{"id":188,"date":"2012-02-25T08:19:16","date_gmt":"2012-02-25T13:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scottsilver.net\/blog\/creativediversity\/?p=188"},"modified":"2017-01-16T23:44:29","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T04:44:29","slug":"the-pinterest-phenomenon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/scottsilver.net\/blog\/creativediversity\/the-pinterest-phenomenon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pinterest Phenomenon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hottest alternative social media niche network<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Last month, I outlined the best online marketing<\/a> practices and discussed social media sites such as Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and YouTube. These sites are the core social media sites every business should be utilizing. This month, I would like to discuss if you should add the new Internet phenomenon called Pinterest to your list. Is this niche consumer social network the next gold rush for businesses?<\/p>\n

What is Pinterest?<\/strong>
\nPinterest is peaking with articles being written everyday It is a visual pinboard<\/a>-styled social<\/a> photo<\/strong>, video<\/strong> and blog<\/strong> sharing website. NOTE: Right now, Pinterest only supports YouTube videos. The service allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections of their favorite recipes, art, crafts, clothes, places and anything else someone can pin (bookmark) from a website.<\/p>\n

\"Pinterest
\nPinterest Board<\/div>\n

Almost two years old, it just became one of the top 10 social networks according to the tracking firm, Hitwise. Last month it had more than 11 million unique visitors according to comScore. Those users spent nearly 100 minutes on the site. That is five times more than other social sites. Pinterest\u2019s mission statement is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.”<\/p>\n

Why should businesses care about Pinterest? <\/strong>
\nAfter you learn how users are using it, you can quickly see the possibilities for certain businesses. There are unique and specialized boards for just about everything. I created a marketing board to keep track of any marketing articles that interest me. Another marketer will follow my board and the social circle begins. There is no limit to the number of pins or boards you can have. You can also collaborate with others to build a board. After browsing Pinterest, you will quickly find boards for everything. A pin of your favorite product will be highlighted with the price on the photo. It works as a sort of virtual store catalog. Many e-commerce sites are keeping a close eye and formulating marketing plans already for this year.<\/p>\n

Right now, users are still learning and businesses are trying to figure out how to extract the maximum marketing potential from this new craze. Part of its appeal is that it has beautiful images and they are so easily viewed by scrolling infinitely. You will thrive if you have visually interesting images that are worthy enough to repin. Uninteresting or poor quality images are less likely to be repinned or desired. There are alternatives to the above, which cannot be understated. As an example, \u201cConstant Contact\u201d is an e-mail service with no visual aspect. As one would expect while using an e-mail service with no visual components, there are many interesting boards included with a wealth of information on them. One board of theirs is called \u201cInfographics.\u201d The board has many charts procedures and tips contained for every business. I follow it for research and educational purposes.<\/p>\n

\"Help
\nHelp Me Stop Pinning<\/div>\n

Demographic<\/strong>
\nCurrently in the US the demographic is mostly women between the ages of 20 to 30. I guarantee you that will change quickly to include a much broader demographic. In the UK men are the majority. This site is inspiring and you will become and instant explorer trying to find the next cool thing. People just can\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n

Should you get started with Pinterest?<\/strong> This is not for every business. You need to review your manpower needs for this endeavor. Nowadays, you can easily feel pressured to join every social network on the block in order to get ahead. However, sometimes that can be a waste of time. You may ask, what will be my return on my investment (ROI)? You should not think of this as a monetary venture. If nothing else, it is about building your brand and helping your SEO. Hubspot says, \u201dSucceeding on Pinterest is about finding how your products or services fit into the lifestyles of your target audience.\u201d One thing is for sure. It is very easy to start a board and get right into it. The interface is a snap. Test the waters personally before you start a company page.<\/p>\n

How to register<\/strong>
\nThe quickest way to join Pinterest is to be invited by someone already registered. If you want an invite please contact me<\/a> and I will gladly invite you. Otherwise there is a review process and it takes about a week to complete.<\/p>\n

What should you do to get started?<\/strong><\/p>\n