There’s much to be said about the extraordinary benefits of using Pinterest in your marketing to drive traffic to your website. But the fact is the effectiveness of Pinterest lies in its simplicity. Like Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Research has shown that the average Pinterest user stays on the site for 90 minutes! Why? Because unlike other forms of social media, Pinterest is strictly a visual social media platform. That’s its strength. This is huge for marketers to understand and you want to develop a way to use this to your advantage.
Its weakness however, is that you can’t communicate directly with other members as you normally would on Facebook or Twitter, although some may find that to be a positive, as well. Just kidding!
How to Get Social with Pinterest
But don’t worry… all hope is not lost. You can still maximize the social elements of Pinterest to boost your traffic. In fact, it will actually be easier because there are fewer variables to worry about. Use the tips below to increase your Pinterest traffic.
Add a Pinterest Share Button to your blog/website
All the shareable images on your website/blog should be able to be pinned and shared easily.
Add a Pinterest Follow Button to your website
This will make it easy for people to follow you on Pinterest from your site.
Add a Pinterest Follow Button to your Facebook page
Imagine that. Using one popular social media site to link to another is simply brilliant. By adding a Pinterest tab on your Facebook page, you’ll be able to get people on your Facebook page to follow your Pinterest boards.
Add the Pinterest Profile Widget to your website
This is akin to having thumbnails of your boards. People might get curious and click to see what you have on Pinterest. It does work.
Build an app that includes the Pinterest Profile Widget
You can build Android or iOS apps that have a Pinterest profile widget within them.
Share as Much as You Can
Social media is all about sharing. That’s how they work. Posts, images, and other media can only go viral if people share. You should not only share your own things on Pinterest but also other people’s pins, boards, and profiles. It makes you look like a team player who is generous.
In addition to sharing your stuff, you also need to share yourself. Here’s how:
Comment on other Pins, especially the popular ones
In order to increase engagement on your boards, you should engage in other people’s boards. The more useful comments or funny quips that you post, the more people will click through to check out your boards.
Mention others within descriptions of your Pins
You will get people more involved in your board if you mention them by name or tag them in a pin. Do not spam them and only tag people you are familiar with. Do this sparingly. It is effective but should not be overused.
Mention others in the Comments area
While you’re not able to talk to people directly on Pinterest, you can tag them in the comments section of a pin.
Promote your Boards to get people to follow you
Focus on promoting your individual boards rather than your profile. People are more likely to follow boards rather than entire profiles on Pinterest.
Follow other people’s Boards
It’s a good idea to find boards that are related to your niche but not in direct competition with you and follow them. Your audience will enjoy following these boards as well.
Follow people back when they follow you
This is being gracious. There is no need to be picky about whom you follow if they follow you first. When they follow you, their friends might like your boards and start following you too.
Hold contests
Everyone loves contests and winning prizes. Use contests to drive traffic, build your list, generate buzz and engagement.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, remember that Pinterest is a social media network, and just like all social media, it is made to encourage social interaction. While it is good to plan your boards and create awesome images, do not neglect the human factor.
Interact with the people who connect with you. The more you engage with others on Pinterest, the more participation you will see on your boards.
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