As of Q1 of 2012, Pinterest had generated 11.7 million unique visitors. And here at HubSpot, our main website receives 1,000+ monthly visits through referral traffic from Pinterest -- and all we do is pin some content! Everyone keeps talking about how Pinterest will grow to become one of the largest used social networks, but truth is, it already is.

As a social network that is built around one of the hottest trends in social media today -- visual content -- it's no wonder Pinterest is thriving. But in order to reap business benefits from Pinterest, a solid understanding of how the social network works is important. So what better way to explain this highly visual platform than through visual content? If you're still trying to wrap your head around the Pinterest phenomenon, the following 10 infographics will help you do just that.

What Is Pinterest?

First things first: let's review the basics to ensure we're all on the same page.

Source: Infographic Labs

Who Uses Pinterest?

As marketers, it's important to understand the audience of each social network we use. Here's the audience dynamic for Pinterest. (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: Modea

The Rise of Pinterest

Before we continue, let's briefly review the rise of Pinterest as a social network.

Source: Statista

Why Is Pinterest So Addictive?

We've seen facts and figures about Pinterest, but what makes this social platform so addictive anyway? (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: Flowtown and Column Five

Pin It to Win It: A Marketer's Guide

And of course, once we understand the social network, marketers need to know how to use it for marketing! (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: MDG Advertising

PIO: Pinterest Image Optimization

Marketers understand the importance of search engine optimization, so it makes sense to also focus on Pinterest image optimization. (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: Pinnable Business

How to Get More Pins and RePins

With all that hard work on PIO, be sure to get your content pinned and repinned! Here's how:

Source: Dan Zarrella, HubSpot

16 Ways Educators Use Pinterest

Marketing is about educating. A lot of inbound marketing involves helping to solve your audience's problems through educational content, which establishes your business as an industry expert. Therefore, it's only natural that we learn from educators themselves! (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: OnlineUniversities

Is Pinterest the Next Social Commerce Game Changer?

Pinterest has opened up a whole new platform for featuring products, but will it completely change how people purchase? (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: Monetate

How Pinterest Drives Online Sales

At the end of the day, all your marketing efforts should be driving sales. Inbound marketing should enable you to close the loop on all your marketing efforts to show revenue -- Pinterest should be no different! (Click infographic to enlarge.)

Source: Shopify

Have you stumbled across any other informative infographics about Pinterest? If you have additional Pinterest data that would benefit marketers, feel free to share below!