Pinterest is not quite a social media behemoth like Facebook and Twitter, but with 200 million users a month, it can certainly hold its own. The platform’s user base also covers a wide demographic, making it an ideal place for businesses of all kinds to find new customers. As a matter of fact, 50 percent of all millennials in the U.S. use Pinterest. Older people use the platform as well, with 68 percent of American women aged 25 to 54 happily pinning and creating boards. Men are getting into the action as well, with 40 percent of new users being males.

If you never considered using Pinterest as a marketing tool before, here are 13 ways you can use the platform to grow your brand in 2018:

How to Grow Your Brand With Pinterest

1. Integrate Save Buttons to Your Website

It’s always a good idea to make it easy for people to take action, and adding a Pinterest Save button allows them to Pin your content. You can even choose between using automatic or hover buttons. The former appears on every image on your site while the latter appears when the mouse hovers over an image.

2. Concentrate on Amazing Visuals

Pinterest is a largely visual medium, so you have to make sure you’re using well-crafted images. Use photos that are bright, have good composition and are in focus. You can also add some text to give people an idea about your content.

3. Pin Daily and Wisely

Consistency is critical when it comes to Pinterest. The best practice is to have a minimum of one Pin day. If you’re planning on posting a lot of content for the week, divide them up so you’ll have several posts per day. Meanwhile, post seasonal or themed Pins about 45 days ahead of the event.

4. Have Good Timing

When to Pin and post largely depends on your target demographic. You’ll have to do some testing to identify which times are ideal. But generally, the optimal times to post are between 2-4PM EST and 8PM-1AM EST and on Saturday morning.

5. Utilize Rich Pins When Necessary

Rich Pins are upgraded Pins that utilize metadata from your website to give additional information on what Pinners will find when they click on the Pin. These Pins can be used for apps, articles, recipes, and products. More importantly, it highlights the link to the article and has a clear call-to-action button.

6. Optimize Pins

All Pins have a uniform width, although the length varies. Pins that are 800px by 1200px are considered the perfect size. Long pins are also good and are shared more.

7. Try Instructographics

A term coined by Pinterest, instructographics/infographics are very popular with users. Advertisers also love it because of the platform’s length allotment. So if possible, try this style with your content.

8. Take Advantage of Analytics for Better Results

Pinterest analytics can provide you with crucial information, like the most popular Pins and content. From there you can tweak and enhance your strategy so that you’ll target the right audience.

9. Re-Pin Regularly

You want to keep your brand in people’s minds, and re-pinning content from other users can do that. It also keeps your own page populated with new content. But never re-pin posts from rivals.

10. Encourage Engagement

Never forget that Pinterest is a social platform so you have to be engaged and engaging. Follow relevant boards and engage with Pins in your niche. Encourage employees and influencers to join an share something on your group boards.

11. Try Out Promoted Pins

Also known as Pinterest Ads, Promoted Pins are another way to give your brand more exposure. These posts are clearly distinguished by the “Promoted” tag underneath the Pin and when clicked, shows your brand name. Data has shown that companies using these ads received a 20 percent boost in organic clicks.

12. Diversify Your Board

Don’t limit yourself by focusing on Pins about a specific niche. Branch out to slightly different topics as they can draw in a different audience. If you’re selling kitchen appliances, Pins about recipes can pave the way for other groups to become interested.

13. Include Pins in Your Newsletter

Help your customers find your Pins by sending it directly to them. Include the latest ones in your newsletter. It will also lead your direct subscribers to your account.

Pinterest is a very diverse platform, giving you the perfect opportunity to reach different demographics. Grow your brand and become a force to be reckoned with in the Pinterest community with relevant content and well-crafted images.

[Featured image via Pixabay]