Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social sites on the web. After only a few years, this site already has over 70 million users. Pinterest is a site that has found a way to profit from the huge popularity of images today.
People are instantly drawn to compelling images. They are likely to share them with others, and to take a look at links in the description. This is why a site such as Pinterest has managed to get so popular so quickly.
Let’s look at some of the most effective ways to use Pinterest for traffic.
Why Pinterest is so Powerful
You Can Create Multiple Boards
If you aren’t already using Pinterest, let me tell you it’s simple and free to sign up. Once you do that, you can start to create boards. A board is like the visual equivalent of a blog, where you can “pin” images from all over the web (or ones that you created).
You can create as many boards as you want. This is a powerful feature in itself, because it means you can target different niches very well. Even one business can have several boards for different themes or sub-topics.
SEO Benefits
Pinterest boards are indexed by the search engines. You can optimize your images with descriptions and insert links. This is what allows you to get traffic directly from your pins, and also to get the search engines to list them.
Build Credibility
You can use your boards and images to help build your brand. When people start following you, they will keep up with what you’re posting.
Viral Potential
Just as your tweets can be re-tweeted, so your pins on Pinterest can be re-pinned. This means that everything you pin has the potential to be shared, bringing you more exposure and followers.
These are some of the reasons why Pinterest is becoming a major force on the internet, and why it’s so useful for marketing purposes.
Pinterest Tactics
As you start to familiarize yourself with Pinterest, there are some strategies that can help you get even more traffic.
1. Use Keywords
You should name all of your images keeping your main keywords in mind. That way both users and search engines can locate them.
2. Provide Helpful Info
Depending on your niche, you can use Pinterest to provide your audience with useful information. Keep in mind what your followers want to learn and seek out relevant images. One way to use your pins as learning tools is to create interesting infographics.
3. Be Entertaining and Funny
Not all of your pins have to be serious. It’s good to post humorous and fun images as well.
4. Use Hashtags
Hashtags , which have been long popular on Twitter, make use of the # symbol to place a certain word or theme in a group. You can use this on Pinterest in the description area.
5. Post Consistently
This is a principle to keep in mind with any marketing related task. With Pinterest, it’s not difficult to pin to your boards regularly. It only takes a moment to choose an image and write a description.
You should pin something to each of your boards at least once daily. The more you do this, the more chance that your images will be shared and bring you lots of traffic.
6. Choose Timely Topics
Keep up with the news and trends in your niche and pin items that are relevant. This will help make your boards popular and keep people interested in what you are pinning.
7. Connect Pinterest to Other Social Sites
You can set up Pinterest so that all of your pins are automatically listed on Facebook and Twitter. If you don’t want to do this for everything, you can do it manually when you want to.
This is a way to get some of your Facebook friends (or people who “like” your page) and Twitter followers to also follow you on Pinterest. They can also share your pins on these sites.
8. Set Up a Business Account
Pinterest now gives you the option of joining as a business. The rules for doing this are a little stricter than for a general account, and you must provide them with accurate information about yourself.
A business account doesn’t look any different, but it comes with some advantages (some of which are still in the future, as business accounts are a recent feature on Pinterest). With a business account, you will have access to features like analytics and targeted ads.
Conclusion
If you aren’t using Pinterest yet (or have an account but aren’t using it much), now is the time to get started. This is a social media site that is growing very fast. As the internet becomes more image-based, you have to use tools that reflect this.
Pinterest gives you the ability to target your audience with precision. You can create boards for every possible topic or interest. Everything you pin can be shared, not only on Pinterest but also on other social sites like Facebook.
To get even more out of your Pinterest boards, you may want to sign up for a business account. There is no excuse not to be using Pinterest. It’s free and it’s a great way to gain targeted traffic!
Image Credit: ShardsOfBlue
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