What is Pinterest?

It seems the travel world is going MAD about Pinterest – a new social media platform which lets people create a virtual ‘pinboard’ of all things they have found and love on the web. What’s more, true to social media form, Pinterest users can browse pinboards created by other people – share ideas and get inspiration from people with similar interests.

Great! I bet you’re thinking… “We’ve already invested in a website, Facebook account, we try to tweet every now again. Now you’re telling me we need to invest in another social media platform!”

No, we’re not. But as social media consultants for a growing number of travel companies, it’s important that we keep you up to date. The truth is, if Pinterest catches on in the UK like it has in the US, you might well see your competitors gaining competitive advantage by adopting the technology early.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is essentially a bookmarking service which allows uses to organise and share pins (images) which they find online. By using a ‘Pin It’ button which is installed in the browser, the image is simply pinned to your pinboard. Each pin links back to the website it came from.

Forward looking website owners are now adding the ‘Pin’ icon to their sites alongside Twitter and Facebook icons.  Once signed up to Pinterest, you can search for other pinboards which have been created by being with similar interests and ‘re-pin’ items on your own pinboard.  Like Twitter, you can also ‘follow’ specific boards.

So why is the travel sector so excited about about Pinterest?

Unlike Facebook and Twitter which largely focuses on people’s lives here and now, Pinterest provides a platform for people to plan ahead – to formulate their aspirations for the future. In the travel sector, this is particularly interesting because it gives travel businesses the opportunity to connect with potential new clients in a different way. For example, someone pins a photo of New York to their pinboard and states they are planning to go there next year.

Although in its infancy in the UK, Pinterest has grown rapidly in the US. Launched in March 2010, the site surpassed 400 million page views in October 2012. Pinterest has become the third larges social media network in the US. So, we will watch this space with interest. Pinterest boards are an excellent way of showcasing travel products in a really clean, easy to navigate way.