Pinterest used to be an elite Social Media networking site. Time was, you needed to be invited to join, either by an existing member or by requesting an invitation from Pinterest and then waiting to see if the Pinterest found you a suitable addition.
But that has all changed recently, thanks to the success of free social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, and Pinterest has opened its doors to everyone. Now, anyone who has a Facebook/ Twitter account or an email address can join.
Joining is fast and easy. Pinterest doesn’t make you jump through hoops to create your account, just a simple registration form, choose 5 example likes from the board and you’re all done.
With the basics now completed, it’s time to for the fun to start. Keep in mind that Pinterest is a social site, so be social! Even if your intention is to advertise your business, start off by getting your name out there; interact with other members by creating your boards and pinning some images to them.
A good way to do this is by re-pinning images you like to one of your boards. You can have lots of boards, so we would suggest you make a few favorite or fun boards. Don’t forget people love humor, so if you have a humorous streak in your personality, let it shine through.
Here are a few examples of boards you could create:
• My Daily Laugh Board
• Favorite Breakfast Dishes
• Best Books I Have Read
• My Leisure Activities
• My Wish List
• My Dream Vacations
Each board will become a mini photo album of all your favorite things and is a good way to display your personality along with your business.
At first, you want to refrain from blatant self promotion. As with any social site, this is considered a big NO-NO, but there is no harm pinning up pictures of your business, or showing your home office with images of your desk, computer, office chair, plants etc.
By visiting the Home page of Pinterest, you can see everything currently being pinned. Browse through and start clicking the like button. If you see something that really catches your attention, re-pin it to your own board.
At the same time make note of who is pinning what and look for people who are in the same type of business as you.
You can follow these people and see exactly how they are using Pinterest in their business. This can give you great ideas of just how to use Pinterest to your advantage in business.
Once you start though, you won’t want to stop.