Pinterest is the new age version of scrapbooking. It’s an invite only photo-sharing site and has an obsessive like quality that captivates users with engaging content, trending images across areas like home decor, crafts, fashion and food – but truthfully, you can find almost anything on Pinterest.
One might ask how it differs from sharing sites like Twitter and Facebook, yet Pinterest is in a league of its own. Every user is public; meaning the capabilities of the sites’ creative content are as simple as hitting search. In theory the concepts are quite similar in that you follow the users whose images you like, re-pin their content (similar to RT on Twitter, liking on Facebook and hyping on Lookbook) and post it on your own board.
While previously the dissemination of information or images was lost in the cloud of the Internet, users can see re-pins and trace each source, providing ample opportunity to measure the influence of your content.
Currently listed one of the top 10 most downloaded mobile applications and attracting over 11 million views per week, Pinterest is on track to make a lasting impression on the business community. With traceable content sharing, advertisers can pinpoint what users are interested in seeing and create links to purchasable items on their site. Aspiring home designers have capitalised on this fact, creating pin boards of their work and opening them to the Pinterest community, among who lay potential clients, employers, enthusiasts or those looking for inspiration.
Growing your network and increasing your followers has exactly the same function as any social media site, yet Pinterest’s focus on creating an easy to use version of people’s scrapbooks does far more. Aside from decreasing clutter and freeing up storage space, it means that options for design, ideas and inspiration can all be found through your screen. If pictures speak 1000 words, then Pinterest can map your whole identity.
E-commerce is essentially the next step for Pinterest. Without spamming users, companies can post content and yes, engage with followers to encourage personable buying decisions. If someone sees an item they like on Pinterest, they can click straight through to the site where it is available to buy and shipped to your destination. It’s about envisaging what your product can do and conveying that to the audience. Along with boosting revenue, it builds a genuine connection with a user.
The site is only two years old and already attracts more views per month than many businesses could imagine for their company sites. Pinterest rounds out your aesthetic by letting users see where you can fit into their lives, and on which board.
