Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann recently announced the arrival of secret boards. The new private boards “give you a place for things you’re not quite ready to share yet,” Silbermann said in the company’s product announcement email.
The possibilities for consumer use are endless (read: planning that wedding you don’t yet have a mate for, and all these other ideas from Mashable). But secret boards are also a handy visual tool for brand marketers. Here are five ways to get the most out of Pinterest’s latest feature.
1. Keep Projects in Planning Mode
Stealth mode preparations can be helpful for time-sensitive campaigns. As the digital marketing partner for the SMBChallenge, lonelybrand is hard at work preparing for the contest’s final voting period, which begins on Friday, November 16th. While we want to prepare social assets, the contest’s guidelines prevent us from revealing the finalists until voting opens. That’s where secret boards come in, letting us put together a complete Finalists board without revealing anything to the public just yet. When the 16th comes around, all we have to do is turn off the secret switch.
2. Save Articles in Visual Format
If you’re a visual person, you might consider replacing article saving tools like Evernote and Pocket with Pinterest. Adding the “Pin It” Button to your Bookmarks Bar lets you pin items quickly without leaving the original article window.
3. Collaborate with Your Team
These new boards are hidden from the public, but you do have the ability to invite others to pin. This can make for a great office collaboration tool for upcoming projects – like a visual version of Google Docs.
4. Replace Random Post-it Notes
Have an idea for a website relaunch, or an upcoming white paper? Instead of scribbling it down on a Post-it Note that will inevitably land in the waste basket, digitally store your million dollar ideas for later using a secret Pinterest board.
5. Save Images for Social Postings
Studies on Facebook page engagement rates show that photos get up to 35% more engagement than text posts, which means that brand marketers are constantly on the prowl for relevant, high-resolution images. As you browse the web, try stashing shareable images on Pinterest secret boards to post or schedule at a later date. Not only are links are attached to images, but you can conveniently keep them all in one place with your own comments attached – no black hole desktop folders necessary.
