March of 2010 saw the debut of countless new websites, but only one of them would develop into one of the ten largest social networking websites in existence. Only one would break the speed record for achieving 10 million unique visitors. That website was Pinterest.

What is Pinterest? It's a unique social media website, wherein users bookmark images found on the Internet and post them to one or more "pinboards," containing themed collections of images. The user can, and is highly encouraged to, attach a link to each image that traces back to its source. Pinterest also allows users to "follow" other members, enabling them to see their pinboards. If they like what they see, a user might choose to "repin" an image from another member to their own board, sharing it with anyone who follows them. Users can also comment on "pinned" images and mention specific images to other members through the website.

All of this makes Pinterest an excellent medium for sharing – and therefore an ideal platform for viral marketing and word-of-mouth advertising. Users create pinboards for all sorts of interests and occasions, though home redecoration, fashion, and wedding planning are strongly represented. Many of the pictures they pin to their boards involve merchandise, whether they're stand mixers and sofa cushions or wedding gowns and floral arrangements. Everyone following you sees every pinned image, coupled with a link to the source website. This translates directly into a great deal of free advertising for the individual company.  When combined with the fact that Pinterest users tend to follow other members whose interests and tastes they share, this paints a picture of a target audience that is not only excited about the products they see on their friends' pinboards, but are eager to show them to others.

A significant portion of Pinterest's popularity has to come from its accessibility. What is Pinterest doing to make itself easier to use? In addition to a "Pin It" button that users can install in their Mozilla Firefox bookmarks toolbar to make it easy for them to pin items to their boards with a single mouse-click, a Pinterest app has been developed for the iPhone. Users can browse pinboards, repin and comment on favorite images, and take and pin photos with their iPhone camera. Development of a Pinterest app for the iPad is currently in progress. Pinterest accounts are also linked to the user's Twitter or Facebook account, further expanding ease of use and the potential audience for a user's pins. Websites can also install "Follow" and "Pin It" buttons on their pages, encouraging visitors to pin their content and link it back to the owner's site.

What is Pinterest able to do for your business? The possibilities with a visual catalog of products and items, linked back to their original sources and shared with a community of other consumers with similar interests are limitless. Online wedding registries and holiday wish lists are the tip of the iceberg. More companies are learning the value of social media and networking sites in today's marketing environment, and the staggeringly rapid growth of Pinterest will put it at the forefront of marketing efforts. The power of images in advertising is undeniable, and images are what Pinterest is all about.