5 Tips to Market Your Business on Pinterest

I love Pinterest! For my personal life, it’s a fun way to share fashion ideas and find new craft projects. But did you know it can be a very valuable tool to market your small business? Pinterest can be just as important as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn... as long as you know how to use it properly.

If you're already loving Pinterest for your personal life, but aren't quite sure how to integrate it to your business, here are some tips for you to market your business on Pinterest.

1) Include your business' information. Many businesses overlook this on Pinterest, but it is essential for potential customers to be able to find your business online. Write a short blurb about your company, include your website address and your contact on your Pinterest page.

2) Brand your account. Your logo, colors and images should remain consistent with the look and feel of your brand. This will help support your overall brand image and allow for clients and customers to recognize your brand easily.

3) Support your fellow small businesses. Make an effort to follow other businesses, especially those in your local area. They can easily be found using the search tool. Most small businesses are in the same boat and helping each other out can go a long way. So, join the Pinterest community of small businesses, spread their word and see them spread yours in return.

4) Utilize email marketing to promote your account. Do you use an e-newsletter to stay in touch with your customers on a regular basis? Promote your Pinterest account in your e-newsletters. This can be a great way to get followers quickly and to help stay in contact with your customers outside of the quarterly e-newsletter.

5) Create useful group boards. What does your target audience want to know about? What can you teach your potential customers? What would people think about your new product? Not only can you broadcast information about your products by using Pinterest's boards, you can also gain valuable insight and feedback from your potential customers that will help you better serve them.

The most successful pins on Pinterest have traits in common. They combine great images with content to solve a problem, inspire, offer something desirable or appeal to an interest in a hobby. Now that you have these simple guidelines to follow, you'll be able to better market your business through one of the top social media platforms. The one overall principle that should guide your social media marketing: the content you deliver should benefit your current and potential customers.