Lately,  Pinterest, the social media site based on images and video, has been in the small business marketing spotlight.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, Pinterest is a virtual “pin board” that allows users to “pin” or “repin” various pictures and video to “boards” by topic. Boards can contain anything – from recipes and fashion and product photos to YouTube videos. Individuals and businesses large and small use Pinterest.

Currently Pinterest is a invitation-only site. You can request and invitation from Pinterest to join or ask a friend or associate already on Pinterest to invite you. Like other social media sites, you can follow other pinners or specific boards they create. For instance, the upscale department store Nordstrom has Pinterest boards that include Prom Inspiration, Spring 2012 Wedding and others. The boards feature photos of clothing and accessories the shop sells.

Pinterest has 10.4 million registered users (90 percent who are women), and is the newest social media craze. Because of its format it, obviously, favors more visual businesses. But how do you know if it’s right for you?

You can get an idea of what people are already pinning through this Mashable article What People Are Pinning on Pinterest. The most popular pin boards are Home, followed by Arts and Crafts, Style and Fashion, Food, and Inspiration and Education.

The most popular board names, in order, are: For the Home, My Style, Products I Love, Books Worth Reading and Food.

Another Mashable article, How Brands Are Using Promotions to Market on Pinterest, shows how businesses like Whole Foods, Barneys New York and Lands’ End Canvas have used the social site to engage with customers and keep them connected to their brand.

Pinterest is still a new platform, but is growing quickly, and could be new way to drive web traffic to your business as part of an overall marketing strategy.