What's the point of pinning?
By: Heather Sawaski
Updated: March 14, 2012
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - We already "friend" on Facebook and "tweet" on Twitter, but a new social media site is bringing new meaning to putting pins on a board.
Jennifer Naze has only been pinning for about a month, but Pinterest has quickly become one of her popular past times.
"I got my invite," Naze said. "The next thing I knew, I was doing home decor, party planning and styling. It was great."
The online pin board is like a virtual post-it." Find a picture you like, and pin it to a category you've already created. Naze said it's all about the ability to visually organize your interests.
"These are books that I want to read, or these are projects that I want to do," explained Naze. "Or just the ideas factor in it, and being able to visually see the idea versus coming up with it in your head."
The website has exploded on the social media scene. With more than 10 million monthly visitors, Pinterest is now one of the fastest growing sites in history.
A lot of businesses are also finding the website useful, and a local agency is helping some get logged on. Marketing Savant assists businesses with setting up social media accounts. President Dana VanDen Heuvel said Pinterest is peaking the interest of a lot of clients.
"What a lot of businesses will do, quite simply, is they'll set up an account in Pinterest, and they'll create a set of pin boards that are just groupings of pictures that align with how businesses run well and how they might display products," VanDen Heuvel explained.
He said the site is such a great marketing tool, his office has written an e-book with tips on how to use it to its full potential.
"It goes through everything from how to get started to what the more advanced users want, like how to run contests and promotions," explained VanDen Heuvel. "Really how to use Pinterest for the business."
So whether you're looking for a leg up in the business world, or a mother of three planning your child's birthday party, pinning can become a passion.
"It's hard to pull yourself out once you're in it," said Naze.
Naze is the Community Development Manager at Rasmussen College in Green Bay. She said the school is also on Pinterest, and pins things like study tips and research articles for students.







