Are you a Pinterest user? If so, you probably have set up a few boards, at the very least, and maybe a Pinterest expert in your own right. If you haven’t tried Pinterest, what’s stopping you?

No matter where you are on the spectrum of Pinterest use, there is a lot of fun to be had in identifying creative uses for Pinterest and Pinterest Boards! It is no longer just a place for pictures or cartoons. The sky is the limit. Literally.

10 Creative Ways to Use Pinterest for Personal

What are YOUR ideas for creative and out-of-the-box ways to use Pinterest? I think if we sat down and started naming out ideas, we could come up with an incredibly long list of ideas. Once those ideas started to flow, they would just keep coming, faster and faster. Ok, that is an idea for the next article. For this one, we are going to look at some creative uses and figure out what tips we can apply to our Pinterest use.

What Does the Internet Say About Creative Uses for Pinterest?

Fortunately, places like MakeUseOf have an opinion on the creative use of Pinterest. In fact, they have four ideas, right from the get go:

1. Plan a trip
2. Create a Visual List
3. Create a CV (Resume)
4. Create a Gift Registry.

Those are pretty creative, wouldn’t you say?

Planning an Event or Planning a Trip

Many people have Pinterest boards to plan events (like parties and weddings). For those of you who are planning a trip, a Pinterest board can be used to plan your excursion from start to finish. Even the mobile app comes in handy for those last minute changes.

When you arrive at your destination, you can use Pinterest’s mobile application to look at your Pinterest board and all of the places that you would like to go while you are on your excursion. Maybe last minute planning isn’t ideal, but that Pinterest board does come in handy if you are forced (or desire) to change plans at that last minute. Don’t forget to capture your pics and store to your board, as well, so that you are ready to share with friends when you get back from your trip.

We went in search of some “trip” or “travel” boards and found a few to share with you. I have to say, after diving into these boards on trips, travel, and events, I am definitely stoked, and in the mood!

But, first, do you want to know how we found them? It is really easy. Just type in what you see in the image here:

In other words, >> “Planning your trip” site:Pinterest.com <<. Of course, you don’t need the arrows. And, capitalization is irrelevant. Here is what showed up in our search, complete with some fascinating Pinterest board snapshots!

Heritage Hotels & Resorts’ “Planning Your Trip” (ah, makes sense… complete with gadgets, ideas, cameras, travel essentials, and more…)

Hotel Indigo Rome…’s “Planning Your Trip” (Do you see a theme here? Not just the name, but the owners.. Travel Agencies have figured out the name of the game, eh? But, then, they would know, wouldn’t they?)

I really like where this board was going, with infographics that teach us how to pack lighter, plan for the family, pack in general, and more. However, it seems to have stopped before it really got off the ground, with only 41 pins and the last pin 28 weeks ago. Then, again, I probably shouldn’t talk, as there may be boards that I have with fewer pins and pins that are probably older!

I have to remember that this isn’t necessarily about resources or boards to follow (though we have that, too), but it is about finding ideas that inspire you and get that passion stirring inside you on how YOU want to use your Pinterest experience (and your Pinterest boards).

As a side note, this particular board has some graphics that look like infographics, but are actually articles. Well done, krystinaamato.polyvore.com and polyvore.com! (I feel another article coming on, focusing on how polyvore does their branding. It is something worth watching.

ECELA Spanish’s “Planning Your Trip”

I couldn’t help but notice what an excellent idea it is to store cables in a sunglasses case! I think we get the point, and what a cool point it is.

As you can see, there is a little bit of everything under the category of trips (and events). The idea is that if the article has anything to do with planning a trip; facilitating a trip; transportation; hotel; resort; activities… Pin it!

Now, the only thing you would need to define, for yourself, is your objective. Do you want to create a “Planning Your Trip” type Pinterest board to literally plan a trip for yourself and your family? Or, do you want to create the Pinterest board to draw attention and gain traffic and demonstrate what a Pinterest expert you are? Maybe you just want to gather items for a wish list, or you are into helping others with their “travel wish list.” The objective is for you, about you, or about others, if you so choose.

A Resume or CV

Some Pinterest users may not think of using Pinterest to create and share their resume (or CV), but it is really a creative and certainly a visual thing to do.

Some people create their resume or CV on Pinterest in a way that would be similar to putting together an online portfolio. In addition to the use of Pinterest, a social media site in its own right, you can expand the exposure of your resume, CV, or portfolio by sharing it on other social media/social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more. Social networking sites can be the first step in sharing your pride, passion, and your many accomplishments. They can make a one-of-a-kind and unique profile that will stand out from others, in a sea of commonality. Yours may be that one shining bright light.

