If you have hesitated when it comes to using Pinterest within your business, recent statistics prove this social media powerhouse is worth a second look. With over 11 million active users, Pinterest has drawn a larger crowd in a shorter amount of time than any other social network.
photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina} via photopin cc
Often referred to as a virtual pin board, the visual eye candy found on Pinterest can be leveraged by businesses to collaborate, elaborate and engage within a private space. So what exactly are they and how can you put them to work in your business?
The Skinny on Pinterest Secret Boards
Simply put, Pinterest secret boards allow users to create boards (think bucket or category of content) and then share those boards with users invited to view or pin.
According to Evret Milam on Pinterest’s official blog, “When you add a pin to a secret board, it won’t show up anywhere else on Pinterest – the only place you can see it is on your secret board.” While Milam suggests you can use secret boards to keep track of holiday gifts or plan a special event such as a wedding, working these boards into your business is where the real magic for marketers begins.
3 Ways to use Pinterest in Your Business
1. Collaborate With Your Team
Add team members to your secret board and easily collaborate on any new project.
Planning an upcoming business conference? Use a secret board to pin everything from room decor to content ideas. Pin articles from your blog or website that will be repurposed for handouts, flyers or slideshows.
Each team member will be notified as new content is added, allowing for better communication and easier status updates on the progress of your event.
2. Curate Content
Do you find yourself spending hours of your valuable time curating content for social media purposes? Pinterest secret boards are a very effective way to save that content in one easy to find location for use at a later date.
Need an article on blogging for your Facebook business page? Pin the article you just finished reading to your secret board so you can effortlessly grab and post that article when the timing is right.
If you find that you post images often, Pinterest is an unbelievable resource no matter what the subject. Whether you are looking for home decor or social media Infographics, there is a wealth of information right at your fingertips within Pinterest.
3. Research Your Consumer
Offering exceptional, personalized service to clients should be at the core of any business plan. Research your niche or industry and pay attention to what consumers are pinning. What content is resonating with them and what needs or wants could your product or service possibly meet?
You can also use secret boards to collect ideas for e-books, special reports or upcoming blog posts that answer consumer frequently asked questions or ideas to reward your valued customers. The sky really is the limit when it comes to using Pinterest secret boards!
So do you see yourself using this nifty little feature going forward? I would love to hear how you plan on or are using them within your business now!
@rebekahradice
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Excellent, Rebekah! I will head right over to Pinterest and create some secret boards, both for personal use and for blog ideas!
Thank you Anna! I love secret boards!
Hey Rebekah, some great ideas for using secret Pinterest boards, yes, that has fueled my imagination!
Awesome – I'm so glad to hear it!!
Hi Rebekah
Great Post! about Pinterest..Pinterest is the best way to increase online business.. thanks For this Great tips :)
Mosam
Thank you Mosam! I do agree that Pinterest is a great way to drive business to your additional online properties.
Hi. I’m not trying to be a spoil sport but a secret board is still up there in Pinterest land. How are we to be sure that they won’t change their privacy settings in the future? We know Facebook keep moving the goalposts…. I’d be worried to recommend businesses use secret boards for working out projects as we truly don’t know how secret these items really are.
Anything you post on a social media site is social. You’re better off using an old fashioned chalk or whiteboard in the actual office itself.
Just sayin!
Abby
Thanks for providing very effective three ways. Pinterest is one of the best fastest growing social media site and I'm looking forward to use their popularity to make my business grow up.
there are so many uses for Pinterest we have been thinking of using it as well to get people to upload pictures of their properties , we think it might be a good idea