No matter what your small business sells, you have a lot of options for your marketing. But have you ever thought about Pinterest as a marketing channel?

Do you think that Pinterest is just for people to post recipes and crafts? Yes, it is used for a lot of that type of content. But that is not all that is pinned on that site. Did you know that the site is the 3rd largest social media platform globally with 322 million users?

You can take advantage of this large audience for your business marketing, particularly if your core audience is female with disposable income. You can use Pinterest for product marketing, but it is also ripe for your content marketing initiatives. Here are some ideas for you to try:

• Pin links to each of your product pages
• Create boards for each of your product categories
• Create ‘how-to’ content on your website and pin those on Pinterest
• Interact! Follow boards that are relevant to your business or influencers in your industry. Respond to comments on your pins.
• Pin content from third-party sites that backlink to your site
• If you are using Pinterest a lot, add your Pin code to printed marketing materials (brochures, business cards)
• Add Pinterest save buttons to your website

There are a few things you will want to think about when using Pinterest:

• Have a plan. Don’t just create an account without having an idea of what your content plan will be. Lay out your goals for your account just like you would any other channel.
• Google does search Pinterest for content, so make sure you are aligning to your SEO goals and using keywords in your pin titles and descriptions
• If you are linking to your website, make sure you are using ‘pin-worthy’ high quality images
• Don’t forget to measure your results!

Do you use Pinterest as part of your marketing strategy? Add your tips in the comments!