If you are more into the traditional paper type resumes, don’t despair. Pinterest still has the board (or boards) for you. Check out the following board that gives the visual representation of some really cool looking printed resumes!

Visit Dion Correia’s “Resume Design Layouts.”

Just when I thought that it couldn’t get better, I happened upon an “Explore” topic. And, yes, we aren’t the only ones who figured out that Pinterest is handy for resume development and design. Pinterest created the Explore tab and pulled it all together for us >> Resume Templates.

I became just slightly disillusioned when I realized that clicking on the pretty little round pictures of people produced nothing. Well, unless you count “So-and-so hasn’t created any boards yet,” something. So, are those pretty little pictures just that, little pictures for us to look at, but not click? Hey, the world isn’t perfect, and I guess that includes Pinterest, too, eh?

I would be remiss if I didn’t list some other “honorable mentions” among the resume Pinterest boards category. If you are in the market for a new job, or you just like to look at resume designs, you’ll want to check out these Pinterest boards:

• Randy Krum’s Infographic Visual Resumes;
• The Official Unemployed Pin…’s “Unique Resume Samples” (great for content ideas!);
• Give a Grad A Go.’s “Creative CV Inspiration” (Really? A LEGO-Video CV?);
• This final one deserved a picture.. ResumeEdge’s “Cool Resumes” (below).

The “Classic” Use as an Online Cookbook

This isn’t a new suggestion, by any means, but it is worth mentioning. Pinterest has long been used as a “list maker,” and especially in the area of a fashion scrapbook and an online cookbook, recipe collection.

Yes, I’m guilty. I use it to capture “crockpot recipes” or “slow cooker recipes,” so that I have all of those recipes in one spot, and I can be as picky as I like when I pull out the slow cooker. You can be picky when you have oodles of recipes to choose from, eh?

This is how easy it is. Or, at least, these are the steps that I took:

1. Subscribe to something like “The Daily Dish” from AllRecipes.com.
2. Set up a filter in your email to catch “The Daily Dish” and in particular, any versions that include your desired recipe type/food (i.e. “slow cooker”). If you have Gmail, check out this article on Mashable, to find out how to filter your Gmail email.
3. Depending on what filter you have, your emails will trigger a notification or go into a special folder, or whatever you have set up for those emails.
4. When you are notified that you have an email that matches your description, click on the link, in the email (see sample snapshot, below), and visit the recipe online. Then, you can pin it right from the recipe. Or, as in the case of the Daily Dish, you can pin from the email (in most cases). As you will notice, the email has a “pin it” button right there ready for you. Don’t forget to set up your recipe topic as a Pinterest board (i.e. “Deborah’s Slow Cooker Recipes”).

There you go! Half of the process is automated, but you are setting up your online cookbook without breaking a sweat. Before you know it, you will have oodles of recipes to choose from, right at your fingertips.

Branding Yourself or Branding Your Business

If you have a business, you are in the right place. Yes, regardless of the fact that there are many recipe boards and fashion boards, and favorite places to visit.. boards… Pinterest is still the place to be for business.

Just check out the advice that is in this article, entitled, “8 Steps To Create a Successful Pinterest for Business.” Simple and straightforward enough, eh? Well, this article is way more than just its title. If you haven’t taken that step for your business, this is your how-to guide to get started. Don’t miss the opportunity to bookmark it and refer to it often.

If you don’t have a business, it is still the opportunity to create the brand of YOU. Yes, you can be that brand. Just think about how speakers and authors do it. Yes, what they talk about when they speak is important, but they also want to create the brand of who they are as people. If the only brand is the book or one speech, it ends there. If the brand is about the person, it doesn’t have to ever end.

10 Creative Ways to Use Pinterest for Business

Tools and Tips for Pinterest Use

We caught up with some fascinating people. They gave us the opportunity to interview them. Now that your mind is spinning (in a good way!) with all sorts of ideas for your Pinterest board, personal and/or business, let’s sit back, relax, and take in some more tips and ideas for creative uses for Pinterest straight from these talented people…

Dan R. Morris Talks Pinterest (Social Web Café Interviews 2.1)

Dennis Kashkin * Board Booster on WebToolsTV

TailWind: Marketing Manager Melissa Megginson on #WebToolsTV

The post Exploring and Re-Exploring the Creative Uses for Pinterest Boards appeared first on Growmap.