A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO PINTEREST
Feb 28, 2014
When I first heard about Pinterest, I didn’t really understand how it fitted into the social media landscape – I wasn’t sure how a big bank of images was in any way “social”.
But after looking into it a bit more, I discovered that it’s a great way of connecting people with similar interests. I also think it serves both individuals and businesses differently to other social media sites – there’s less room for shouting about yourself, and more room for sharing things together.
If you’re new to Pinterest, I hope you have a better understanding of it by the end of this post and can see the benefits of it too!
What is it?
Simply put, Pinterest is a website dedicated to helping you organise online images. Images can be uploaded from your computer, taken from an online web page, or you can access the existing bank of images that other people are sharing on Pinterest. These existing images can be searched for by category (e.g. “photography” or “weddings”), or you can simply use the search box.
Pinterest users begin by creating boards, which they can “pin” images to. These boards can be moderated to be public or private; you can also invite other people to pin on your board if it’s something you are working on together.
Who’s it for?
The statistics indicate that most Pinterest users are American Mums in their late twenties/early thirties. But this doesn’t mean that Pinterest isn’t useful for anyone else. Here in the office we find Pinterest really useful for getting design ideas, photography inspiration and even industry news. It’s for anyone who finds images interesting or inspiring!
What’s it for?
From my experience, these are most popular things people use Pinterest for:
- DIY/craft inspiration
- Bookmarking useful web pages
- Mood boards for art projects
- Photography/design inspiration
- Planning a wedding
- Planning a holiday
- Recipes
Pinterest for businesses
If used correctly, Pinterest is ideal for reaching a new audience and gaining more traffic to your website. However, the site frowns upon businesses whose sole aim is to spam people with their own content, so remember to use it wisely. I suggest you start by following other businesses like yours, before creating a few boards of things you like that are related to your company. For example, if you’re an electrician, you could have a board for energy saving ideas, and another for creative light fittings. Invite your colleagues to pin on the boards too, and you’ll soon have a thriving Pinterest account!
If you need help getting started on Pinterest, we’d love to answer your questions! Just leave a comment below and we'll get back to you soon.
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