I am a Pinterest addict both personally and professionally. I do believe it will be THE social media tool of 2012 as it is fun, visually appealing and, of course, addicting. I think Pinterest can and should be used for marketing purposes, but it is a trickier social media platform to master from a marketing standpoint. On Facebook and Twitter most of the content posted is directly brand-related, but on Pinterest brands must be more broad and appeal to certain audience segments or industry categories, rather than simply stick to content directly related to their brand.

To have a strong presence on any social media platform requires providing high quality, interesting content and responding to the wants and needs of the audience. Even though Pinterest is very visual, the descriptions and links associated with each pin are important – and should be used strategically to start conversations, explain features and encourage clicks back to your website. Lately I’ve been recommending Pinterest to several clients that already have a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest will allow them to extend their brand awareness and provide a new vehicle – visual marketing.

For instance…I recommended that a female fitness brand connect with individuals in their target audience (female fitness fanatics) by cultivating a curated collection of health & fitness-related pins and boards. Rather than pinning just their products, I recommended pinning a mix of products, workouts, attire, etc. and be the go-to fitness brand to follow on Pinterest. Their boards would include: “Motivational Quotes,” “Workouts,” “Fitness Gear,” “My Gym Bag,” etc. that appeal to workout junkies. Women on Pinterest love to follow and re-pin health and fitness photos, products and anything motivational, so the platform could help connect with brand ambassadors and spread brand awareness.