Pinterest has earned a top rank among today’s most popular social networks, and C. Blohm & Associates gives the site a gold star of approval too. Some of you may be wondering, what’s the buzz really about? What is a ‘pin’? Is this site a waste of time?
This photo-sharing website is not a waste of your time. The Los Angeles Times reports that Pinterest drew 23.7 million unique visitors in February, up from 3.5 million in September, according to research firm Nielsen. Experian Marketing Services ranks Pinterest as the third-most-popular social networking site, behind Facebook and Twitter.
Pinterest is a social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage image collections organized around events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, ‘re-pin’ images to their own compilations, and recommend, or ‘like’, photos. Based on Pinterest’s mission statement, their goal is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting” through the use of a global platform for idea sharing.
According to business intelligence firm RJ Metrics, 17.2% of all pinboards are categorized under Home, followed by Arts and Crafts (12.4%), Style/Fashion (11.7%), Food (10.5%), and Inspiration/Education (9.0%). Of those, food is the fastest-growing category (Source: Mashable.com).
Pinterest is a great resource for businesses. In fact, the site is driving high levels of traffic to retailer websites, and early data indicate that the website is often directly linked to sales. Clearly, there are beneficial effects of strong “pinfluence.”
Having observed the benefits of utilizing Pinterest, we’ve decided to join in the fun! The ISTE 2012 conference is coming up in San Diego this June, so we’re inaugurating an official C. Blohm & Associates Pinterest page with tips and pointers for those planning to attend. Check out http://pinterest.com/cblohmassoc/ for ISTE hotel recommendations, San Diego restaurant suggestions, trade show booth enhancement ideas, ed tech tools for your classroom and so much more!
We look forward to sharing ideas with you. Happy pinning!