If you’re anything like me, then you have emailed yourself a recipe, torn out a particularly cute outfit or inspirational pattern from a magazine, or sent a funny meme to your friend at least once (okay dozens of times). Then, you lose it to cyberspace or the hideous stack of paper on your desk, under your bed, in your closet, etc. Not to worry. The web gods have come up with a solution for all collectors of good photos, good food, and, yes, good wedding ideas – Pinterest.
Even though the website is still not open to the general public and requires an invitation to join, Pinterest, which launched in March of this year, has already been called one of the 50 best websites of 2011 by Time Magazine. The online pinboard is a hobbyist’s paradise, allowing you to collect images and group them into boards you categorize based on your interests. The portal is growing 50-60 percent month over month and had amassed 1.9 million unique monthly views as of September 2011.
As an online corkboard, Pinterest is a way for you to display your personal style online by collecting photos or videos that are meaningful or inspiring to you. Images are then shared with your followers (on both Pinterest or any linked social networks) or those who have elected to follow one of your boards whenever you “pin” something new.
With a button that can be downloaded to your browser’s toolbar, Pinterest makes it easy for you to “pin” anything you come across on the internet. Content here surely is king as creative, visually appealing images are more likely to be shared, increasing attention and traffic to a website or brand.
Should marketers take notice?
Absolutely, yes. Pinterest offers brands another platform for reaching a target audience and has several advantages over other more traditional social media platforms. First, Pinterest appeals to DIYers, fashionistas, cooks and decorators, allowing popular home magazines* like Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Country Living and Ladies Home Journal, which all currently have Pinterest accounts, to reach a niche audience and standout as tastemakers on the site and its blog. The home page is very customizable so the user only sees newly pinned photos from the boards that he or she has selected. If you only wanted to use Pinterest to collect recipes, for example, you can. Want to shop for gifts at various price ranges? You can find some great ideas here, too. Pinterest reduces the clutter some are frustrated with on other social media sites.
Second, Pinterest allows quick, easy visual sharing of content without overt links or headlines. The photo does most of the work with particularly evocative or creative photos getting the most attention. Even Whole Foods has burst onto the Pinterest market sharing gardening tips and recipes and building its brand presence by connecting with 5,684 Pinterest followers beyond the cereal aisle.
Finally, the highly customizable boards allow brands to organize their products and target consumers with the items they’re most willing to buy in a new, friendly way. Users opt-in by following boards they are interested in, like Nordstrom’s “Trend We Love- Tassels,” and will only get updates to changes on that board. Other brands like Williams Sonoma, HGTV and Better Homes and Gardens have also capitalized on this by making highly targeted trends boards. BHG magazine already has claimed 5,465 followers and has amassed 34 boards with specific categories from “Christmas Cookies Galore” to “Ideas for Your Apartment.” Users discover many of these boards by sorting through genres, including everything from “architecture” and “DIY crafts” to “film, music & books” and “sports.”
Through grouping photos in neat categories and personal collections, Pinterest has made surfing the web and sharing content with friends an art.
*Editor's Note: New Media Strategies is owned by Meredith Corporation, which publishes many of the magazines mentioned above, and HGTV is an NMS client.