You know all about Pinterest and what a great resource it is for…well, everything. And let’s not even talk about how addicting it is! Let’s look into it a bit further…
Pinterest is essentially a visual bookmarking tool. There are a number of sites and platforms that serve as social bookmarking tools: Delicious is probably the best known one; StumbleUpon, Reddit and Digg are variations on the concept of the merging of discovery, serendipity and search, with tagging as the common thread that runs through each.
But Pinterest has taken it to another level that appeals to some more basic human needs: the ability to browse content in a minimalist, visual way and the notion that when we encounter strangers (either online or offline), we make a connection through a common interest and the sharing of that interest.
Enter Pinterest’s solution: Boards. Users create their own boards around anything that they’re passionate about, and Pinterest gives a limited number of categories into which your boards can fit: Art, Architecture, Cars & Motorcycles, Design, DIY & Crafts, Education, Film, Music & Books, Food & Drink, Gardening, Geek, Hair & Beauty, History, Holidays, Home Decor, Humor, Kids, My Life, Women’s Apparel, Men’s Apparel, Outdoors, People, Pets, Photography, Print & Posters, Products, Science & Nature, Sports, Technology, Travel & Places, Wedding & Events, and Other.
But what’s more sticky here than with many of the other sites out there is that in addition to being simple to use and visual in nature, users have the ability to follow individual boards rather than the entire stream of users. This is not to be underestimated, as user experience across the web is changing to accommodate custom content delivery – busy people what only what’s relevant to them.
For business – the brands that will be successful are the ones that go beyond just using Pinterest as a storefront and use it to unite people around passion points. And of course, you’ll want to use Pinterest to drive sales – particularly if you’re in the e-commerce business.
Ask The Savvy Socialista how you can capitalize on the popularity of Pinterest to market your specific business.