It seems the world is “stuck” on Pinterest. The social media giant, according to a recent Shareaholic study, is driving more referral traffic than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+, combined. It is also offering companies a way to engage audiences using visually-compelling content, in a way other social media networks have not yet been able to master.

Pinterest has great potential for marketing and should not be ignored by the B2B world. Though the B2B concentration on Pinterest is currently dominated by creative industries (architecture, interior design, lighting, etc.), it is expanding rapidly and should be explored by all. Though your client’s industry may not have visually compelling content readily available, there is an opportunity to develop content with shareability in mind.

That presents the question, “Where should B2B marketers start?” I’ve identified a few points below that can serve as an outline for exploration.

1. Determine what content would be beneficial to push out to networks on Pinterest. One of the best features of the network is that it is easily navigated and can serve as a rich research tool to explore what types of products are trending and what type of products have marketing potential. It’s also helpful to explore what type of content is being shared and what type of content can be used to better engage your client’s audience. Once you’ve determined this, as Karlie Justus notes in 4 Reasons For B2B Marketers to Explore Pinterest, Pinterest enables you to push out content on your own time, without the need to constantly update a brand page.
2. Create idea-driven or product-specific pin boards. For instance, a client that specializes in lighting may choose to have one pin board dedicated to commercial lighting for the workplace, another for commercial lighting in hospitals and another for commercial lighting in restaurants. That same company could then create numerous boards for residential lighting, each driven by a different theme or idea (dream kitchens, children’s rooms, etc.) relating back to ideas and products from their own website. Additionally, a client that specializes in access equipment might choose to create a pin board dedicated to compelling images of their products used in rescue situations. This is important because it not only showcases the products, it also showcases engaging content with shareability in mind.
3. Pin. Once you have pin boards set up, pin, pin, pin. Note that items you can pin are not limited to photos. Explore the pinning of infographics, representations of e-books and even videos. Pinterest has a special section just for pinned videos. According to Beth Hayden’s recent blog, 56 Ways to market Your Business on Pinterest there are fewer videos than images on Pinterest at this point, so it’s an easy way distinguish yourself. Any YouTube video is easy to pin.
4. Boost your SEO. Using the “Pin It” taskbar button, Pinterest allows you to create inbound links that can drive direct traffic to client websites, which can provide an SEO boost. It’s important to remember that content pinned should always be pinned from, and therefore directing traffic to, the client website. If you have visually-compelling content readily available on a client website, this is easy. If you don’t have visually-compelling material available, consider creating a blog on the client website to act as a home to this new material. It’s also particularly beneficial as a content marketing tactic, for example, a common practice might be pinning photos from case studies to product-specific boards.
5. Tag other Pinterest users in your descriptions by using @username. According to Hayden, this enables you to connect with other professionals (and customers) in the field. This is also a feature that is used less frequently by the Pinterest community, so it’s a great way to build a following and stand out.

Once you’ve begun exploring Pinterest, the possibilities are endless. Although it may not be a perfect fit for every company or client, the online pin board is a social media outlet like we’ve never seen. It also presents an opportunity to create engaging content and is enabling users to connect in a way we never thought possible. It’s rich, meaningful and above all, gives users a much needed break from the chatter. I’m stuck on it. Will you be?