When you think of Pinterest you don’t instantly think of a business growth strategy or lead generation but Pinterest has been one of the most beneficial tools I have used for my business. Some may be surprised to hear that Pinterest is actually a visual search engine, similar to Google. People hop on in search of answers. Don’t get me wrong, I still love using Pinterest to find my next chicken dinner, but it has been an intricate part of growing my business and driving traffic to my site.

So what should you be pinning?

Well, first things first, you need to create content you can Pin. If your business doesn’t already have a blog, I strongly suggest starting one. It is not only a great resource for your clients but also a big help at getting your name out there. Every blog post I write gives me at least 3-5 pins to drive traffic to my site. After completely a blog post I create images that I can pin and link back to post. I try a few different styles to see what works better. A little A/B testing if you will.

 

Another great idea for stuff you can Pin is your recent work. If you finished a project and are adding that to your site, pin it! Just shared something inspiring on Instagram, pin it! Anything that helps get your name out there and in front of potential customers can help. 

Here are just a few of the things I am pinning daily.

1. Blog posts (don’t be afraid to link to an older post)
2. Recent work
3. Instagram photos
4. Etsy shop listings
5. Giveaways and freebies
6. Current design trends

Use helpful tools

Once you have figured out what you want to pin, now is the time to get your stuff out there. A great tool I use that helps me continually post new content is Tailwind. Tailwind helps me manage my pins and automatically schedules them to go out at the best time for engagement. They also have Tribes, similar to Facebook groups, that allow people in similar niches to pin your material on their own boards.  It does have an annual fee but it was worth every penny because it has almost doubled my monthly impressions.

Focus on Your Pinterest Profile

You want to make sure that your Pinterest page is a business account. This allows you to use Rich Pins, which are pins that include your business information right on the pin so you can easily direct users to your desired link. This can be extremely beneficial when trying to gain more impressions and clicks.

Your Pinterest profile is also something to pay close attention to. You want to make sure you include an engaging, professional profile photo and a descriptive bio. Spend time thinking of your target audience and make sure you have boards that speak to those audiences.  

 

Learn from the Analytics

Another thing I love about Pinterest is the analytics. It is a lot like Google Analytics which allows me a behind-the-scenes look to see who is engaging with my pins and what content is most popular. This helps me get to know my audience and direct my time and energy on content that people actually click on.

So there you have it! A little rundown on how I have used Pinterest to grow my business. The most important take away I could give you is to get out there and pin, don’t focus on your amount of followers, just focus on creating a ton great content for users to enjoy and pin! Happy pinning!