Let’s say you’re a business owner who has been somewhat curious about Pinterest, but not curious enough to try it. Let’s say your current web marketing efforts consume enough of your time without devoting even an hour of it to the latest social media darling. After all, you’ve been pretty sure “pinning” is a fun hobby with no great business marketing potential.

Until now.

Lately, you’ve heard a couple of rumors* that are making you wonder if you should find the time to explore Pinterest. The five “To Pin or Not To Pin” questions below are for you.

“To Pin or Not To Pin” Questions for You

1. Is your target market on Pinterest?

The majority of Pinterest users are female and 46% of them are between 23 and 44 years old. Many of Pinterest’s biggest fans live in the Midwest. These statistics are illustrated nicely in an BuzzReferrals.com infographic included in a June 2012 Search Engine Journal post, “Pinterestingly Enough: Interesting Pinterest Stats.”

But, these numbers are changing. A study of Pinterest demographics at the end of 2012 will be very “pinteresting.”

Even if the demographics of your target market don’t match Pinterest demographics, I’ll argue that you shouldn’t completely discount it yet. (Pinterest is the third largest social network, after all.) Use demographics as one of your determining factors in deciding whether to get busy pinning.

2. Do you have existing content that would fit in the Pinterest framework?

If you have an image library overflowing with professionally-taken, high-resolution photos, getting started on Pinterest could be easy and fun. On the other hand, if your image library is somewhat bare, don’t despair.

Mix creative thinking + content strategy + Pinterest tools for the image-challenged (future blog post) and you’ll be surprised at what you can create.

Plus, keep in mind, as with all social media channels, your content (images and videos in this case) should be only a small percentage of what you post. A large percentage of what you share on Pinterest will be images from other sources.

3. Over the next six months, what events, initiatives and topics could you cover on Pinterest?

Perhaps there’s messaging you can start creating with greater consideration to imagery. Maybe you’ll decide to create some consistent graphics to accompany written content. Or, maybe you’ll have an event that, combined with your Pinterest exploration, will be a perfect reason to pay for some professional photos that you can strategically pin over the next several months.

4. Do you believe building an online community is important to your marketing success?

If you don’t believe that what fuels successful social media marketing campaigns is the quality of content + the level of engagement with followers, then Pinterest is not for you.

In addition to your own content, you will need to pin: a) images shared by others, your followers in particular and b) images that appeal to your followers’ interests.

You will need to identify pinners with whom you’d like to connect. You’ll need to listen to them. Respond to them. Comment on their pins. Like their pins. Repin their pins.

If building a community sounds like too much work, cross Pinterest off your “To Do” list.

5. Are your competitors on Pinterest?

Checking out what your competition is or isn’t doing on Pinterest is a good step to take during your “To Pin or Not To Pin” decision-making process. If they’re out there, take note of what they’re pinning and if it’s working for them. Decide if similar or different approaches could draw more Pinterest eyeballs your way.

If your competition isn’t on Pinterest, maybe it’s a reinforcement that Pinterest is not the place for your industry.

Or maybe, it’s a sign that Pinterest is an opportunity yours for the taking.

*Perhaps the rumors you’ve heard include the following headlines:

• Pinterest Drives More Referral Traffic Than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined, Shareaholic, January 31, 2012.
• 21% of Users on Pinterest Have Purchased An Item That They Found on The Site, The Next Web, March 28, 2012.