“You!”

“Who me?”

“Yes, you.”

“What did I do?”

“My wife is on the computer all day now because of you. I can’t get her off.”

I’ve had this conversation with a few men after I introduced their wives to the fabulous world of Pinterest. Conversations such as this occurred so often that my husband, Sam, semi-jokingly forbade me from speaking to more women about it. I abstained for a bit, but caved in and naturally started sharing my new-found fun with everyone, with a disclaimer, “Don’t tell Sam I told you.”

At first, I felt a little guilty because I was the source of many women’s addictions to Pinterest. They were stuck on Pinterest instead of picking up their houses or paying attention to important things in life, but then I realized that I was improving these women’s lives indirectly. They started wanting to make their house look better, dress cuter, and be better organizers. Addictions can be a good thing, right?

Marketing on Pinterest

Well, enough of my bantering. Let’s get on to the good stuff. Promoting your company on Pinterest. First, keep in mind that Pinterest appeals to the female demographic. Why? Well there are thousands of reasons, and I’m not going to explain them all. Second, according to appdata Pinterest has over 11 million monthly active users.  Since I am a woman who regularly uses Pinterest, listen up. If you have a product that you feel women would love, then start thinking of ways you can “pin” a picture up on Pinterest. Oh, and if you don’t know how to use Pinterest, or even what it is, I suggest you read “Everything You Need to Know about Pinterest.”

Remember, the most repinned pins are those that contain specific qualities. So, get those creative juices flowing and start thinking of ways you can apply this to your company.

List of qualities necessary for marketing on Pinterest:

1. Pictures that explain themselves clearly.
2. A simple statement to clarify what the picture is.

Here’s an example of what a popular pin looks like:

All right, now that we have that out of the way, here is a list of categories that are popular on Pinterest. As you go through them, think about how you can fit your company’s products into these categories.

1. Tips and tricks about pretty much anything.
2. How-to’s.
3. Fashion/Style.
4. What people want in their future home.
5. Places to travel to.
6. Quotes.
7. Cute pictures of animals.

Overall, there can be a category for pretty much anything, but these are the more popular ones that I have seen in the last six months or so. Here are more categories: art, fitness, books, movies, home decor, organization tips, date night ideas and cars. You name it and there is probably someone on Pinterest who has a board for it. Here are a few ways that different companies have used Pinterest to market:

If you are a company that is interested in tapping into Pinterest as a means for promoting your brand, keep in mind these popular categories and start figuring out ways to creatively market yourself. Market your pins discretely, no one wants to think that they are promoting a company indirectly. They just like pinning things that “define” what they like, want, or need.

I’ll leave it up to you to figure out how to use Pinterest to market, but if you have questions, I’m happy to answer them. Remember, it will take time to gain followers. Work at it, pin up relevant images and happy day when your pins start driving leads to your company. If you get addicted to Pinterest, just remember, it’s not my fault.