What is Pinterest?

Haven’t heard of Pinterest? You will.

The social media newcomer recently received $27 million in venture capital and grew from one million users to over 4 million during the last quarter of 2011.

Pinterest is like Twitter in reverse. Where Twitter’s focus is on text, Pinterest is visual; the service allows users to ‘pin’ photos or video to customized bulletin boards. You can have as many boards as you like, and the topics are limited only by your imagination. A cat lover might collect dozens of cute feline photos, which friends can discuss and ‘pin’ to their own boards. ‘Pins’ can link back to the source site, too, making Pinterest ideal for business.

Naturally, brands on the site tend to photograph well—Pinterest is strong in fashion, crafts, and food. But since most people are visual learners, the service could revolutionize social media marketing.

The key is figuring out where your business fits. Simply posting pictures of products will turn people off; Pinterest is a lifestyle-based platform, so reach out with your lifestyle-based strengths. Are you an apartment building? Show off your sparkling new gym. Are you a contractor? Pin pictures of a finished, decorated house. Keep in mind, though, that Pinterest is still a new service with a relatively small business presence; in fact, the site is an invitation-only beta, where users feel like privileged insiders. So let your pictures tell the story. Focus on the experience before the product, the soft share before the hard sell.

Want to check it out? Pinterest’s invitation waiting list is miles long, so try asking your social contacts. Chances are someone will be happy to throw an invitation your way.

There’s no word yet on when Pinterest will open to the general public, but we’ll keep you updated.