Did you know that the most popular category on Pinterest was travel?  Pinterest is fairly new on the ‘social media ecosystem’. It is a newbie worth exploring. And it is one of the social media tools that is fun, really!

Frederic Gonzalo is my latest social media guru go to guy. Love his article; Social Media Best Practices in Travel: Pinterest. “With less than four years under the belt. In 2014, it nevertheless continues to grow and ought to catch any travel marketer’s attention.” Here are some interesting Pinterest travel facts:

• 70 million users worldwide, with 30 billion pins across more than 750 million boards created so far
• The most popular category on Pinterest? Travel
• 80% of pins are actually… re-pins!
• It matters where the original photo or video sits, as referral traffic is huge from Pinterest. How huge? More than Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn… combined!
• 80% of Pinterest users are female
• 75% of daily traffic to Pinterest comes from mobile apps

I believe Pinterest travel boards are a natural social media tool for bed and breakfasts. If the number one category is travel and there are 70 million users worldwide, hey, no brainer.

Convention and Visitors Bureaus use Pinterest. Here is just one example for Portland, Maine. http://www.pinterest.com/visitportland/.  Their Pinterest travel boards show  great examples of how to categorize your B&B Pinterest travel boards. Using the map option is also a good idea.

On a more global scale. The Four Seasons Hotel’s  Pin. Pack. Go. Choose your Four Season destination hotel. Follow them on Pinterest. They call this their ‘new trip planning service that re-imagines the way travelers share and receive travel recommendations.’  Jetsetter has their, Jet. Set. Go. Their promotional for their ‘adventure trips’. They have packaged trips to places like India, Peru and South Africa. This also makes it easy for travelers to book a vacation with jetsetter doing all the planning.

Travel itineraries on your B&B websites are very helpful for your guests coming to your destination. Sarah Dolk innkeeper at Adobe Nido B&B does a good job providing her guests with Albuquerque destination information on her blog.  If you are providing them with travel information on your website than why not transfer that to Pinterest? We know that visuals are the most enticing way to grab an audience. It is called ‘visual storytelling’.  Pinterest can open your Inn to a whole new audience of travelers.

The small lodging industry, your B&B, is known for personalized service. Your Pinterest travel destination boards would visually showcase the unique and personalized service you offer. It would be a perfect extension of who you are and where you are.  Help your guests get to your destination location with a good plan. Are we there yet?

Oh yes, and check out The B&B Team’s Pinterest boards.

Thanks for Listening,

Janet Wolf