"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." If I had one phrase to give as advice to new "pinners," that would be it.

While I know you would never stand up on the table at a private dinner party and throw your business cards all over the guests, table, and floor, there are many marketers who essentially do just that in the realm of social media.  To avoid a Pinterest faux-pas, learn some basic Pinterest Etiquette.

1. Sustain the ambience. Pinterest is like a virtual brainstorming session. It's a place where users go to unwind, collect, organize and share ideas. Be mindful of other creative minds working and learn to blend and mingle. Interpreted: Pin others' ideas way more than your own. You'll soon build a following and establish essential credibility, making your pins reach an even wider audience.

2. Pin tastefully. While most pins are appreciated, some are offensive. When Pinterest recently announced an upcoming upgrade on a blog post, the comments revealed an overwhelming amount of requests for filters. Many users said they wanted to be able to browse Pinterest with children present and even to let their children use it without fear of seeing things they shouldn't. Pin with all viewers in mind.

3. Think visually. A blogger may be tempted to post any picture just to get more traffic, but Pinterest is mostly about images -- not articles or lengthy blog posts. Design or hire a web designer to create visually stunning images that can both stand alone (for the casual Pinterest browser) and that also inspire pinners to click through and engage in your content. One of the most popular ways to engage visual users is through infographics.

Pinterest is currently in beta and requires an email invitation to join. If you would like an invitation or want to learn how Zoetic Freelance can help you promote your brand through Pinterest, email me at Kristen@zoetical.com.

Part Three | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Science of Sharing
Part One | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Power of Pictures

Pinterest -- a rather new online start-up (and founded by a Des Moines, Iowa native, my fellow Iowa friends) is taking the social media world by storm, further pushing marketers to think more visually than verbally. For those outside the Pinterest world or who perhaps are just window-peeking, here are just a few things about Pinterest you should know.

Q: What is Pinterest?
A: Pinterest is an online social bulletin board, allowing users to collect their favorite ideas all over the internet and "pin" them to an appropriate categorical board, such as "Recipes to Try" and "Favorite Artists" and "Inspiration."

Q: How does Pinterest work?
A. A user first installs Pinterest to her Internet toolbar. When she visits a blog or a website and sees something she likes, she simply clicks "Pin to Pinterest" and will see a display of all the images available upon that particular webpage. She chooses the image she likes and attaches it to her pinboard. Her followers can then see her "pin" and can "repin" it to one of their boards if they like. (Incidentally, according to ReadWriteWeb, there are already some users with 20,000 followers.)

Q: Who uses Pinterest?
A: Currently the overwhelming amount of Pinterest users are females and the pinning phenomenon seems to be spreading primarily through WAHM (work at home mom) blogs and crafters.  The platform is still young and will likely spread to other visually-oriented users soon. However, since women account for 85% of consumer purchases, this is not a demographic to take lightly.

Q: What types of business should use Pinterest?
A. If you are a business that sells anything visually appealing, you should consider Pinterest. Also, if you blog frequently using images or infographics, you should consider Pinterest.

Q: What are Pinterest Marketing Best Practices?
A. If you're seeing dollar signs just now and have already started a Pinterest account in another browser tab, you may want take a deep breath and "eMuse" just a while longer. There are some things you definitely don't want to do on Pinterest and those things could bring more harm than good. 

Pinterest is currently in beta and requires an email invitation to join. If you would like an invitation or want to learn how Zoetic Freelance can help you promote your brand through Pinterest, email me at Kristen@zoetical.com.

Part Two | Pinterest Marketing 101: Pinterest Marketing Best Practices
Part Three | Pinterest Marketing 101: The Science of Sharing