As some of you may have noticed from my Tweets this week, I’ve been investigating the utility and functionality of Pinterest.  Pinterest is rising in popularity as a new, unique social network.

Pinterest at its core is a relatively simple concept – it’s a place to store groups of images, on “Pin boards” – each of which has a theme, which you may specify.  Each image is selected from a Website, and is linked back to the original source.  Common use-cases I’d seen before jumping in centered around collecting things to “inspire,” “motivate,” or “interest” you.  The pitch appeared to reside more at an emotional or artistic level, which doesn’t typically sell me on a platform.

As I began asking others how they were using Pinterest, and as I began to use it myself, though, I discovered a few interesting ways in which it may be used.  So far I’m enjoying what I’ve found.

Pinterest for personal use

Overall, I’m finding that a better way to look at using Pinterest for personal reasons is a place to store ideas or “found items” that you’d like to come back to at another time.  A visual bookmarking solution, of sorts.  Pins I’ve collected so far fall into categories like “good ideas” – like tips and tricks; “stuff I want to read later” – things I’ve found online that might take more than a few minutes to read (or watch) but that I don’t want to forget to revisit; and recipes.  LOTS of recipes.

Another area where Pinterest shows potential is as a shopping aid, whether you’re researching a product category, or you come across a particular item that you might find useful in future.  I’ve pinned a couple of items that I liked but didn’t necessarily need to purchase right now.  I suppose the trick now is to remember to consult this board once in awhile to determine if these items have become useful!

I read a post by one blogger who is determined to cut down on impulse-buys online, and to that end is using the “Pin it” button in place of the “Purchase” button to mark items she likes.

Pinterest for business

One of the angles I was interested in uncovering in my research is how (and if) Pinterest could be relevant for business.

Some of the tips I came across in my reading included the suggestion of not using Pinterest to advertise your OWN products – instead it should be considered a platform on which to spotlight your brand’s values, or your company’s expertise – using related content.  Create boards to mirror the interests of your industry, and your customers.  Reinforce the image of your brand as the expert in very specific or niche areas by creating pin boards and displaying content uniquely relevant to that area.

Like many other social networks, Pinterest can also be used to boost consumer engagement.  Another interesting way to use Pinterest for business is to study what your company’s FOLLOWERS are pinning, to better understand their interests and therefore position your products and services accordingly.

There is no shortage of lists of brands doing a good job with these strategies on Pinterest.

Finally…

I’m well into my exploration of this social platform.  So far, I agree that Pinterest is a tool to curate relvant content for your audience.  When used personally, your audience is YOURSELF – and your followers are secondary.  You’re collecting content that’s relevant and interesting to YOU – and if others agree, that’s great for them but doesn’t affect you at all.   For business, your followers become the primary audience, and therefore the definition of relevant depends on the brand message you’re trying to convey.

How are you using Pinterest?  Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter!