Social media seems to be ever-growing in today’s age, and new outlets such as Pinterest are developing at a rapid rate.  With 2.7 million users and counting, Pinterest is the third largest social media network behind Facebook and Twitter.  But what exactly makes it unique?  Pinterest is a social bookmarking tool used to “pin” images into categorized groups or “boards”.  It is similar to an interactive, virtual scrapbook.  Similar to Facebook and Twitter, users are able to follow one another, share pins, make comments and tag individuals.  Updates are in real-time and it is simple to share your pins on other social media outlets once they are linked.  We should also recognize that 97% of Pinterest users are female.  But why?

Simply put, Pinterest is successful because women trust recommendations from other women.  It’s also evident that members use Pinterest for inspiration.  Everywhere you look people are posting pictures of recipes, step-by-step hairdos, and the latest fashion trends.  You can bet that over the next year the Pinterest “boards” will include more brand images in an attempt to market products to members- and it’s easy to see why:

• It’s Simple– Browsing is easy and fun, not to mention the site is very aesthetically pleasing.  There is an abundance of pictures with very little text which makes browsing less of a hassle compared to other sites that are word-heavy, such as Facebook
• Consumer Interests are Public– Businesses can easily get into a “board” that relates to their services and see what consumers are posting.  For example, Maybelline may look at the “make-up” board to analyze the latest trends and market accordingly.
• It’s Relaxing– There are no constantly updating fields, virtually no negative posts- only pictures of people and their hobbies.  The site is less about opinions and negativity and more about inspiring and discovering new interests- Pinterests.

Pinterest is just a toddler and I have no doubt it will continue to grow.  Although the majority of users are female, it is hard to say if the male audience will increase in the coming years because of how the site is geared toward women.  Either way, Pinterest is yet another success story in the history of social media-and certainly won’t be the last.

If you have any questions regarding Pinterest or if you are in need of Social Media strategy give iPoint a call today.