VSAG has touted our taste for marketing by way of social media before.  In short: We believe getting familiar with the latest and greatest social media tools is crucial to your restaurant’s success.

And in the last few months, online pinboard site Pinterest has seemingly taken over. In fact, according to market research company comScore, there were 20.5 million users in June alone, up from 7.5 million just six months before.

From photos of your space, your chefs crafting their culinary creations, your happy guests, your ingredient collecting excursions to your fabulous food, Pinterest is a great way to visually connect your customers to your restaurant and keep them interested!

To solidify the success of Pinterest, there is a new book, Pinfluence written by social media specialist and technology trainer Beth Hayden, about building your business (and ultimately your profit) through visual marketing on Pinterest.

Here are some of Pinfluence’skey points:

Run Contests. Maybe you ask guests to craft a seasonal dessert and the winner gets their dish on the menu for a month. Or you pin photos diners submit of their party enjoying the restaurant and ask followers to pick their top five favorite photos, then you display them on a Pinterest board and in the restaurant. Whatever your contest, it’s a great way to engage your customers and get them invested in your business. It’s easy: Pick a contest topic, write a concise rules blog post, and invite your followers to enter.

Spotlight Testimonials. Attract new guests by pinning pictures of current customers and pasting their testimonials in the pin’s description. Makes it all the more credible and friendly. Potential customers will love putting a face to each testimonial. Another bonus: It will build your Pinterest contact list, one testimonial at a time!

Pin Videos. Yes, you can even upload videos to a Pinterest board simply by using the ‘Pin It!’ bookmarklet on a YouTube page. Creativity is key here.  Post videos of your chefs creating their culinary magic, your bartenders mixing a delicious cocktail, Managers welcoming diners to your establishment, etc. Always in good taste, tell a story that will invite guests into your restaurant.

To learn more about creatively pinning your way to profit, visit Pinterest