How can a marketer maximize on the ability to use pinboard covers on Pinterest?

Pinterest has been lighting the charts on fire in the social networking biz, but it is not done growing – not be a long shot. The site has been making a number of minor tweaks as of late, many of which have been made to enhance its presentation. One of the latest updates aims to give users greater control over their pinboards.

Recently introduced to the Pinterest platform is the new pinboard covers. With the launch of this new feature, it is now possible for users to customize the way their content is displayed. The company announced the ability to select which pin will represent as the cover image for each individual board. Underneath this main image is four other smaller images that rotate and change based on the user’s pinning habits. A user can change their board cover by simply hovering their mouse over a board, clicking “Edit Board Cover”, selecting the image they want, and clicking “Set Cover”.

Now we’re not saying the introduction of pinboard covers is game changing or anything like that. After all, this is only a minor update. However, it could pay off big time for marketers in the long run. The Pinterest pinboard covers are larger, which means they can be great for getting people’s attention. There is also the possibility of fans sharing your content on their profiles. If you have a cover photo for your page on Facebook, you want to take a similar approach to your board covers. This is what’s going to represent your content as well as your brand, so you want something that is strong and visually compelling.

Capitalizing on the Growth of Pinterest

According to a post on the official company blog, Pinterest rolled out the pinboard covers feature to appease the user community, who requested it through feedback. One of the biggest demands from users has been the addition of private boards. Unlike on Facebook and similar social networking sites, anyone can follow anyone on Pinterest. There are no friend requests or private profiles. The company has stood firm in its current stance on leaving things open, but changes such as the recent launch of pinboard covers shows that user feedback is being taken into consideration. For now, the updates have been working out for casual users and brands.

Some observers say Pinterest is the next big thing in the social space, others believe it is just the latest fad. No matter where you stand, you have to admit that the company’s journey so far has been nothing short of impressive. Recent data from Experian shows that the site is currently the third most popular social network in the U.S. in terms of traffic, beating out the likes of Tumblr, LinkedIn, and the once surging Google+.

As Pinterest continues to evolve, marketers will have to make a choice – continue to watch from the sidelines, or request that invitation and join the party.