We’re hooked on Pinterest. And here’s why you should be, too.

I know what you’re thinking… “Oh crap, another social media site where you can waste more time. Don’t we have enough of those already?” The answer, in this case: no.

If you’re not familar with this newest social media phenomenon, Pinterest is an online pinboard where users can organize and share photos (and videos) of things that they find interesting. (Get it? Pin + interest = Pinterest.) In the short amount of time that we’ve been on the site (it’s still in invite-only beta mode), we’ve been absolutely blown away by the number of times our “pins” have been liked, commented on and repinned to other users’ boards. In fact, within minutes of creating our first board, we already had over a dozen followers who were repinning our material like crazy.

How does this apply to your business? Well, if you have a website with photos and videos on it (which you should!), people may already be pinning your content without you knowing it. In fact, after examining a client’s Google Analytics account, we found that several photos in his architecture portfolio were being pinned to a board of “dream house” ideas.” (Quick tip… enter “http://pinterest.com/source/” followed by your website “example.com” and you can see who is pinning content from your website.)

Want to take a more active role on Pinterest? Create a corporate account and make up your own inspiration boards. (Many companies are doing this already, like Vera Bradley and Glamour magazine.) Like all social media sites, your Pinterest account should not be purely self-promotional. Sure, create a couple boards featuring your own products, but also go ahead and honor other brands/products/ideas that inspire your company. By posting a mix of original content and repinning other posts, you’ll build up a quick following (and increased brand awareness) in this new social media community. And, in this arena, maximum exposure is the name of the game to reach those potential customers.

Already have an account? Follow Kiwi Creative on Pinterest and be sure to check out our board of Kiwi-licious products we love.

Want an invite to Pinterest? Contact us and we’ll hook you up. Or, even better, let Kiwi Creative help you out with a comprehensive social media strategy, including Pinterest.