I admit: I’m a little obsessed with Pinterest right now.

Whether you need a good recipe for tonight’s dinner, a weekend craft project, or just a dash of visual inspiration between meetings, you can find it all on Pinterest: the virtual pin board that lets you see and subscribe to pictures of things that have caught peoples’ eyes.

According to Techcrunch, Pinterest has seen explosive traffic growth since its debut this February, and has already generated more than $54.5 million dollars in funding.

Getting Started on Pinterest

The more I explored Pinterest, the more I realized what a great viral marketing vehicle it is. But before you put it to work for your business, you need to understand how it works. Sign up for a membership. Subscribe to friends. Pin some items to your boards, and see who pins back.

This firsthand experience will give you a better idea of what content gets shared and why. Pinterest is a highly visual medium, making good photography hugely important. And as of now, women make up the majority of its users. Craft ideas, recipes, fashion and interior design are popular. Technology, cars and sports – less so.

Putting Pinterest to Work for Your Business

The easiest way to use Pinterest for marketing is to add a “Pin it” button to your blog or website. This will increase your visibility by encouraging visitors to share your content. (MarthaStewart.com already has a Pinterest button in its sidebar, along with countless blogs.)

The button isn’t right for all sites, though. I don’t have one, for example, because I specialize in written content. Pinning my marketing tips to a virtual board wouldn’t make much sense.

I do, however, have a Pinterest board where I share inspirational ad campaigns. This can be another good way to increase your exposure, since people can subscribe to your boards.

Olivia Hayes of Ignite Social Media also recommends curating content. “If you’re a technology company, showcase brilliant ways to recycle old computers or amazing touch screen art,” she writes. “If you’re a cosmetics brand, curate lists of fall lip looks and creative nail art.”

Making Your Work “Pinterest Friendly”

Once you’ve made it easy to share your work on Pinterest, focus on creating Pinterest-friendly content. This includes original photography, innovative tutorials and other highly visual content that people will want to share.

Also pay attention to trends. Halloween is around the corner, so now would be a great time to stage your products with spooky decorations (if appropriate) or create new Halloween-related material.

You can give your content a push-start by pinning it yourself – something that works especially well if you already have a large Pinterest following. Be careful with this approach, though. Post too much self-promotional content, and people will unsubscribe.

Pinterest itself also frowns upon self-promotion: “If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away!” its etiquette section reads. “However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.”

Have you discovered Pinterest yet? Love it, hate it, couldn’t care less? Let me know in the comments section below – and don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest.