I’ve Got a Golden ‘Pinterest’ Ticket

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about this new social media program called Pinterest. I heard people talking about it and had even seen a few of my friend’s connecting to the site on Facebook. Then I started seeing articles about it on several of the social media sites that I follow. BUT when I read a post from Spin Sucks called The Pinterest Debate Between Two Friends, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to get over there and see what all this talk was about.

The minute I clicked over to see those beautiful images arranged like storyboards on my screen, I was hooked. Holy crap, I said, I need to get on this thing. What struck me first was that instead of filling out a simple form to set up an account with an email and password, I had to submit my information for an invite. So I filled it out and I waited … and waited … and waited.

After the first full day of not getting my invite, I did some research on this latest social media craze. First I found out what Pinterest really was and how it worked. Pinterest is an online program that allows you to collect and display the images you find on the web or on other boards and ‘pin’ them to your boards. You set up your boards based on your interests and what inspires your life. My friend Beth told me that she was using Pinterest to help plan her son’s wedding with her future daughter-in-law by looking at bridesmaid dresses, decorations and flower arrangements.

More days passed that week and still no invite. I even asked Beth my-wedding-planner-friend to send me an invite due to the search that I ran called ‘how long does it take to get my Pinterest invite?’ I had read that it can take up to at least a week to get your invite but if you ask a member to personally invite you, you’ll get it faster.

I kept waiting and continued to learn more about Pinterest. I found out that the majority of the users are females aged anywhere from 18 – 54. It’s another opportunity to connect with that target market and I could see how this would work for my clients … if I could only get in! (By that time, I was talking in italics whenever I mentioned Pinterest)

And then it came … my invitation arrived on a Sunday. I couldn’t even wait to get into my office on Monday to log on. As I turned on my laptop, I felt like Charlie going to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The words came to my mouth and I started to sing out loud:

”Cause I’ve got a golden ticket
I’ve got a golden chance to make my way
And with a golden tickkkkeeeetttt, it’s a golden daaaayyyyy”

With my account set up and boards created, I walked through the gates with Willy Wonka. I stared with an open mouth as I moved past the halls, went through the door and there it was – just like the movie – that great big room where ‘you can even eat the dishes.’ I couldn’t get enough and I swear I might have seen something that looked like a chocolate river.

After spending WAY too much time then I should have on the site, my marketing genes kicked in. I started to wonder how these companies that I was reading about were going to interact with me since I am their target audience. I don’t want to turn this post into a breakdown of which company is on Pinterest and how they’re using it. There are about a dozen good articles out there already like this one,7 Examples of Brands That Pop on Pinterest, that can give you more specific uses for my latest obsession.

I like to do things differently and if you haven’t figured that out by now, this will be the post that takes you down the social media marketing path with me. Since I’m a part of this target audience, I’ve decided to run a case study on myself to see if Pinterest really works. I’ve started following the boards of the top brands on Pinterest so I can see what they’re doing right and how they’re using Pinterest to extend their brand.

Follow me on Pinterest and stay tuned to follow the case study to see if this is just a fad or if its a new way for marketing folks to reach the female target audience.

Are you on Pinterest? Share in the comments what you think of this new form of engagement.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dereklakin/5483454646/sizes/l/in/photostream/