How to Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic to Your Company Website

By Shiv Singh and Stephanie Diamond from Social Media Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Pinterest, unlike some of the other emerging social networks, is something anyone marketing a brand needs to take seriously. Did you know that Pinterest drives more traffic to individual blogs and websites than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined? That’s a force to be reckoned with.

Here’s how the traffic flow works. If you’re following proper Pinterest etiquette, you’re sharing a good mix of content (which can be both images and video). Some of that content is from your own sources, such as your blog or website. The rest of your content is from other content including repins, and other people’s blog posts or videos.

In fact, most of the items you pin shouldn’t be your own content. Unless an image is uploaded directly, most images are links from external sources. Most people who are marketing with Pinterest do so because they want pinners to click their links.

However, it isn’t as simple as sharing a link and hoping people visit your website — you have to be strategic about it.

What follows are a few things to consider when creating and sharing content on Pinterest:

Select images with Pinterest in mind. Your most important goal when creating pin-worthy content is to select an image that represents the article and entices others to click through to the originating site. Use colorful, thought-provoking, and awe-inspiring photos. Pinterest automatically gives image options when you’re preparing to pin something, so take advantage of that opportunity! Photos that tell a story will inspire others to learn more.
Be descriptive. On Pinterest, brevity is essential. With that said, you should write a description worthy of the image. It’s not exactly a headline but, similar to a headline, you want to use the description to capture attention. Share one or two sentences describing the image but leave most of the details to the imagination.

This image gives a good example of this technique. The strawberry slices might make the viewer click through to get more information, such as why the pinner wants you to drink water with berries in it. In addition to being cost-efficient, the pinner might be offering healthy tips on her website or promoting an article on the health benefits of water. Sometimes, the most important information isn’t so obvious.
Tag when at all possible. There’s really no reason to tag all your friends every time you post a pin. However, if a pin reminds you of someone or if you want to give credit to a particular pinner, do tag. The person being tagged, more often than not, will like or share your pin and that helps to get your brand on other peoples’ radars.
Give others the opportunity to pin your content. Use share buttons on your blog posts, articles, images, and videos so others will share with their friends.
Take advantage of the Gifts option. The Gifts option is a way to sell without annoying people with spam or a sales pitch. You can add a price tag to a sales item and it will appear on the Gifts page.
Use keywords and search terms. Use the words and phrases in your descriptions that people are searching for. People also search for images online, so optimize your photos for search to help others find them.
Grow your community. Keep finding new people to follow and interact with. As you grow your Pinterest community, you also grow traffic.
Be consistent. Pin on a regular basis. If people never see anything new from you, they have no reason to continue to follow your pins.
Get nichey. Cater to your niche. Appeal to the people who are most likely to use your products or services.
Use humor. People love to share funny pins, and humor is a great way to break up the themes of your regular pins now and again.
Pay attention to your board categories. Don’t be generic. Your boards should be as eye-catching as your images. Take special care with the names you use for your boards. Pinterest suggests names, but those are only suggestions. Don’t be afraid to change them. Be creative and imaginative, and explore how other brands are using boards.
Be strategic when arranging your boards. Don’t have a random mishmash of boards. Arrange them in an order that puts the most important boards first. If your goal is to sell, place the board with pins relating to your products or services first.

When sharing content and arranging boards, not every pin has to be your content or from you. You can use other people’s content on your boards and in your pins.