Posted by:
  Kylie Robertson

Posted February 13, 2013

So you want to introduce Pinterest to your social media toolbox, but have no idea how to use Pinterest for business instead of pleasure? You’re not alone. There is a common misconception that this social media website is just for recipes and DIY tutorials; however, it’s entirely possible to successfully market your product or business on one of the fastest-growing social sites around. Make sure you address each of the five tips below, and you’re well on your way to gaining followers and seeing repins from all over.

how to use and get the most out of pinterest for business
We also want you to get the most out of Pinterest for business!

Top 5 tips to using Pinterest for Business:

1. Always start with beautiful images.

Pinterest is an almost entirely visual platform. Well-written content is still important of course, but the image that you pin will be what catches someone’s eye first. Think about what makes your business or service visual—products are a great place to start, but a great photo of product application can take that one step further. Linking to your great content starting with a fantastic photo will help ensure that your Pinterest account is followed by those who are actually interested in your services or products.

2. Remember that Pinterest’s search function is basic and title accordingly.

Google with its seemingly constant algorithm updates is always looking for ways to weed out writers and “SEO experts” who are using black hat techniques to increase search traffic to their site (basically, trying to cheat to get higher rankings). This makes Google’s algorithm a complex and ever-changing thing that can frustrate or confuse. Pinterest, on the other hand, uses a fairly simple search function and recognizes keywords and phrases above all else. While Pinterest doesn’t discuss details on how their search function works, it’s clear to see by perusing a few pages that keywords make a big difference. Write your pin descriptions and name your image files using words that someone would search for to find you. “Glasses in key lime for women” as an image title is infinitely preferable to “IMG_1029,” even if you write the most robust pin description to go with it.

3. Name your boards something fun and descriptive! Default boards are dull, dull, dull.

This is also another way of letting users know what you’re all about. Don’t limit your boards and settings to the default, or even strictly to your products. Branch out and find ways to highlight original content and posts from others that relates to your industry, and create a board with an exciting or brand-specific title to match. This creates a dynamic page, and also takes some of the stress off creating reams of unique content. Having and using content from a wide variety of sources is the name of the game on Pinterest, and the best way to highlight your diversity is through board titles. You can repin almost as much great content as you create! Which brings me to my next point…

4. Be active! Pin, repin, like, and comment on other’s posts to have yours discovered.

We’ve all met, and subsequently avoided, the person at the party that can’t talk about anything except themselves. This dynamic also plays out in the social sphere. (Maybe even especially in the social sphere.) Who wants to follow a user that does nothing but promote their products or opinions? It’s important to get active, be social, and look for content outside of what you’ve created to promote to your followers. This in turn will encourage those users (and others) to view and repin your content and increase your reach, all while you look like a friendly co-user on the site. Engaging with other users is one of the easiest ways to start to gain or maintain a following.

5. Promote your pins with your other social media tools (and vice versa).

No social media tool should function in total isolation. Connect your Pinterest account to Facebook and Twitter, and you have the option to post content to all or just one of the sites when you upload or repin something. Again, this not only takes the strain off of constantly creating new content, but also shows your fans or other followers from other social networking sites that you’re active on Pinterest, thereby increasing your following.