Synergies among online businesses are always sought for, but rarely is the match as perfect as the recent Slideshare integration into Pinterest. Pinterest, which has been expanding its portfolio proactively, has now outgrown its initial purpose; what started as an images-only service now allows you to create pins from just about anything on the Internet – videos, images, text, and now, presentations.

Here are the top reasons why I think this move will bring tremendous benefits for both Pinterest and Slideshare:

• Diversification: Pinterest has been looking to cast its net wider, and if there was one area it still had no grip on, it was the professional world. The network mostly attracted lay users (that too a female majority , given its eye-appealing interface), and was largely shunned by sectors like technology, finance, etc. But now is the time for a turnaround, as it will become possible to share slides as pinboards, helping Pinterest tap into the very important segment.
• Improved engagement: Let’s not forget that Slideshare was recently acquired by LinkedIn, and is one of the most respected platforms for exchanging and browsing presentations. This means a lot of high-quality content comes to Pinterest, which will make people spend more time and engage in newer ways. Overall, it’s sure to improve the metrics for the social network.
• Marketing scope: For Slideshare users, this is fabulous news as their slides will now be able to travel into another ecosystem that has about 12 million users and growing fast! Since professional presentations focus a lot on visual presentation, Pinterest is the perfect vehicle for marketing efforts.

With newer social networks evolving, the ways in which we discover and consume content are also changing. I’m personally very excited to see this transformation! What are your views on the Pinterest-Slideshare alliance? Do you think it is the right move, or was it better for Pinterest to perhaps restrict itself to a small segment and try to specialize? I’m waiting for your comments!