If you're not using Pinterest to drive traffic to your business blog, you're missing the boat. Pinterest has become so popular, so quickly, that industry experts say it may be on pace to catch Twitter as the second-most popular social media network behind Facebook.
Follow these steps to harness the power of Pinterest to draw traffic to your business blog.
Pin Consistently
If you pin regularly, your followers will get a steady flow of content and acquire a feel for your style. If you pin all at once and then not again for a few days, they'll be bombarded with your updates and then you'll disappear again. Try to pin a little every day.
Make Your Pins Your Own
Pinterest reports that more than 80 percent of their content consists of repins. If you pin your own, original content, not only will you not get lost in the mass of repinners, but you'll be putting out fresh content to the 80 percent of the Pinterest community that's just waiting to repin fresh work.
Pin What's Trending
What's hot? What's everyone talking about? Find out and find a natural, organic way to weave it into your content and you'll jump to the front of the line.
Use Business Pages
Pinterest lets businesses create pages in order to promote their enterprises on the Web. Build your business page to the point where it functions as a "virtual storefront."
Since the overwhelming majority of Pinterest users are women - who tend to make household financial decisions - and people directed from Pinterest spent considerably more per purchase than people who originated from Facebook, business pages could drive traffic and sales.
No Link, No Traffic
When you add a photo or other image from your computer, make sure you add a link! Omitting this step is among the most common Pinterest mistakes. Without a link to a Web site, Pinterest will render it a dead link, resulting in no traffic bump for you.
Cross Promote With Twitter
Tweet your pins. Not only will you draw more traffic, but you'll be able to ascertain which Twitter followers are more likely to be interested in your content.
Use Group Boards
Since their introduction, group boards have been a blessing to businesses on Pinterest. Aside from networking, group boards can dramatically increase your repins, followers, and eventually traffic to your business blog.
Pinterest, perhaps more than any other site, has realized there is still a void for business users in the social media world and attempted to fill it with their unique platform. Use Pinterest wisely, and watch your traffic grow.