The social media marketing experts at 101 Management, Inc., want you to know you may be missing out on a great way to market your business if Pinterest isn’t part of your social media marketing plan.

Here are a few reasons why:

  • Pinterest boasts 300 million monthly active users worldwide.
  • Over 66 percent of online shoppers in the U.S. say Pinterest is their favorite social media platform.
  • Each month, two billion searches are performed on Pinterest.
  • Forty percent of Pinterest users are men.
  • Ninety percent of Pinterest weekly users say they look to Pinterest to make shopping decisions.
  • Of those, 55 percent say they browse there specifically to look for products, while 30 percent report they have bought something after seeing it on Pinterest.
  • Pinterest drives more referral traffic than YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+ combined.

 

Perk up fans’ engagement with your Pinterest pins

 

  1. Add your keyword to your pin titles, descriptions, and pin image file names.

To make it easy for fans to find and follow you, be sure to include keywords in your descriptions when you pin. And be sure they’re long-tail keywords; that is, not just a generic description such as “sweaters,” but the more specific “holiday pullover sweaters.”

For SEO purposes, Google considers each pin a website in itself. Therefore, adding a product description to your pin will get you ranked higher in searches.

 

  1. Ensure you have high-quality visuals.

If there’s one word that describes Pinterest, that would be “beautiful.” It’s all about the visual images. Think of the photos in bridal or travel magazines. Your photos should not only depict your product but showcase it to its best advantage, as well.

For example, if you sell jewelry, don’t just photograph it on a jewelry stand, but consider having someone wear it. And definitely look to a professional photographer if you aren’t skilled in photography yourself. You want viewers to see your product in its best light.

 

  1. Post regularly.

Just because you’re incorporating Pinterest into your social media marketing strategy, it doesn’t need to take up a lot of your time. If you spend five or ten hours a week on the site, you’ll reap plenty of benefits without having it take over your life.

In fact, if you run too many contests or ask participants to comment too often, you risk running afoul of Pinterest’s Acceptable Use policy. The old expression, “slow and steady wins the race” applies here. Research shows the best times to pin are from 2-4 p.m. EST, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. EST, and any time Saturday morning.

 

  1. Don’t just “pin it and forget it.”

On the other hand, as with any social media, you need to engage, not only with followers but with other popular boards. Reply to all comments, answer questions, and even ask questions. Go the extra mile and comment on your followers’ boards and pin other people’s content.

Check out the “Trending” and “Explore” pages when looking for content to repin. Also, be sure to leave an occasional comment on “Popular” pins. Just don’t comment so often that you’re tagged as spam by Pinterest.

 

  1. Make it easy for fans to follow you.

Connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts with your Pinterest account, and be sure to include the Pinterest “follow” button on your website. And remember to add your website URL in your profile, along with your business name.

Finally, don’t forget to test the way your pins look on a mobile device if you create them on a desktop or laptop computer. Eighty-five percent of Pinterest users access the site on a mobile device, so be sure to optimize your images for that medium.

 

For more ways to get the most out of your Pinterest marketing, talk to us. We can help you take your Pinterest pins to the next level.