5 Tips for Highly Effective Pinterest Boards

You have a Pinterest account for your business. That's a good first step, but are you using it to full advantage? The right Pinterest strategy can help you gather followers faster and better reach your marketing goals. How can you make sure you're getting the most benefit from your Pinterest boards? Take a look at these steps:

1. Fill out your profile thoughtfully.

"Make sure your profile is complete with the paragraph about you filled out and containing a link your website, Facebook page, or whatever social media site you prefer, along with a photo or logo," she says. "It sounds very basic, but a surprising number of people skip this step." As for the image, sherecommends a company logo if several people on your team will be pinning on behalf of your company. But if only you (or any one member of your team) will be the only one using Pinterest, it makes more sense to have a picture of that person. "People want to see the face of the brand, especially with a small business," she says.

2. Think curation, not self-promotion.

Pick out websites, resources and ideas that your audience will find useful, Hayden advises. "Don't just pin yourself and your own blog posts. Think of it as putting together the best resources for your audience. That's the way to build your following." Of course, it's fine to also pin new content such as a blog post or information about an upcoming event, she says. But it's important to balance it with a lot of non-promotional pins as well. And don't just pin pretty pictures, she advises. "Think of it as a bookmarking site."

3. Be as specific and unique as possible.

Most businesses on Pinterest have boards that are way too general, Hayden says. They'll try to appeal to a wide audience and wind up with something completely generic. "You'll have more luck and generate more buzz if instead of a recipe board you have a marshmallow recipe board," she says.

4. Get personal.

"If you're in business for yourself, your instinct might be stick with stuff that falls within your company's niche, but I think it's good to show a little personality," Hayden says. So in addition to boards about things that might interest your customers, consider creating some boards that let people know who you are as a person. "It's OK to have a board about spending time with your kids, or planning a trip, or dreaming about places you'd like to go," Hayden says. "Not being  boring is really important."

5. Consider Pinterest as a collaboration tool. Pinterest is a great way for people working together on a project to share websites, images, and ideas, Hayden says, especially now that Pinterest allows users to create private boards. "Wedding planners are already using it. And if you're planning a conference or other event, everyone can pull in ideas from all over the Web."

Article taken from INC.com