In 2010, the introduction of Pinterest, a fusion of bookmarking, blogging, and Facebook, opened up greater possibilities for businesses to reach greater numbers. If you thought harnessing the power of social media, blogging, and social bookmarking were great for business, can you imagine the possibilities when these powers combine? Pinterest has taken social sharing to the next level in a unique and fun way.
So, what is Pinterest and how will it drive business to your website? I say it’s a fusion because you can post pictures of things you find interesting from websites you like and trust. People search for topics they are interested in and can comment and follow pin boards, or you, (or both) and clicking on the pictures can take you to a linked website. It is essentially a more visual form of blogging, but any one person can have several unique pin boards related to topics they find interesting.
It seems unlikely that random people posting pictures about their interests could increase traffic to your business’ website, but if one person is interested in your field of work, chances are several others are similarly interested. Let’s take for example weddings: many different businesses are associated with weddings including, florists, caterers, bridal boutiques etc. If you go to Pinterest and search weddings, numerous pin boards with pictures come up from all these categories. A bride may see a pin board with a “pinned” dress they like, if they click the picture they will be directed to the dress maker’s business. Voilà , potential client!
Internet usage is on the verge of surpassing the amount of time people spend watching television. So establishing a presence on social Internet media can help increase traffic to your site by allowing customers to share pictures, videos and pinable information with others who have built their own follower base, thus increasing your exposure effortlessly.
We preach the notion that people rely heavily on the opinions of others, which explains the popularity of sites like Angie’s list and Epinions. This fact is a big reason why Pinterest has captured the interest of many. Is it useful to business? We say YES! Not only can a social site like this drive traffic to your site, it’s FREE advertising directed only at the people who are interested in seeing it. There’s no opting out, they choose to see this information because they want to. If you are interested in adding Pinterest or a Pinterest button on your website, contact us today!