Pinterest deserves your interest

We’re all familiar with social media’s all-star team: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. But there’s a fifth player to join the team: Pinterest. Pinterest is a way to organize and share content-related images from all over the web. If someone likes what you’ve “pinned,” they can re-pin it. As it gets passed along, the image remains attached to your company’s profile, thereby bringing you brand exposure.

Now, while you may be wondering what a scrapbooking site originally aimed at women seeking out recipes and crafting ideas has to offer a financial-services company, consider this: It is estimated that by 2019, females will make up two-thirds of America’s wealthy individuals. And, so far this year, Pinterest has been the third most used social network in the U.S. If this isn’t enough of a reason to consider adding Pinterest to your social-media marketing plan, here are some additional facts:

• Eighty percent of Pinterest users are women, while 50 percent have children. Pinterest gives advisors access to this underserved market.
• Twenty-eight percent of Pinterest users have an annual household income of $100,000 or more. These users have assets that need managing.
• More than one-fifth of Facebook-connected users (2 million-plus members) visit Pinterest daily. These users are engaged with multiple social-media platforms and have made social media a part of their lifestyles.
• Pinterest reached 10 million unique visitors per month faster than any independent site in history. As Pinterest grows, businesses will figure out new ways to use it to their advantage.
• Twenty-five percent of the Fortune Global 100 has Pinterest accounts.

So now that you know more about Pinterest, here are some ways you can use it to build your business:

• Get visual. Infographs make financial information more engaging to look at.
• Share your interests. Pinterest allows users to connect with one another on the level of shared hobbies, aspirations and values. Consider pinning an image you like. Or perhaps others would enjoy a quotation you found inspiring.
• Show the “ideal” retirement. Users pin pictures of the lifestyles they aspire to. Write a story for your prospect using images from around the web to illustrate it. 
• Show your personality. Share the inner workings of your office. Did someone bake cookies for the staff? Does your business help a charity? Have a board dedicated to your favorite cause.
• Conduct market research. Just like Facebook, a business account allows you to track pins and usage through analytics.

The best way to get started with something new is to dive right in. Pinterest will help you grow your online presence and establish your brand. And you might even find something delicious to make for dinner while you’re at it.