Pinterest, What it Is and How to Use it for Business

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Pinterest is a image-sharing website and app where people can build and maintain image collections that are based on a theme. Pinterest also connects people professionally through their tastes and interests universally.

Hot

Pinterest is a hot, new item that has become extremely popular in 2012. It has gotten widespread attention already, with many people wanting to optimize it to its fullest potential. Pinterest members can gather and organize images from the Internet. They put a “pin” in that image to indicate that they have chosen it as part of their collection. There is a great volume of web traffic that is being referred to Pinterest, which is quite extraordinary. After you have become a part of Pinterest, the following are ways that you can start to get into it for your business:

  • Protect your identity: It is definitely not a good idea to share your Email address with everyone online so you need to be selective about who might have access to your information before you invite strangers to share your information.
  • Get connected: It goes without saying that you have connections in other social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc, who may also be a part of Pinterest and would be very happy to connect with you on Pinterest also.
  • Exercise caution: As with anything like Pinterest, there are people out there who will try their best to take advantage of others. Scams, such as phony invitations, are everywhere online and you need to exercise caution before you unfortunately get taken by one or more of them. If you see an address that you have never heard of before, don’t click on it.

Pinterest for business

Aside from Pinterest’s personal uses, it is also an extremely useful tool for business. If you have a business that doesn’t have products to show off, you can display photos so that your brand is communicated clearly and effectively. Each pin that is attached to an image gives a description and a link to the original content, which can be very useful. With that in mind, any company is capable of linking an audience with its story, mission and plans for the future.

You can show off several different parts of your business, if that is appropriate. If you have a larger business, you can organize the various sectors and highlight them for the members of Pinterest. You can organize several different boards, which can display all sorts of information that is related to your business. The potential is there to really showcase your business in a profound manner and one that really impresses other people who are checking out your business.

Another great thing when it comes to using Pinterest for business is that you can connect your brand to your clients. Your clients can leave comments about your business offerings that other Pinterest members can read and share. You can interact with them and show your gratitude for their support of your professional efforts. As a business owner, you should take as much advantage as possible of encouraging your clients to interact with each other. It will be great for your business.

Rapid growth

Pinterest is gaining momentum extremely rapidly. You can think of Pinterest as a virtual, high-tech bulletin board (or scrapbook), which allows you to gather the most wonderful images and ideas from the entire World Wide Web. The website offers all sorts of interesting things for everyone and it truly does offer something for everyone. Here is what you can expect when you first start to use Pinterest:

  • An appealing image: You see an image that appeals to you and you want to “pin” it to your “board.” Once you do that, it is added to your online profile. All of your Pinterest connections can see that image, make comments, and add it to their profile, with your permission. Everyone who is connected on Pinterest, can share the images and make them their own. When you click on the image, it will lead you to its original source so that you will have access to additional, valuable information. The website is an excellent way to inspire you creatively.
  • Practical ideas: Pinterest offers a myriad of sensible, practical ideas that you can apply to your business and to your life. Once you start to get involved with Pinterest, you will see how helpful it is and how many different ways you can apply its ideas to what you are doing. Just like your general approach to social media, you need to commit to spending a certain amount of time and effort to using it each week. Consistency is an extremely important part of the success equation.

Conclusion

Pinterest is a wonderful tool and one that gives you the freedom to really let your creativity come through and shine. It has the great potential to enhance your business efforts and really improve your brand offerings. Other people are bound to react favorably and will want to interact with you on an even deeper level than they did before.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a free assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.

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Author

  • Michael Cohn

    Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has decades of experience in IT and web technologies. Michael founded CompuKol Communications to help small businesses and entrepreneurs increase their visibility and reputation. CompuKol consults, creates, and implements communication strategies for small businesses to monopolize their markets with a unique business voice, vision, and visibility. Mr. Cohn earned a Master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

3 Responses

  1. Adeline says:

    Wow! Thanks so much for the insightful stuff about Pinterest. I've heard about it, but not really sure how it works. My question is if I use photos uploaded in Pinterest, can these be seen on my blog by non-Pinterest account holders?

    • Michael Cohn says:

      Adeline,
      I believe the answer is yes. People that you are not connected to on Pinterest should be able to see your pins.

      On our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/compukol.communications) one of our followers made the following comment: ” I just shared this, as a way of bookmarking. Once Pinterest or something likes it allows you to collect articles and posts instead of just images with captions, then we’ll be talking! (maybe I’m just missing something?)”

      So we setup a test and here is the answer: If your article has an image in it, you can share the image with the link to the article. Example: http://pinterest.com/pin/233905774366439753/

      Links built through images are some of the best links you can acquire when it comes to actual engagement. Pinterest images automatically link back to the page of the originating site so they create visual links.

      So try the link above and see if you can access it before you follow us. And i am sure you would love to follow us after that 🙂

  2. Thomas Van Hare says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: "Write It Down"-A Website for Writers
    Discussion: Pinterest, What it Is and How to Use it for Business

    I just started my Pinterest board to support another venture I have, which is an at-home craft venture in wood carving — actually making Springerle cookie presses out of wood!

     Anyway, my last book was launched three years ago and last year the Spanish language translation went live — in those days, Pinterest didn't exist. Your piece makes me wonder if it might be helpful to launch a new Pinterest campaign for the book. Maybe I could bring on more sales because, despite the fact that the book is three years old, it remains a fairly hot topic and sells fairly well even today on Amazon and BN.

    Thomas.
     

    Posted by Thomas Van Hare