Hello, my name is Robyn, and I’m a Pin-aholic. For the past six months or so, I’ve developed a love affair with Pinterest. The concept is fairly simple: Pinterest allows users to create and organize visual collections of their favorite things online (fashion, architecture, crafts, music, jokes, links to relevant articles, etc.). The result is a “pin board” that lets you visualize your collection and share it with others. Yes, simple, but oh so deliciously addicting.
But at least I know I’m far from alone in my dependence. Pinterest is garnering over 11 million unique visitors each month in the US alone, which doesn’t count its UK and worldwide following. It’s felt a massive explosion in popularity in the past several months, and it continues to trend steeply upward.
The great thing was that once I got past the overwhelming amount of pretty things to look at, it be came obvious that I could leverage my obsession to pin into something quasi-useful. 20|20 now has Pinterest boards where we collect inspirations we see online and want to remember for future design projects.
It fits that Pinterest would work for other businesses looking to reach target audiences by creating their own boards with relevant images for people to share. Think local scenery shots for hospitality or tourism; think new products for a retailer with links to its e-commerce site; think drool-worthy food photos of new dishes for restaurants. Oreck, yes the vacuum company, has already mastered this new platform with boards on their products, user photos, cleaning tips, and even a “Furry Friends” with shots of the cute yet hirsute animals that necessitate its product. Genius, people.
The possibilities are as endless as my obsession.
Happy Pinning,
Robyn