I recently discovered Pinterest, a new social media website that functions like an online bulletin board that allows users to organize images into boards for specific categories. Basically, when you “pin” something new, your followers will see it. They can like, comment or re-pin it to their boards. Like Facebook content, your Pinterest pins can go viral. The site registered more than 7 million unique visitors in December, up from 1.6 million in September.

Such a drastic increase in its popularity should be enough for small businesses to pay attention to this new social media platform and seriously consider creating a business profile on Pinterest to draw potential customers.

By posting images of the company’s products or services and linking them back to the company website, the social media platform serves as a virtual store catalog that allows consumers convenient and easy access. An example of a company that has started to use Pinterest as a platform to connect with customers is Whole Foods Market that pins pictures of food art and images of recycled or reused products to promote responsibility to the environment among its customers.

While this new social media platform provides an easy and convenient way for companies to market their goods, it might not be suitable for businesses that provide products or services that are not visual. However, I feel that Pinterest is certainly a tool that appeals to the Generation Y consumers who are more likely to become members of social media websites and use them on a regular basis. In addition, this tool would be advantageous to fashion retailers who would like to keep consumers up to date with their latest fashion collections and trends.

If you are a fellow Generation Y, why don’t you give Pinterest a try? You’ll be surprised at what you might find!