Most of the articles mention that Pinterest is good for wedding planning and stuff for the home. While I have those as two of my boards (not that I’m planning a wedding, mind you, it’s just when you see something pretty that you might not want to forget, it makes sense to pin it), I’ve found that I can also use it to keep track of books I want to read, gifts that I should remember are giftable, and DIY artsy projects that I could make and give as gifts if I actually had the time to do them.
I used to do the same thing with magazines. I have folders from pull outs of Real Simple, Whole Living, and Cooking Light of recipes, clothing styles I liked, gifts, DIY projects, etc. And I used to make book lists on my phone. But as the magazines pages piled up and I kept switching phones and hadn’t heard of Evernote yet, I kept losing things to the passage of time.
Now I’ve got a place where if I wanted to look back on ideas I thought were great but can’t remember them, I have Pinterest! And the people I follow are also pretty thoughtful and awesome, so I can learn about what they find interesting and re-pin to my own boards.
Small businesses (mainly art, photography and graphic design people) are starting to use it to sell their wares, and other companies are trying to figure out how to join the conversation. What they have to remember is that to build loyalty and for people to follow your boards, you have to think more well-roundedly than just showcasing your products. Now is the time to build a personality for your brand and think of other useful boards you can bring to your followers instead of just using the site as an alternative catalogue. I read an example of how a landscaper is posting images of yards he finds and also takes pictures of yards in his community. Then, because he likes a good chuckle, has a board for things that make him laugh. What wasn’t mentioned was if the funnies had to do with landscaping, but that would be a good angle.
Are you following any companies on Pinterest? What do you get out of their conversation with you?
Patti is still learning 