Pinterest cosies up to companies with new dedicated business pages

16 Nov 2012

Image via the Pinterest blog

Thousands of businesses are already using Pinterest and for some the pinning community is ideal for engagement with their target market. To help businesses do more on Pinterest, and to encourage more companies to sign up, the network has launched a dedicated Pinterest for Business service.

Brands that do well on Pinterest provide what the community shares most: recipes, fashion, and crafts. That said, a wide range of products are pinned and repinned across the site, and for some businesses this is not a platform to ignore.

Notable businesses that have really found their niche on Pinterest are Anthropologie, Whole Foods, Etsy, Allrecipes and ModCloth. Case studies of some of these and others are provided on the new Pinterest for Business site, as well as best practices, guides and documentation to help businesses navigate the Pinterest landscape.

Business owners can sign up to Pinterest and start a business account or convert an existing account via the new site.

So far, the main difference between new business pages and regular Pinterest profiles is a different terms of service. The one for regular users has been cut down and written in simplified language with ‘translations’ provided for the legalese used, and a new version for businesses, including guidance on how to use Pinterest as a company or brand, has also been established.

Though there is promise of upcoming features to provide more powerful ways of reaching and understanding Pinterest users, Pinterest for Business offers little more than guidance at the moment. However, the site’s e-commerce potential has long been noted and this could be the beginning of something that could truly disrupt this industry.

Elaine Burke is the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. She was previously the editor of Silicon Republic.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com