Pinterest isn’t necessarily every business owner’s go-to social media site for marketing. When most people think of Pinterest they think of planning weddings, collecting recipes and DIY projects and getting ideas for how to decorate a home. If you’re a doubter of Pinterest, I have one question to ask you. Have you ever actually been on Pinterest? It is literally crack for your eyes. You can’t stop looking at the site because you’re afraid you’ll miss a valuable pin you haven’t added to your DIY board, but you need to look at more and more pins to satisfy your craving.

Pinterest is a goldmine of opportunity for business owners. It’s an incredible marketing tool that can help spread the word about your product quicker than you could by word of mouth. You still don’t believe me do you? Just promise me you’ll read the rest of this post and then give me your honest opinion.

There’s a Board for That

If you have a product or service, someone has a board on Pinterest for it. It doesn’t matter if you sell mechanical parts, air conditioners or cleaning products. Someone on Pinterest has a board they are just waiting to pin your product to. Say your business sells heating and cooling appliances. You pin a creative and eye catching graphic to the appropriate board and link it back to your website. Someone who is looking for home maintenance tips on Pinterest can see your pin and add it to one of their boards. Then, anyone who follows them will be able to see your pin. Pin some how-to videos to your Pinterest boards. The Family Handyman, a company that helps people accomplish their DIY and home improvement projects, does a great job of linking their how-to videos to Pinterest. This is a really simple way to get more people to see what your business has to offer.

Bring on the Traffic

Pinterest is also great for increasing your web traffic. The more people who click on your pin and are then led to your website makes you more visible to potential new customers. It is also a great way for people to stumble upon your site and learn more about your business and other products you might sell. Create interesting boards that maybe don’t pertain directly to your business, but people will still enjoy. Home Depot’s Pinterest page is an excellent example. This could also lead them to venture over to your website. They might spend a lot of time on your website, or they might not, but the main goal is to get them there. The more people who see your website the better, and Pinterest is an excellent tool for that.

Make Your Presence Known

Why have social media accounts if you’re not going to advertise them? Who is going to know you’re active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest if you don’t spread the word? Businesses have to be vocal about their presence on social media if they want anyone to know about it. Use your email newsletter to mention your accounts, link to your Pinterest account in a tweet or status on Facebook. It doesn’t have to be obnoxious, but you need to make your followers, who are most likely your customers, aware of where they can find you on the Internet. Again, this will spread the word much faster than if you were to call up every single one of your clients and mention you’re on Pinterest. But you shouldn’t be doing that anyway. DO NOT DO THAT.

Businesses can definitely use Pinterest to their advantage, it will just take some time and a little work. If you only spend 20 minutes a day updating your boards, the followers will come. More people will be interested in what you’re pinning which will drive them to your website. Have I converted you to the dark side that is Pinterest yet? Don’t worry, I’ll get to you eventually.