The ultimate guide to.… Michael
Litman February 2012

Contents What I’m going to
cover…. How the idea came about What’s the big deal? Stats, facts and demographics Getting started What are people pinning? It’s not just imagery Some of the more unusual uses What else can I do? Which brands are using it? How are they? Pinning on the move Extending the experience off platform Key take-outs Contact

How the idea came about
And why Pinterest now exists…. "I was always collecting images on the web in folders on the desktop of my computer, but it wasn’t a very good system for remembering where things came from or who made them. We wanted to create a place where you can go to upload or collect things on the web and simply organize it the way you want to.” Evan Sharp, Pinterest Co-Founder and Designer

Sounds good. So what is
it? And what can I do on Pinterest? Pinterest is a content curation platform which allows users to organize and share beautiful and interesting content they find on the web. Think of it as a bookmarking site, a social network, a gift finder and a platform for collaboration all rolled in to one. Content is organised in “Boards” that work as categories. Each piece of content is called a “Pin” (see right). People can ‘like’ your pins or they can “repin” them on to their boards, comment on them and share on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow people and they can follow you. Or you can just follow a particular board of theirs rather than following all back.

But don’t just take my
word for it.… 5

It became the fastest website
ever to hit 10m unique users And let’s not forget, it still remains invite only….

Ok, I get it. But
what’s the big deal? And it’s only just starting to explode….

Ok, I get it. But
what’s the big deal? Some of the headlines…. 17-Feb-12

Pinterest is driving more referral
traffic than…. YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn and Reddit combined!

And more time is already
spent on it than many of the big players According to research from Comscore…. Source: RJ Metrics

Who are the industries driving
the most traffic to Pinterest? Top 5: Social, search, entertainment, shopping and lifestyle…. Source: Hitwise

What about user demographics? Who
use it, where are they from and what are they using it for?

Where are they from? Comparing
US to UK…. USA United 12,000,000 Kingdom Unique Users 200,000 Unique Users Source: visual.ly

Who is using it? Comparing
the US to UK Mostly female in the US but it’s a different story in the UK…. Source: visual.ly

How old are they? An
older audience than you’d think. Largely 25-44 years old…. Source: visual.ly

What are they interested in?
Comparing US to the UK…. Source: visual.ly

UK users are more business
centric (and cash rich) Significantly more so when compared to USA user data…. Source: visual.ly

How are people pinning? Largely
through repinning others content, followed by through the browser button…. Pins by Method Source: RJ Metrics

I’ve seen enough stats, how
do I get started?

Well, it’s still invite only
So you need someone to hook you up….

What does a user profile
look like? Your boards are of all the things that (P)interest you….

What are people pinning? Everything
from….

What are people pinning? To
Nathan and Mikinzie noting recipes they want to try.…

What are people pinning? To
places Rose wants to visit around the world….

What are people pinning? To
inspiration for the home by Anna.…

What are people pinning? To
what magazine covers Andrea likes the best….

What are people pinning? To
cool furniture that Rosie has found on the web….

What are people pinning? To
what are Ben and his friends favourite iPhone apps….

What are people pinning? To
the books that Justin likes the most….

But it’s not just imagery
You can pin video too….

And there’s a video section
on the homepage So you can check them all out there….

You could even use it
for your CV Now there’s a novel approach to getting hired….

Or to adopt a dog
But maybe cat’s are more your thing? Worry not….

Or even find out which
animals are endangered Raising awareness and knowledge about wildlife….

And even ‘Zuck’ just signed
up To have a harmless nose about….? Source: visual.ly

Alright, alright. I get it.
What else is there? (You’re hard to please aren’t you)….

Create a collaborative board Where
you and others can ‘pin’ content too…. 37

Showcase your products (and importantly,
their prices) Pinterest is establishing itself as a huge traffic driver for online retail…. 17-Feb-12

And you can also browse
for gifts too Along with being able to filter by price….

Find out who has pinned
your website content Insert your website URL after /source. You might be surprised….

Of course, the question you’re
all wondering is.…

What brands are using Pinterest?
Here’s just a few. Can you guess them all….? 17-Feb-12 42

How are they using Pinterest?
Here are a cross section from many different industries illustrating the platforms breadth

General Electric Pinning things that
inspire them as a business through quotes, objects and #contests

Etsy One of the most
followed brands, huge variety of boards conveying their personality

TIME Magazine Re-inventing the magazine
itself through a series of boards….

Travel Channel Providing visual inspiration
on where to book that all important next holiday….

GAP Showcasing popular products, gift
guides, new collections, icons and inspirations….

Unicef Showcasing everything from posters
and stamps, to how they help children….

Whole Foods Everything from kitchens
and edible art to food gadgets, gifts and winter fave’s….

Wall St Journal Showcasing front
pages, food, travel, design, sports, fashion and much more….

Wall Street Journal (contd.) Using
Pinterest to show a behind the scenes look at New York Fashion Week

Anything else? I’m glad you
asked. Here’s a few things you can do off site….

You can ‘pin’ wherever you
are With the iPhone app….

Here’s a few ways to
extend your enjoyment (and content reach) Bookmarklets and buttons for easy ‘pinning’, ‘follow’ links for easier discovery….

10 key take-outs In summary….
Pinterest is a visual content curation platform with a ton more to boot It’s a huge traffic driver for brands, retail, travel, charities, news & more Build your brand out of its specific sector by sharing interesting and relevant content, creating engagement Ensure that the visual content on your site is ‘pinnable’ Videos hosted on Vimeo currently can’t be pinned, but YouTube works Use collaborative boards as ways of bringing people together internally or for client projects Add your products (with their prices) to drive awareness and social currency You don’t have to follow everyone, just their boards which interest you the most Add buttons and sharing functionality to your browser / shop / website / blog It can get madly addictive. Enjoy the ride

Thanks for reading! I hope
you enjoyed…. You can find me on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/litmanlive I’m Head of Engagement at 9010 Group, an open business consultancy and Editor of SocialMediaCouncil.EU If you want to find out more about what we do, get in touch at mike@ninety10group.com And of course, let me know what you think! 57