While Pinterest isn’t always mentioned alongside the most popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, it remains on most top ten lists. Understanding how Pinterest works and how to best leverage it can help you integrate this highly visual platform into your social media mix.

Here are four ways Pinterest fits into and adds to your social media marketing efforts.

1. Showcasing Your Brand

A Pinterest account page is similar to an Instagram account page in that it consists of a grid of images that, when thoughtfully arranged, can create a branded visual impression.

There are several ways to brand your Pinterest account page:

• Through board categories
• Through board cover images
• Through pins and repins

Pinterest Boards are typically based on topics or categories such as fashion, food, home dC)cor, and travel. Add Boards to your Pinterest page that align with your brand. The pins you design and upload to your page as well as the ones you repin, should also align with your brand.

You can customize each board cover image and organize boards on your Pinterest page in a specific order to create a custom look and feel. Select images to represent each board that visually reflect your brand and even your brand’s color palette.

If you’re a real estate agent, you could start by building boards that feature properties you’re showing, but don’t limit yourself to listings. Add boards about features and amenities found in relevant neighborhoods, local events, interior dC)cor ideas to inspire new homeowners, even links to local businesses.

If you’re a dog groomer, create boards to showcase your work but also think about what might be of value and interest to your current and prospective customers. Dog nutrition, pet accessories, dog-related events, dog rescues, and complementary dog businesses are all relevant topics that can flesh out the boards on your Pinterest page.

2. Building Awareness

Having a Pinterest account adds an additional point of contact and connection for prospective and existing customers. Pins you create can lead to your website, online store, or other online presence.

There are several ways to use Pinterest to help build more awareness about your company.

• Pin regularly and consistently. Pinterest recommends that you post at least weekly or at whatever pace works for you, but to be consistent about it.
• Pin quality, shareable pins. When others repin your pins, it organically increases your pin visibility. Make sure some of what you pin leads to your website or other online places where customers and prospects can connect with you.
• Repin often. Designing and uploading custom pins is a big part of building awareness, however, repining other quality, relevant pins can help get your company on other people’s radar.
• Pay to advertise. Like other popular social networks, Pinterest has a self-service Ad Manager to create and manage ads.

While getting impressions is helpful in online marketing, getting conversations is even better.

3. Driving Traffic

While sales may be the ultimate goal of marketing, getting people to your website and to connect and communicate with you can get you closer to closing a sale. Pinterest can drive traffic to your website or online store, bringing prospective customers closer to you. By simply pinning content from your own website to your Pinterest page, you can generate visuals that lead new traffic to your website.

To easily pin from your website, add the "Save to Pinterest" browser extension to Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge, then hover over the images on your website that you want to add to your Pinterest page. You’ll be prompted to choose a Board or create a new Board to pin it.

Make sure your website is "pinnable" as well. That means paying attention to the graphics you add to your site. Design graphics with Pinterest specifically in mind, meaning images in the optimal dimensions for Pinterest pins: vertical with a 2:3 aspect ratio or 1000 x 1500 pixels.

Make it easier for your website visitors to pin from your website by adding the Pinterest "Save" button to your website. You can do this using Pinterest’s Add-on Builder to generate HTML code that can be pasted into your website page code. Each pin generated using the Save button can drive traffic back to your site.

4. Repurposing Content

Pinterest can be a repository for content you’ve created on other platforms or for other purposes. You know that series of short videos you created on TikTok? You can upload them to your Pinterest account as well as to a board titled TikTok or under any other relevant category.

Other content that can be repurposed on Pinterest includes:

1. PowerPoint slide presentations. While you can’t upload PowerPoint files, you can convert them to JPEG, PNG, MP4, or MOV file formats and upload them as pins.
2. Videos including TV commercials, presentations, behind-the-scenes, and product demos. You can also use the "Save to Pinterest" browser extension to pin directly from TikTok and YouTube. Use Pinterest as a repository for all the videos you’ve created, even if you are doing the same on YouTube.
3. Event coverage. If you’re hosting or attending an event that you’ve photographed or livestreamed, you can create a Board as an archive.
4. Marketing collateral. Convert brochures, flyers and posters, even product packaging into JPGs or PNGs and upload them as pins that lead to your website.

As long as you convert files to the file formats accepted on Pinterest (JPEG, PNG, MP4, MOV, and M4V), almost any content you’ve produced can be pinned.

As you can see, there are benefits to using Pinterest and ways to get the most out of it by properly integrating it into your social media marketing efforts.