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Pinterest is our company. We are more than 90 percent self-funded. I’m a public marketer and share knowledge about how to build communities to grow your business.

Is Pinterest a must-have item? For me it’s a win/win for my clients, customers and businesses in general. I love our data-driven approach.

First of all, let’s talk about the statistics behind Pinterest. Pinterest’s growth is mind-boggling. The company has more than 300 million monthly active users. Meanwhile, LinkedIn, which boasts more than 1 billion users, only counted as many as 140 million in 2015. Pinterest constantly moves the needle when it comes to users. It’s up to you to keep up.

Pinterest is our company. We are more than 90 percent self-funded. I’m a public marketer and share knowledge about how to build communities to grow your business. Whether you’re a huge one-hit wonder, like Justin Bieber or Katy Perry, or one of many small independents, Pinterest is the best social platform to get you in front of your customers. Here are five reasons why Pinterest is more than just a buzzword.

1. It’s an Extension of Your Brand: Great brand is built to have your audience interested, engaged and going to your site — and that will only happen if you’re on Pinterest. Many people think Pinterest is a social media thing, but it is mostly a visual advertising channel with video and visual content. It’s very different from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in that it is more about creating products and images than it is about informing consumers. For your business, it’s more about what you’re selling. If you’re an entrepreneur and make fun of other people for their ponytails, you’re not generating shareable content for your business on Pinterest.

2. It’s a Weapon for Influencers: What better way to build brand loyalty and turn your biggest fans into sales than through Instagram posts? Pinterest is a weapon for building a following, which can be sent to your website, built in and allows you to track who views your content. By using other social media channels, like Instagram, you’ll need to hire photographers. The guy or gal that has the most incredible photos or videos is who you should be hiring to continue to capture your audience’s attention.

3. Your Brand doesn’t Have to Have Web Content: When you’re a small business, having content that is great isn’t a priority. It’s all about generating that social share and getting your followers to talk about your business. If you have a huge amount of followers and almost no content, then how can you expect your fans to come to your website? All of your old posts are going to get deleted. They’re just not inspiring people anymore.

Also, it’s amazing how much content will fall flat if no one can find it.

4. It’s Most Valuable to Small Businesses: Using Pinterest is really easy, cheaper and faster than any other social media platform. Pinterest works best for small businesses, primarily because it’s accessible to everyone, virtually free of charge and fun to use.

5. The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Sure, Pinterest is great for posting what you have and what you’re selling, but you have to work to get people to your website. But Pinterest is such a great way to see what your audience is interested in, what your competitors are saying, and what people from all over the world have contributed to your brand.