A lot of people. when getting married, one of the main tools that helped  them in their planning was Pinterest. In fact, that's usually the number one place they go to when they're planning a party.

However, Pinterest isn't just used for event planning. You can use the social media platform as a way to market your business, drive traffic to your website, and increase sales.

Pinterest is great when new ideas are needed. In fact, more than 200 billion pins have been saved on Pinterest. And 90% of weekly Pinners make purchase decisions on Pinterest.

That's why it's important for businesses and marketers to be active on the platform.

Below, let's learn how you can use Pinterest to meet your business and marketing goals.

How to Use Pinterest for Business

If you're new to Pinterest, then you'll need to create a business account to get started. Don't worry, this is a pretty simple process as outlined below.

• Create a business profile. Instead of using a personal page, you'll need to get set up with a business account. With this account you'll get access to analytics and ad services.
• Claim and link to your business website. This is an important step in verifying your business page.
• Connect your social media accounts. This is helpful so you can cross-share content and refer people to your other pages.
• Edit your profile. Add engaging profile and cover images and write a catchy (yet, optimized) bio.

Once your profile is set up, it's time to start diving into the strategy of how you're going to use your page to grow your business.

Let's review some of our top ideas below.

1. Determine the type of content you want to post.

As with any social media site, it's important to understand your target audience. What type of content do they want to see on Pinterest?

More importantly, think about the type of content that they'll engage with. Is it infographics, tips and tricks, or perhaps blog posts? To find this out, do some research into the type of content they currently pin on their pages.

Additionally, make sure that you don't sell yourself with every pin. You should share relevant and helpful information on your page as well.

When you have a good idea of what your audience wants or needs to see, creating pins will be easier.

2. Consider your design.

Now that you know what you want to post, it's important to consider what your images look like.

Your designs should be pleasing to the eye and stand out in a sea of images on your audience's page.

Additionally, your images need to follow your brand guidelines. If you don't have a designer on hand, you can utilize tools like Canva to get started.

3. Optimize your pins.

When you're ready to start posting on Pinterest, remember to optimize your pins. You might be wondering, “How do I optimize my pins?”

Use the following checklist to get started:

• Include a URL (could be a link to a blog post)
• Use keywords in titles, descriptions, and image file names
• Create boards that are aligned with your keywords
• Arrange your boards and choose a board cover image
• Use hashtags
• Add a call to action
• Add a Pinterest widget to your site
• Respond to follower comments
• Follow popular boards and comment
• Create a board dedicated to your blog posts

These tactics will help you grow your business with Pinterest and help your posts be discovered.

4. Learn about categories.

On Pinterest, you can assign each board to one of 36 categories. These categories help your pins become discovered.

For example, since I was interested in finding wedding ideas when I was engaged, most of the pins that showed up on my feed were pins that were tagged in the wedding category.

You can scroll through the categories and see which ones are related to your business. This could even help you come up with board ideas.

Once you've thought about this strategy, it's time to create your boards. If you blog, think about blog topics and create boards surrounding those topics.

Let's dive a little deeper into how to use Pinterest for your blog.

1. Create infographics.

A great way to use Pinterest to promote your blog is through infographics. If you have blog posts centered around an infographic, post it on Pinterest.

Additionally, you can repurpose old blog posts into infographics.

Pinterest is a great place to repurpose content and reach a new audience that might not have read your post.

2. Choose the best blogs to post.

You don't need to promote every single blog post on your Pinterest. Instead, just choose the ones that make the most sense for the platform.

For example, choose blogs that have engaging images, great downloadable offers, or have an infographic.

Additionally, think about your board topics. You should promote blogs that relate to your boards.

3. Customize your images.

When you create a pin, it's important to use engaging, custom images. To promote a blog, you can use your featured image and include customized text.

For instance, many pins that promote blog posts include the title of the blog on the custom image. The title is a great way to draw people in and get them interested in your blog post.

4. Write an optimized pin description.

When you write the description for a pin promoting a blog post, it's important to tell people what to expect in the post.

While you want to leave some mystery and pique their interest without giving away too much, they need to know what it's about.

Additionally, you should include the appropriate search terms and keywords in your pin description.

When it comes to marketing your business, capitalize on Pinterest. Inspire your audience to use your products and services in their lives, or just inspire them in general.

If you use Pinterest correctly, it could be your products and services that users are pinning – and purchasing.