A New Social Media Outlet for Building Product Marketers

New service pinterest.com can help you to use virtual pin boards to showcase your building product brand.

Pinterest.com can be used to build brand recognition, share ideas, research competition and make connections. Voted one of the 50 best websites of 2011 by Time Magazine, Pinterest is a social media site, still in beta development, based on ideas and images. While currently a mostly female demographic, it is gaining popularity among a broader audience.

For the building industry, Pinterest can be a resource for putting products in front of consumers, while they are actively seeking inspiration. Pinterest says, “With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.” And HOME DECOR is one of the top categories for pinboards, people are using this site to find ideas and improvements for their homes.

How it works

Anyone can view pin boards that have been posted to the site. A pin board is a collection of images that can link to source sites. You can view an individual’s board or search to view related images.

To create a pin board for others to view you can either request an invite at Pinterest.com OR leave a comment with your email address and we will invite you.

Also featured is a “pin it” button you can add to your bookmarks bar, which according to Pinterest, “ lets you grab an image from any website and add it to one of your pinboards. When you pin from a website, we automatically grab the source link so we can credit the original creator.”

3 rules for marketers using Pinterest

1. DO use other’s pin boards to research the market.
2. DO use your pin board to show off projects you are proud of and share ideas.
3. DON’T post ads or offers. Anything viewed as self promotion will turn off users and violates Pinterest’s rules of etiquette.

Marketers who are smart about using Pinterest can find it a valuable tool for building brand recognition, sharing ideas, and making connections.

Sources:

• The 50 Best Websites of 2011 – Pinterest.com – Time.com
• Pinterest.com 
• A beginner’s guide to Pinterest – Mashable

Additional Articles:

• Content Marketing and Database Marketing for Building Product Marketers
• Impact of E-mail for Building Products Industry
• 5 Simple Things That Are Hurting Your Building Products Marketing