I have been using “Pinterest” since I was 13 years old … inside the door of my middle school locker. I had photos of my BFFs (though that acronym was not yet invented), the gang of Breakfast Club, a John Havlicek trading card (now you know how old I am), a Rolling Stones ad, and mirror, “pinned up” in my locker.

Now you get the concept, right? It’s basically a “cloud” bulletin board where you can display and share your favorite things. But because the space is not limited to the inside of your locker or the bulletin board hanging over your desk, the possibilities are endless.

Here’s why should you get on-board?

According to Shareaholic, Pinterest “drives more referral traffic than Google Plus, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined.”

It’s not just a showcase for crafts and recipes. Businesses are using it to generate leads and e-commerce sales. The primary users of Pinterest

are educated women between the ages of 25-44 – more than 83 percent according to Pinterest. Plus, women are responsible for more than 65 percent of all online purchasing.

Speak the language of your target customer. If you sell products or services with visual appeal – such as clothing, jewelry, beautiful landscapes, furniture, trips, theme parks, cars, artwork, etc. – just post great photos, encourage pinning, and watch it take off.

A word of caution

But, don’t jump in if you can’t invest the time in managing it. Using Pinterest poorly can be more damaging to your brand image than not using it at all.