Brands were so popular on Pinterest that it’s a bit hard to believe that until this past week, Pinterest’s terms of service specified the platform was limited to “personal, non-commercial use.” The social media platform has officially welcomed businesses with the introduction of new tools and new business terms of service, which makes it explicit that the platform can be used for commercial purposes.

The recent announcement could possibly be a sign of how Pinterest might evolve as a tool for brands as the site continues to grow in popularity. It’s certain that the social media platform is becoming more popular as the site drew 26.7 million unique visitors last month, up from 3.3 million in the year-ago period, according to statistics from research firm comScore.
Even though the new free business accounts don’t look different from other Pinterest pages at the moment, the pages are a clear indication that Pinterest could be looking toward a monetization model and that the social media platform is being forward thinking.
Pinterest hasn’t provided a specific number of businesses that have pages, but in a blog post, Pinterest product manager Cat Lee acknowledged that “thousands of businesses have become part of our community, giving great ideas, content and inspiration to people on Pinterest.” Lee highlighted a few profiles such as Anthropologie, Whole Foods, the Smithsonian, and Amazon, in particular, as inspirational brands on Pinterest. She also presented case studies from Jetsetter, Allrecipes, Etsy Organized Interiors, and Petplan Insurance, including analytics on how they have used Pinterest to drive traffic.
According to editor-in-chief of Etsy, Alison Feldmann “business pages provide brands with an authentic platform to drive loyalty and engagement within their community. Curating new trends, perspectives, and products gives brands an exciting way to express their point of view and distinctive voice.”

One thing that is certain is that business pages probably won’t change the way brands create content, but instead inspire brands to come up with creative ways to use the platform. An example of this is the fact that businesses will now be able to embed pins and boards on third-party sites and brands can incorporate elements of Pinterest on their own websites. Through the use of sharing Pinterest content via buttons and widgets, companies will be able to engage relevant audiences through their own online platforms.
Pinterest has set up a Pinterest for Business page with best practices, case studies, and other creative solutions to help provides businesses ideas on how to use the new Pinterest for business.
Source: Pinterest (blog)