Virtual billboard: using pinterest in social media marketing.

• Author: Coon, John
• Position: EntrepreneurEdde

Social media can engage the visual senses and no platform does it better than Pinterest. Since launching in 2010, Pinterest has quickly become a social media giant, combining both news and images. Pinterest users love the idea of having their own digital bulletin board where they can pin images to their heart's content.

The platform gained 70 million users within three years of launching and had 30 billion pins as of April, 2014. The rise of Pinterest is evidence that social media is trending in a visual direction as a whole. And that can mean good things for businesses looking to get their products in front of more consumers.

In fact, according to Pinterest, 47 percent of U.S. shoppers made a purchase based on a Pinterest recommendation in March 2014. The average sales order value per purchase from a Pinterest recommendation was $58.95. These numbers represent a $10 higher value per social referral than Facebook. One reason is the visual elements defining Pinterest make it a more natural outlet for shopping than other social media channels.

Catching Eyes

"The big advantage Pinterest has over the over social media players like Facebook and Twitter is their core is visuar says David Mink, CEO of Avalaunch, a Lehi-based marketing firm. "Facebook and Twitter have tried to add more visual elements to stay up with that curve. But Pinterest's core is visual and that's what gives it such a big advantage."

A pin on a Pinterest board, for example, can show a necklace being worn by models in a couple of different outfits. Instead of seeing a stationary necklace with a product description like on a typical website, users can see how the necklace matches their own outfit.

The first step to making a Pinterest board work for your business is to make all aspects of your website visually appealing and pin friendly. Create visuals that are different than what is already out there, and give people a reason to pin images associated to your business and brand. For example, offer project blueprints or do-it-yourself ideas, or show pictures of your product being used in real-world situations or in unique ways.

The goal is to get users to pin these images, making use of Pinterest as a virtual billboard that will catch the eyes of other potential customers. So your role is not so much focused on pinning others' images. "You want to do some of that for...