Become a Pinterest Pro in 5 Easy Steps

One of BBB Systems' Pinterest boards

With the amount of press it’s gotten lately, you’ve most likely already heard about Pinterest, a new – and increasingly popular – social networking site. Pinterest is unique in that you aren’t sharing pictures or status updates about your life — you’re sharing images you find around the web.

The Pinterest site describes themselves as a virtual pinboard. The site explains, “Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.”

But where do brands fit into the mix? While Pinterest is slowly starting to attract more and more brands, it still has a predominantly female user base… which is great if that’s your target audience. Still, there are quite a few users interested in a variety of topics, from technology and gadgets to architecture and gardening, as well as geek humor and funny images in general.

The way your brand can garner attention from Pinterest users and hopefully get some linkbacks to your website or blog is by pinning interesting, funny, eye-catching, newsworthy, (you get the idea), images to different boards you create. The key is to pin a mix of images, some from sites you find around the web and some from your own blog or website to ensure you’re receiving linkbacks and exposure, without alienating Pinterest users.

Ready to get started? Check out the five simple steps to mastering Pinterest below:

Sign Up – At the moment, Pinterest is still invite only. Visit www.Pinterest.com and click on “Request an Invite.” It took me under a week to receive my invite, so you’ll be pinning in no time at all. If you simply can’t wait, (and you’re nice) leave a comment below and I can send one to you. Once you’ve been invited to Pinterest, you’ll be able to send invites to friends too.

Create Boards – Ready to start pinning? First you’ll need to create some boards. Click ‘add’ from the top right menu and then click ‘Create a board.’ Give your board a name and select the category it best falls under. For example, my current boards include, “Custom QR Codes,” “News for Techies,” “Nerdy Delights,” “Tips and Tricks,” and “New Client Spotlight.” Most of my boards fall under the “technology” category. I’ve tried to create a mix of boards; some to highlight our business and clients, others just for fun and tech news.

Pin Images – Now that you have your boards created (you can create more boards at any time), it’s time to start pinning. To simplify things, add the ‘pin it’ button to your toolbar. You can find and download it from the ‘About Us’ section in the top right menu. Once it’s been downloaded, you can hit ‘pin it’ any time you find an image online that you want to share. You won’t be able to pin from social media sites like Facebook, though. You can pin from any other websites and blogs.

Use SEO Descriptions – When you hit ‘pin it,’ you’ll be asked to describe your pin. It’s best not to just put “haha” or “love this!” in this location. Bryan Laurienti, co-owner of BBB Systems, advises, “Don’t forget that SEO is a powerful tool and can be used in conjunction with all of your social media efforts.” Be descriptive and use strong keywords to help your Pinterest page get found on the search engines. Even if you’re pinning something unrelated to your business, use keywords because the more people who find your page, the more chances you have for people to learn about your brand.

Engage with Users – Pinning images to your boards is easy, fun, and addicting, but it’s not the only aspect to mastering Pinterest. As with all social networking sites, you have the opportunity to find your target audience and reach new users. Be sure to follow people and boards (you have the option for both) and you can also repin, ‘like,’ and comment on other users’ pins. All of these are great ways to grow your own Pinterest page and help you to become a valued member of the Pinterest community.

Be sure to check out our Pinterest page and follow a board or seven!