How to Create a Vision Board for Business Ideas on Pinterest

Many businesses are already using Pinterest – a social media website that allows people to save (or “pin”) images into titled collections – to build brand awareness and drive traffic to their websites. But it’s also a powerful tool for creating a vision board – a collection of photos and short sentences that represent your business goals.

“The point of a vision board is really to get you to focus on what you’re looking for,” says Marcia Layton Turner, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vision Boards (Alpha, 2009). “In a way, it could be used as a visual business plan.”

Unlike a business plan that collects dust in a drawer, this photo collage is meant for daily viewing. “Through images, [a vision board] focuses your mind, ”says Turner. It helps you notice opportunities and stay on track for success.

While visualization boards aren’t new, Pinterest allows you to take them to a whole new level. Not only do you have access to millions of photos, but you can also engage followers, store useful links, and gain public support. Follow these four tips to create a Pinterest vision board that will help you achieve your goals:

1. Create specific goals. “The vision boards are very literal,” says Turner. “You really have to think about what you are looking for.” Ask yourself: where will my business be in five years? What will he be known for? What will the desks look like? How many employees will I have? How many users? The point is for you to articulate exactly what you want to achieve.

Follow the brands you admire for inspiration or include them in your vision board with a note on what they are doing well. Focus on the practices you want to emulate so that you can work towards a positive goal.

Related: The 10 Commandments of Using Pinterest for Business (Infographic)

2. Express your vision to consumers. Pinterest is a public way to share your vision for the future. “You can really galvanize the public to support you before you open your doors,” says Turner.

Think about how consumers might support your vision and encourage them to do so. For example, if you want your staff to carpool to work, offer incentives for your followers to do the same, or ask them to share how they ‘green’ their commutes in the comments.

Related: How To Sell Your Startup’s Long-Term Vision

3. Go beyond the pictures. The biggest benefit of creating your Pinterest board is that every image is linked to the original source, so you can store any articles, infographics, videos, or websites that can help you achieve your goals. If you want to double your social media reach, you can pin an image from a post with helpful tips and come back to the post while you work towards that reference.

But one last word of caution …

4. Be careful what you share. At this time, Pinterest doesn’t allow private boards (although they are considering it), so be sure to only include goals that you’re comfortable sharing.

Related: How To Make A Business Plan That Will Turn Investors’ Heads