To have a strong presence on any social media platform requires providing high quality, interesting content and responding to the wants and needs of the audience. Your strategy will center around these two questions:

• Who is your audience?
• What do they care about?

When you have a good idea of your audience and their wants and needs, do some research to see how other brands within your vertical are using Pinterest, and how people are responding. Create your own private Pinterest board to house ideas + inspiration.
Now you’re probably anxious to start pinning. Keep these tips + tricks top-of-mind:
The Do’s:

• Come up with literal names for your boards – “Appetizers” vs. “Om Nom Nom” (this will help tremendously with search)
• Take time choose the a great cover pin for each board
• Add Pinterest and “Pin It” buttons to your website/blog
• Always link your pins back to the original source page to boost traffic back to your site/blog
• Comment on other pins and interact with new groups of people
• Utilize the comment feature on your own pins – longer comments/descriptions get noticed
• Try asking a question in the comment box to elicit a response/discussion

The Don’ts:

• Don’t pin more than 10 consecutive pins at a time (spread them out over time, otherwise people may begin unfollowing you)
• Don’t confuse your followers by pinning random things
• Don’t forget to sign in / sign out if you have multiple logins (Ex. personal + business accounts)
• Don’t pin solely pictures of your products or projects, think beyond. Stretch your brand’s personality into other areas of visual interest.

Remember, pin with purpose. Think Beyond your own Brand. Ask yourself, “Is this re-pinnable?,” “Is this conversational?”
If you have additional Pinterest for Business questions, tweet them to us: @TheSocialLights.