12 Most Smart Business Uses for Pinterest

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The instantly addictive Pinterest isn’t just for comparing fabric swatches, planning weddings, and cataloging your favorite wines — although those are all excellent things to use the new social media bulletin board for. It has some very practical business applications as well.

Items can be “pinned” from existing websites, or uploaded directly from your computer.

1. Portfolio

If you’re not ready to drop a few thousand dollars on a custom website, or you’re too busy to set up and maintain a free one, you can build a portfolio of your work in about three seconds per image.

2. Inspiration

What are the best in the field doing? How does your work stack up? Need an idea starter? Pinterest isn’t for copying other people’s work, but it is inspiring.

3. Specifications

Can’t figure out how to tell your graphic designer what style you’re looking for? Grab some examples and send them on. Put in a search term like “sofa” and you’ll find just the right seating for your new office. Send the board to the office furniture vendor with a note: “I’m looking for something like this.”

4. Project management

Have the members of your team post their ideas to a Pinterest board; sort of a new version of “let’s throw it against a wall and see what sticks.”

5. Crowdsourcing

Post your own sketches and see who wants to do the work; interested vendors can pin their ideas to the board and you can compare.

6. Recognition

Show your staff how great they are; pin their accomplishments to a board and the whole world can know about it.

7. Organization

Bookmark, shmookmark. Pinterest is far more interesting and easy to peruse.

8. Archiving

Got some content that is old, but you don’t want to lose it? Pin it, and it’ll be there even if you drop your laptop in the pool.

9. Feedback

If you have an idea but you’re not sure it makes sense, put it up on Pinterest.

10. Copyright

The “poor man’s copyright” used to be done by mailing your work to yourself registered mail, without opening it. Post something on Pinterest and show the world it is yours. Will it hold up in court? You’d have to ask a lawyer, but it might keep potential thieves off your stuff.

11. CYA

This is similar to copyrighting, internally. If you’re tired of the guy in the next cube claiming he thought of it first, show him your pinterest board.

12. Research

What’s the competition up to? Pin it. Look for trends.

To get started on Pinterest you just need an invitation to join, either from Pinterest or from a friend who’s using it. Put the little “Pin it” icon on your toolbar, and start pinning. If you want collaboration on a board, be sure to click so contributors can add things. And watch the sharing begin…

Have you found other business purposes for Pinterest?

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Featured photo courtesy of by {maira.gall} via Creative Commons.

Kim Phillips

http://www.getlucid.net/blog/

Kim Phillips is the founder of Lucid Marketing and author of the "Lucid at Random" blog.  With over 30 years of experience in corporate advertising for a major financial institution, sales and marketing, Kim provides clients with marketing communication strategies, branding, content management and creative services.  She is a teacher and speaker, and she finds time for musings and the occasional rant on her personal blog.  You can connect with Kim on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.