We are not going to tell you that Pinterest is the “next” web thing.
You already know that.
Everybody is talking about it and people and brands are excited there’s a new kid in town they can play with.
Many of them haven’t done it yet. Some other did.
And there are some lessons we learnt from them.

Before jumping into another “social media” platform, brands should consider HOW they are going to make it. And most important WHY they wanna do it.

1) PINTEREST IS ABOUT VISUAL COMMUNICATION. DO NOT POST BORING TEXT DISGUISED AS IMAGE

One of the reasons why Pinterest is successful is that it’s about scanning and zooming on what we think might be interesting. In a page crowded with stimuli we like, share or zoom on a image.
The reason why we tend to do one of the previous actions is that the image speaks for itself. It’s about a feeling, not an explanation.
Pinterest is much more about branding than selling or giving details. For that you have many other social media options.
And this is even true when it comes to infographics. Do not abuse them.
Keep them funny and short.  


2) DON’T USE BOARDS AS A NAVIGATION MENU FOR YOUR PRODUCTS

Pinterest is not just another clone of your website. As much as you should never crowd your Facebook page with a zillion tabs reflecting your website content tree, you must NEVER create tens of boards to show how rich and convenient your products are.
Again, this place is more about branding, about conveying an allure, about creating a brand identity through a series of visual inputs to people.

3) INTERACT WITH USERS

Pinterest is always a social environment. Interacting with your followers repinning their pins or liking them, increases the chance they will do the same with yours.
As in any social media context, it is vital not to give the idea that beyond the interface there’s more than just a dead monkey sitting at a desk. 


4) IF YOU WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS DO IT THE PROPER WAY

If you want to push some of your products to the market and get people to buy them, pin a cool picture of the product and don’t forget to put the price as a badge or a label on to it.
In the pin description use proper keywords and URLs in order to drive your followers to buy. Create seasonal boards for special time-limited offers.
Envolve people through like-to-save money actions.
You repin my pin? You save 5%.
Try, experiment, involve.

5) BE RELEVANT

Give people what they expect from you.
Content is and will always be king. Visual input you propose to your followers should not go too far from your brand essence but clarify it in the simplest way: through an image.

Follow these simple 5 rules and you are on the way to start making something good out of the new web frenzy.