Since July 2012, Pinterest has accumulated 14.9 million users and is the third most popular social network in the world making it the ‘one to watch’ in social media for 2013.

New statistics just this month showed that Pinterest has raised $200 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. Furthermore, a study published by recent centre Pew, suggested that Pinterest’s phenomenal growth would see it coming in as the second biggest social media network after Facebook – kicking Twitter from second place.

So what is it about Pinterest that differs from Facebook and Twitter? Considering it retains and engages its users 2-3 times more than Twitter, quite a lot. With its’ efficient and user-friendly online presence, web traffic interaction and fresh design, the Pinterest look is being mimicked by heavy-weight internet sensations MySpace and EBay.

The successful businesses of Pinterest have visual media that is not only interesting, but also works to increase brand awareness. Successful boards are generally food, interior or fashion-related, fashion-forward, creative, innovative and most importantly, visual. If your business can find a way to showcase these elements as well as their overall brand message, you will be ‘Pinteresting’ in no time.

The number one benefit of Pinterest is the traffic and traffic referral. Third-party measurement company Shareaholic found that Pinterest referred more traffic to sites than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. Why is this? Because Pinterest has content that keeps you coming back. Once users start to pin something, they find themselves spending hours (days) putting your pin collection together. It’s this obsession users develop with Pinterest that businesses can leverage off to create a visually dynamic platform for consumers that can end up translating into sales.

This year, we predict more clients will be incorporating Pinterest into their overall marketing plans. Pinterest has proven its worth in a very short period of time – watch this space for more on Pinterest!

15 Years of Fame