Wondering how to make the most of Pinterest? Want your pins to yield more followers and help increase your traffic? Use the following tips to Get More Bang Out of Pinterest and see better results from the time and effort that you put into this popular social media tool.

 Get More Bang out of Pinterest

Consider the demographic you want to reach.

The first step in getting more bang out of Pinterest is simply making sure your audience is there. Pinterest users are overwhelmingly female. According to Pew Internet, women are much more likely to use the social media site than men.  Your audience's age also matters, as most Pinterest users are under 50 years of age.  Moms are more likely to frequent the site as well (Nielsen). If your audience isn't already using the site, getting traffic from it will be like pulling very stubborn teeth.

Let's say your audience is on Pinterest. Your next step is making sure the site is a good fit for your niche. Fashion, food, interior design, and crafts tend to do well on this site. However, you may find that your niche has just as much potential. The more representation your niche has on Pinterest, the larger the audience you will likely enjoy.

Take a softer approach.

In general, Pinterest users visit the site to post, share, and consume creative content. They don't generally visit with credit card in hand and an intent to purchase. Encourage your audience members to pin your content and add the Pin It button to your website and blog to make it easy for them to do so.  Create boards to share your content, but make them rich, creative, appealing and diverse.  Pin your content but use your boards to share relevant images from others as well.

Pinterest has recently added Promoted Pins to its mix, but its still in the experimental phase. The jury is out on when this addition will become widely available and how helpful it will prove.

Add a call to action.

Don't assume that your audience will know what you want it to do next. Include a call to action in your pin caption or in the image you pin. Let your audience know if you want it to click, repin, or comment, for example. Calls to action increase engagement.

Be original.

Repinning other people's images is part of the Pinterest experience, but to get the most out of the site, create plenty of your own. When you produce creative, compelling pins, other users will share them and help expand your audience. Remember, you don't have to create complicated pins. Videos and infographics do draw attention, but an eye-catching image with compelling text and a colorful background can serve you just as well.

Have tips for getting more out of Pinterest? Share them in the Comments section!

About the Author

Christina S.
An old-fashioned digital gal; mother of teens, lover of coffee. Partner at @SmartSavvySoc & @SocialMediaSchl http://ChristinaStrickland.com