Pinterest: An Introduction

Pinterest… Going for world domination? Maybe not; but it is good for business.

It’s a well known fact that social media is where the future lies. By 2014 we’re expected to see real-time messaging overtake the traditional email. LinkedIn has recently hit over 150 million users and people are spending an hour a day, on average, using Facebook. Social media is a rapidly growing phenomenon and it shows no signs of slowing down.

For businesses this poses fantastic opportunities. Being able to access vast audiences for free and with minimal effort carries huge potential for any company. Those who feel that certain networking sites can’t benefit their business are missing the point. Social media is about humanising the brand. It relies on building engaged communities and generating content for the purpose of interacting with people. It’s not about the hard sell of products. The idea is to encourage followers to develop an emotional attachment to your brand and, in effect, become brand ambassadors themselves.

The latest social media giant ‘to enter the ring’ is the visually enticing Pinterest. The site allows users to pin images off the web onto virtual pin boards. Content is then shared between followers, with a link attaching it to the source. A recent study has suggested Pinterest to be driving more traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. Statistics, such as this, have sparked serious interest from marketers and media experts looking to capitalise on the sites upward success.

Initially, it could be perceived that Pinterest isn’t compatible for B2B companies. This is generally down to a lack of visual content. Fashion houses, food companies and interior designers are typically image-centric, so find it easy adapting to the platform. For industries, such as, online recruitment, however, it can be more difficult. This is not to say that it can’t be done, or that it’s not worth doing.

Companies who adapt early are in a position to be regarded as industry thought leaders. It’s a case of ‘do or die’ with social media; businesses which don’t adapt may struggle to compete in the future. webrecruit saw the potential with LinkedIn back in 2009. Today they boast a group of over 76,000 members, a phenomenal feat. Likewise, with Pinterest, webrecruit has taken the initiative and proved that even online recruitment can utilise the medium effectively.

Boards include one that is dedicated to visual CVs. Being aesthetically pleasing they are well suited to Pinterest, whilst also tying in nicely with webrecruit’s ethos. It especially appeals to those involved with graphic design, so immediately a new audience has been targeted.

Another board is titled ‘Meet the webrecruit team’, which showcases photos of all the staff. This is effective at personalising the brand and making the company appear more accessible. ‘Helpful Advice for Job Seekers’ serves to provide candidates with expert advice. It also has the potential to drive high levels of referral traffic, as all the blogs are linked back to the website.

With a little creative flair and a touch of ingenuity, there’s no reason why any business can’t set up on Pinterest. Check out webrecruit at http://pinterest.com/webrecruit/.