10 Tips for Using Pinterest in Your Marketing

The past several weeks have seen us discussing the biggest names in social media today — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube. This week, we’ll be ending our Social Media Excellence series with a discussion on Pinterest, a site that allows you to upload, save, sort, and manage images (known as “pins”). It’s popularity has really taken off in the past few years, so it’s not a bad idea to incorporate it into your business’ marketing strategy.

Instead of beating around the bush, here are ten tips that will help you get the most out of Pinterest for your business:

Tip #1: Post Original Content

By original, we don’t mean to only post content that you have created. That definitely helps, but what we’re referring to is posting content that a million other people aren’t posting at the same time. Pinterest is full of already-existing content and it works.

Tip #2: Post Regularly

Yes, it’s this tip again. Pinterest is just like an other social media website. If you want to attract followers and gain exposure, you must post new content on a regular basis. Don’t go overboard, but at least one or twice a week would be perfect.

Tip #3: Follow Others

Popularity begets popularity, so to speak. Like other popular social media outlets, the more people you follow, the more likely it will be that others will follow you. Use that to your advantage.

Tip #4: Use the Pinterest Follow Button

Pinterest makes it easy for others to follow you by providing a button for use on your own website. This can be especially useful if you happen to have a high-traffic site, but it will help no matter amount you receive.

Tip #5:  Link from Other Media Sites

Your marketing strategy should always include other popular media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Using them all in conjunction with each other is the best way to improve your exposure. That means you should post about your Pinterest content on other sites as you create them.

Tip #6: Re-pin Popular Posts

Re-pinning is akin to a sport on Pinterest. The site even has a “Popular section” allows you to find solid posts that you can re-pin, which can save you a lot of time. Sharing the pins of others is an effective way to attract more followers.

Tip #7: Comment on Popular Pins

Being a part of the community will increase your chances of someone checking out your own stuff. One way to do this is by commenting on popular pins. If people like what they see in your comments, they may just decide to give you a try as well.

Tip #8: Don’t Forget Keywords

Tip #9: Contribute to Group Boards

Group boards are full of potential followers. Seek out some of these boards and provide quality pins. If you establish a relationship on the boards, your “follow-ship” could very well see a healthy uptick.

Tip #10: Use Holidays to Your Advantage

Everyone loves a celebration! The use of holidays has always been an effective marketing component. There’s nothing wrong with posting holiday-themed content to bring more people to your business.