If you haven't used it, you've no doubt heard or read about it recently: Pinterest. The social media site gained serious momentum in recent months,
with 7.51 million unique visitors in December alone. The site's closed beta launch happened in 2010, with its open beta launch following in the fall of 2011. Around that time, it was named one of
The 50 Best Websites of 2011 (in the category of Social Media) by
Time magazine. Yep, it's a big deal.
With a concept similar to that of Polyvore.com, users tack tear sheets, photos, quotes, videos, etc., to a virtual bulletin board (or "mood board") that is shared with other users. However, unlike Polyvore, Pinterest isn't exclusive to fashion-related interests; the site's categories include most mainstream interests- fashion, fitness, decorating, cooking, and architecture. There's even a "geek" category. Hmm.
Pinterest is super hot right now, but does it have staying power? Does it matter? Social media sites soar in popularity before they fall hard. When they fall, they don't take you with them. If you're a retailer already using the free perks of Facebook and Twitter to market your business, now's the time bring Pinterest into your circle. For a brilliant explanation as to why you should be on Pinterest, check out
this article. The author mentions that utilizing Pinterest could be especially beneficial if your target market is women between the ages of 25-44, because that particular group makes up more than 60 percent of Pinterest's users. If that's your target demographic, that's information you can't afford to ignore.
But before you become a "pinner" and start curating your virtual gallery of beautiful things (
If there’s one thing interactive marketers should take away from the current Pinterest mania it’s the enduring appeal of beautiful imagery.), I strongly urge you to read
this article on best practices for businesses on Pinterest. It will also give you the lowdown on how other businesses are using Pinterest to their advantage and how to be savvy about it. One final must-read:
4 Rules for Retailers to Use Pinterest, because not
all rules were made to be broken.
Happy pinning!
