One of the newest social media platforms to hit the scene, Pinterest has been growing by leaps and bounds since it launched a little over two years ago. Pinterest lets you create virtual pinboards for anything you come across on the web. It can also be a great place to share your work and find inspiration.
I use Pinterest as a way to replace bookmarking websites and saving images to my computer. I have pinboards for things like "Color Combos" that I come across and can refer to later. I've also started a board for "Small Business Resources" so I'm no longer having to remember good articles or sites I've discovered.
Don't be afraid to pin your own work, but don't go overboard. From time to time, I pin images of my own products, well aware that it would be annoying for people who follow my boards to only see images my own work or to pin it all at once. I make sure to use a descriptive caption that includes what the product is and my company name. The best part about Pinterest is that when you click-through on any pinned image it sends you to the original source, so if someone likes what they see, they'll be redirected to my site.
Post high quality images. What makes you re-pin someone else's pinned image? Usually it's because a) you like it and b) it's a great, clear image! People typically only see thumbnail-sized images on Pinterest before they click on them, so if you are going to pin your own work, pick great images where your product is front and center.
Do a little research. Want to know if other people are pinning directly from your website? Here's a trick - go to the URL http://pinterest.com/source/happycactusdesigns.com (enter your web address at the end in place of mine) and you can see who is pinning what. It's an interesting way to see what people are attracted to and what boards they are pinning your products to.
