Even though I recognize their importance for SEO and marketing, I loathe Facebook and (even more so) Twitter because of how trite the posts typically are. Yet, I find myself being drawn into the newer social media site Pinterest. Pinterest is basically an online bulletin board which lets you post images of things which interest you. Then, other people with similar interests can follow your boards or “re-pin” your posts. Unlike most social media sites in which posts are delivered on a constantly-updated, cluttered timeline, Pinterest offers a freeze-frame of who you are.
How Will Pinterest Affect Marketing?
Since Pinterest is still a new social media website, no one is exactly sure how it will fit into marketing and SEO efforts. Yet, history has shown us that social media is the most powerful tool for brick-and-mortar businesses to connect with their customers. It is no wonder that all of the major brands already have pin boards on Pinterest. Even President Obama has a Pinterest board for his reelection campaign! Online retailers have already taken advantage of Pinterest as a storefront. The e-retailer Bodice even reported getting an average sale of $180 from Pinterest compared to just $85 through Facebook. Obviously, customers are responding to the pin-board style of the social media site which makes it easy and fun to browse through categories.
At the start of, Pinterest had about 12 million US visitors, making it one of the fastest growing websites to get to this level of popularity. The growth is expected keep in surging. If you are going to put your local business on Pinterest, then now is the time to do it: it never hurts to be amongst the first to use a new marketing platform! As far as SEO goes, Pinterest “likes” and “re-pins” don’t seem to have as much clout as Facebook shares, but this doesn’t mean Pinterest activity can’t help you with your rankings. By being one of the first on Pinterest, your aged profile will carry more weight and, as the site gains even more popularity, it could really boost your rankings.