Pinterest is an online pin board where you can show off photos by “pinning” them for the purpose of sharing them with others. It serves as a great tool because unlike other picture sharing sites, members can leave comments and re-pin your photos.

This type of photo sharing forum allows for a multitude of varying uses. You can use it as yet another way to expand the reaches of your business, show off your collection of action figures or even as an exercise tool.

Let’s take a look at a handful creative and unique ways to utilize Pinterests features.

Storefront

These days it seems getting back to “mom and pop” shops is a growing trend. Most people would rather pay a few extra dollars to make a purchase that will benefit a small local vendor, rather than save money on mass produced, sweatshop merchandise from a huge conglomerate chain.

When eBay launched back in 1995 entrepreneurs everywhere watched their small businesses multiply with the help of internet based sales. Since then, retailers have branched out, learning how to use every tool the internet affords them. Pinterest is a prime example of one such tool. Utilizing its easy to navigate platform, vendors are able to show off their goods and provide a short synopsis of what it is they do, as well as where they are located and contact information.

This very unique way of using Pinterest not only benefits the consigner but the consumer as well. Supporters of interesting, small local shops can find treasures that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

One such mom and pop treasure is a Ft Lauderdale local favorite, tiny and tucked out the way, this spot is one of my personal favorites for cool vintage additions to my wardrobe and a friendly beach vibe. Take a look at how ModSurf makes use of Pinterest as a storefront here.

Collection

Owning a bevy of classic comic books or action figures is considered to be an accomplishment. But what good is it if you can’t show it off?

You can use Pinterest to display your collection either in the order you obtained your treasures or in order of your favorite collectibles.

Personally, I am just the tiniest bit obsessed with Batman, so I went ahead did a search for “Batman Collection” in the search box at the top left hand corner of the Pinterest homepage. I soon found I wasn’t the only one with Batman hysteria. Check out the collections I found here.

Exercise guide

When starting a new exercise routine it is important to hold your body in proper form or you can end up with some seriously sore muscles. What about those of us who just don’t have the time to, say, attend a Yoga class?

Pinterest offers a platform where fitness savvy users take the time to pin photos as step-by-step guides to various exercise routines.

Being that Yoga is one of the more popular ways to stay in shape, we’ll stick to it as an example. There are breathing patterns, stretches and an assortment of poses to keep in mind when practicing Yoga. Pinterest allows for how-to explanations on all of this and more when performing these exercises. See a simple step-by-step yoga routine on Pinterest here.

Travel journal

Whether traveling to India in search of shamans and the meaning of life, or a weekend getaway in Cancun over spring break, Pinterest offers a platform to organize and highlight your trip.

You can start by pinning photos of spots you are thinking about visiting and letting other Pinterest users who may have visited those areas comment on your pins, giving insight to local favorites and the better tourist attractions.

Once you have mapped out your trip, go there! Take photos of your own, pinning them up minute-to-minute, daily, or after your trip is over, it’s up to you.

Great examples of travel journals I came across can be found here.

Tutorial 

Do your friends all clamor for a glimpse of your hairstyle? Why not share those talents over the internet in the form of a tutorial?

Pinterest allows you to strategically place photos and their descriptions.

A good example of a tutorial I found on Pinterest is a how-to guide to braiding hair in a very interesting way. In this tutorial we learn how to do an upside down french braid in 10 easy steps, check it out.

Whatever you can take a picture of, you can show it off on Pinterest. Get feedback from other users of the site and possibly become featured on the Pinterest homepage. By putting it out there you can get the attention your pictures deserve and if nothing else you can use Pinterest to store your photo’s giving you room on your digital camera or mobile device to keep clicking away.