Have you visited
Pinterest.com? If so, odds are you’ve spent a lot of time there, compulsively looking at just-one-more page of beautiful images.
If not, ask a few people in your life about Pinterest. You’ll get some animated responses, particularly from women, as they talk about their boards and pins, and exactly how they are going to redo the bathroom, travel through Italy or layout the garden.
Pinterest is a virtual corkboard upon which you can “pin” images and words. If you like something someone else has pinned, you can repin it on your board. You make friends by following other “pinners,” and they can respond or repin your images, and, well, you get the idea.
You and your businessI’m a big fan of visualization and have always put vision boards together to help me set goals and make things happen. You, too? Then you will love creating boards for “Vacations” or “My Dream Home” or “Family Reunion.”
On a personal level, Pinterest can be a fun, positive way to clarify your vision and intentions. Cool, right?
From a business standpoint, Pinterest may be the next best social media community and an opportunity to connect with your customers in a powerful way.
So far, only 13 percent of Pinterest users are men. If women are your target market, you are in the right place. A flat-out sales pitch is not a good first approach. Consider instead how to make friends and influence people. Social media is replacing the backyard fence. Remember, relationships first, then add some relevant, entertaining images of what you do, why and how.
What to pin?Let’s say you work in remodeling. You could pin before and after photos of your projects, such as a recent bathroom job. Repin and upload others’ images, too, and comment on cool images they put on their boards. Ask for pinners to share their best bathroom remodeling or decorating ideas with you, and see what emerges creatively.
Also, start a board that illustrates your community outreach work or tips for do-it-yourselfers. Pin pictures of clients and include their glowing testimonials. Remember to include your Web address. According to
Inc.com columnist and consultant Marla Tabaka, Pinterest is a growing avenue to collect Web traffic.
“I heard from more than 50 small businesses when I reached out for Pinterest success stories,” she wrote in a February post. “Most of them indicated that Pinterest is among their top-10 referring sites. These entrepreneurs feel that their consumers are expressing higher levels of loyalty due to the community being built around the brand. And many claim that traffic generated from Pinterest far exceeds traffic numbers from Facebook and Twitter combined – not bad for a newbie forum!”
Here today, nowhere tomorrowRemember Myspace and Prodigy? What connects people today may be gone in a heartbeat.
Right now, it’s free to pin on Pinterest, but can pay-for-pins be far behind?
Also, there are copyright issues brewing on all these social platforms. Pinterest offers some good guidelines on the site, but laws are being crafted in the decidedly un-hip halls of Congress to limit sharing. And all social media can be a colossal waste of time, if you don’t set some limits.
Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant who offers systems for getting focused and organized, making money and having fun in business. Her books include “Where Did the Money Go?” and “The Bare Bones Weekend Biz Plan.” She can be reached at ellen@barebonesbiz.com.
