5 Tips to Maximize your brand's potential on Pinterest

Facebook and Twitter may have a large userbase and get the bulk of the press, but brands who really want to diversify would do well to look at some of the other niche networks as well, with Pinterest being the safest bet from amongst them.

Did you know that the average Pinterest user is a follower of nine brands on the network, and spends over 15 minutes on the platform at any given time? People use Pinterest as a shopping site – no wonder that it now drives more sales than Facebook, which is seen more of a tool to connect with friends and family, followed by other priorities later. 70% of users say they went to Pinterest to find inspiration for what to buy!

Here are several different ways you can use Pinterest to increase your sales and grow your customer base:

1. Understand the Pinterest Culture

Pinterest has a very different mode of working and browsing when compared to its counterparts from the Social Media genre, and this in turn makes it ideally suited for brands who are selling products on the site. Many businesses who get on the network thinking it to be a similar service to Facebook and Instagram, thereby putting their foot in the wrong step in the process.

From your brand's perspective, take some time to explore the site and see how others are using it. Which ones end up as the most popular pins? What kind of users are considered influential over a period of time? Learn from them before jumping in!

2. Pinning over Re-Pinning

As an active manager of your brand, your strategy should include fixed benchmarks on how many pins you are willing to share during any given week. 'Re-pinning' fellow users' pins is also encouraged, as is commenting on pins you encounter sitewide, and is a neat way to clock up on more followers.

However, simply re-pinning other peoples' content will not increase your sales - in fact, it will probably increase someone else's! Therefore, it is very prudent to be strategic with your re-pins, and consistently share a steady but not overwhelming stream of your own products to keep your audience interested and interactive.

3. Tell your Story using Pins

It's always a great idea to tell people about your company using visuals that communicate part of your story. How did you start out? What challenges did you encounter?

It is an equally great step to share testimonials from established customers. What did you learn from them, and how did you solve their problems? Keep in mind that potential customers like to connect with brands on social networks, not see faceless, nameless logos that have no personality or back story.

4. Invest in Great Visuals

While you could have a great strategy and great content on your website or online store, but if the pins are not optimized for Pinterest, they will not get re-pinned and liked. As is the case with other similar networks such as Instagram therefore, shareable, pinnable images are clear, colorful, elicit emotions and get a reaction.

5. Enable Rich Pins

'Rich' Pins is the term in vogue all over Pinterest that represent pins that have a price, consequently increasing sales. Firstly, they put people in a shopping state of mind subconsciously, in addition to the benefit of increasing purchases by broadcasting prices on pins outright.

Do you need help with marketing your company or brand on Pinterest? Give a shoutout to the friendly folks at Brand Update and they will be at your service!