3 Reasons Why Pinterest Is All the Buzz

By now you’ve certainly heard of the new platform, Pinterest, and you’ve probably checked it out. (Careful, it can be mildly addictive. And by mildly, I mean very.) Earlier this year it moved into the No. 3 spot for social media traffic in the US, topping 21 million hits that week.

That’s not pocket change.

But does that mean it’s right for your business? For some businesses, the answer is no. But for many others, the answer may be yes. Here’s why Pinterest could be valuable for your brand.

It’s highly visual and creative

Social networks are all about multimedia. That means photos are hot, and photos are Pinterest’s bread and butter.

Pinterest showcases beautiful images — whether of a tropical paradise, a delicious chicken dish, an infographic, a motivational quote, or the weather – and it’s an opportunity to give your brand a personality.

For some organizations, this may not be so obvious: “But I sell car insurance!” Pinterest is also a platform that allows you to be creative with that brand personality. You could post photos of beautiful cars, happy customers with their stories of how your coverage plan helped them, or traffic safety signals and what they mean. Brainstorming what parts of your organization you can turn into visually appealing material is sometimes the most fun part.

It’s easy and moves quickly

There’s beauty in simplicity. You don’t need to have all the bells and whistles of Facebook to be wildly popular. Just as Pinterest caters to the visually-stimulated, it also caters to those who want to share something easily and quickly.

This means, once you’ve chosen content that “works” on the platform, there’s a potential for that content to get in front of networks and extended networks with little extra effort on your part.

Keep in mind, there are still guidelines about what you can and cannot post and how you post third-party content, but once you’re familiar with those guidelines, you have brand awareness at your fingertips!

It’s a connection back to your brand

By getting into those extended networks, you have multiple opportunities to get your brand in front of many people who might not have otherwise come across it. To that point, it’s also important to remember that these people might not know it’s your brand unless you make it easy for them.

Whenever possible (and within the guidelines mentioned) connect your content back to your brand. Pinterest allows several ways to do this: a descriptive caption that mentions your brand, a link back to a photo on your website or another social networking site, or a photo with your brand actually in it.

Don’t go overboard. Pinterest works like all other social networks and doesn’t lend itself to being overly “salesy,” but there’s still plenty of room to get seen. Always keep in mind it’s an opportunity.

How has Pinterest been helpful to your brand?