Can Pinterest help in designing? Three ways you can apply Pinterest to web design

There’s no doubt that Pinterest has revolutionized the social media world. Through this platform, users can bookmark interesting images from web pages (called ‘pinning’) onto a simulated pin-board. Websites whose images get pinned then have the advantage of extra traffic generated from users that view their images on Pinterest and follow links back to the main sites.

The big question today however is: can web designers and developers use Pinterest to make impact on their trade? The answer is a loud and resounding “Yes!” and you’ll see why in a bit.

Being a virtual/image-based profession/skill, web design Singapore fits perfectly into the blueprint of content for Pinterest. Therefore, web designers can use this platform to build their personal brand, share their portfolio and generally just turn it into an inspirational resource to reach out to the market.

   1. Building your personal brand

Just like any other social platform, the first step towards branding yourself is creating a user profile. Other than your name and a great profile image, you’ll need to feed the site with information about yourself and what you do. Be sure to include your keywords so that people searching for services that you offer can find you.

There should also be a link to your personal website so that users that are interested in further information can visit your blog or site to learn more about you and see your portfolio. Link your Pinterest profile to your Facebook, Twitter and other social and professional networks you’re a part of. Lastly, ensure that the profile can be displayed by search engines.

    2.  Design inspiration

As a web designer, any avenue from which you can draw inspiration is readily welcome. Bookmark interesting website designs that you come across, organizing them tastefully so that you can follow and find them easily. It helps to have the ‘Pin It’ button on your browser so that you can easily share great designs you see as you traverse the web.

Include short descriptions of great designs you come across and share them on other social networks. You may want to optimize your Pinterest boards by including the keyword ‘web design’ in each board. This way, your boards can be displayed when people are searching for boards to do with web design.

   3.  Displaying your web design portfolio

Finally, you can do a little bit of self-promotion by showcasing some of your design work. Tread lightly with this, since Pinterest etiquette dictates that you shouldn't use their platform to further your own interests. Subtlety and tastefulness are your friends in this attempt.

Have one or several boards to show off your best work – separate different categories for different types of sites you’ve helped design. Another way might be to sneak a couple of your own images into relevant inspiration boards as you go along. Make sure it’s your best work, and it’s displayed nicely.

The better option is to use both, but also have your own portfolio website which you can link to as you add descriptions of your pins. By doing this, you ensure that any repins maintain that link back to your personal website, which is great for generating traffic. Others have done it, and you can too!