Pinterest Opens Up

On Thursday of last week, Pinterest officially opened its doors -- putting an end to its referral-only model (remember the gmail beta?) and enticing any and all potential users to open an account. Pinterest has grown rapidly from it's inception and generated as much as 4x the revenue per click than sites like facebook and twitter, but it has its limitations. First of all, Pinterest as it now stands, has a specific quality in that most if its members are women and located in the middle of the country. This target wont work for a majority of brands, though it may for some. But for Pinterest to gain wide level relevance, it's going to have to expand its user base -- and in doing so, it might lose it's competitive edge.

Furthermore, it's clear that a majority of brands aren't quite sure how to use Pinterest. Some (like Kate Spade) have been very creative in assembling a shopping environment that isn't directly related to product by posting photos of fashion inspiration instead of direct links to products. Not everyone has been as successful as this, with many brands simply setting up a shop through their Pinterest sites.

As Pinterest attempts to scale, it is going to need to redefine its purpose, while it broadens its user base and encourage digital marketers to experiment with what features it can provide to harness the buying power of digital communities.


http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/10513-pinterest-opens-to-everybody-what-it-means-for-brands