards where they can “pin” images and videos organizing their thoughts and inspirations.  This media can be taken from other sites using the “pin it” button or by users uploading their own content.

Pinterest then allows you to follow other user’s activity through a feed similar to Facebook’s news feed. This “following” createstastemakers and trendsetters within various categories.

As of now Pinterest is not a profitable business but that wont stop us from creating some great marketing business from the new social media giant

I like to view Pinterest as a visually pleasing combination of Tumblr and Twitter and with that similar marking rules will apply.  Brands must provide valuable and interesting content to their consumers and they will follow along.

Take Better Home and Gardens for example their readers are the do it your-selfers that enjoy gardening, interior design, cooking and baking. BHG is doing a great job of providing content their consumers want, their Pinterest consists of boards like gardening trends, smart storage solutions and healthy dinner recipes. Most of these “pins” link back to BHG.com for more content, full recipes, etc. creating a completely new avenue or website referrals. To me Pinterest is a no brainer for content creators or magazines like Better Home and Gardens, but most of us don’t have that much great original content.  Don’t worry though, I have come up with some great positioning other businesses can take when using Pinterest.

Pinterest for Apparel Companies - Play to your strengths, you have some great designers working for you, have them post images of styles that inspire them, vintage clothing they like, even other brand’s styles! You will begin to build an audience of consumers who enjoy your designers style… perfect right!?  Then when you launch your new line your followers will be the first to see it and pin it.  If your audience likes them they can click through to your website and purchase the item right off your site. Remember to also take the analytics into consideration. You can view which styles or images are getting re-pined the most by your consumers to predict trends and provide your customers with the styles they are most interested in this season. (free product testing)

Pinterest for Restaurants-  Create boards with similar food styles to your restaurant. So if your a sushi restaurant post images of amazing and inspiring sushi and other Asian cuisine. You will build and audience of Asian cuisine lovers and maybe even inspire some on the fence to give it a try! Then start posting images of your best dishes, wet your customers appetite before they even enter your doors. Another great idea would be to post images of your weekly specials, your regular customers can check in weekly to see what’s new and exciting giving them yet another tasty reason to dine with you this week.

Pinterest for Real Estate-  Again play to your strength, when you are on broker preview snap pictures of your favorite kitchenmakeover, bathroom vanity, or creative back yard designs. Don’t be afraid to post other agents listings on your Pinterest if you find them interesting or beautiful homes, your audience will appreciate this and contact you if they are interested in purchasing the home. Remember to also post images of your newest listings- I would recommend only one or two images of each listing and only if they are truly interesting or beautiful. You don’t want your Pinterest to become an advertisement your followers will see right through that and leave.

The general concept here is take what you know best (your industry) and “pin” valuable media that your consumers would enjoy. Combine that with “pining” your own product, brand or style and remember to listen to the “re-pins” they will help predict trends, style shifts and future successful products.

See creative ways of using Pinterest as a marketing tool? Post them in the comments.