Pinterest has taken another step towards monetisation, offering brands a dedicated business profile on its social bookmarking site. The new business site, gives organisations the opportunity to verify their account, add buttons (Pin It, Follow) and widgets (Profile, Board), and receive updates on future products and services.
Additionally, more collaboration will be available to corporations that invite users to pin on their boards.
Promoted pins can be pushed to a business’s website, or its Facebook or Twitter account.
To promote the new business profiles, the site has published case studies, best practices, and guides to show corporations how to inspire people via the platform.
Jetsetter, Allrecipes, Etsy, Organized Interiors, and Petplan Insurance have all provided metrics and explanations on how to successfully use Pinterest to grow customer outreach, drive traffic to websites, and engage advocates.
“Whether it’s Anthropolgie sharing awesome clothes, Whole Foods sharing tasty recipes, the Smithsonian sharing fascinating collections, or Amazon making products easy to pin, many of us have been inspired on Pinterest by businesses,” Pinterest product manager Cat Lee wrote in a blog post introducing new commerce-friendly features and a new business portal.
The social corkboard is throwing its arms open and inviting publications, brands, designers, bloggers, retailers, online merchants, non-profit organisations, institutions, and local businesses to inspire people on Pinterest.
Pinterest also updated its terms of service, cutting its user terms in half, and adding a new section just for businesses, specifically aimed at guiding corporations through the site.
Read the official blog post here