How to be Awesome on Pinterest?

In their words, Pinterest is “A Virtual Pinboard.”Probably the best social networking site where you can upload pictures of what interests you.

Traffic on Pinterest has grown 4000% in the last 6 months. They’re already at 40 million users and growing fast. Unlike Google+, the engagement time spent on this site is also very high.

The average user spends anywhere between 10 minutes to half an hour here.

Brands, marketers, consultants and simple profilers - all are present on Pinterest. Like Twitter (and unlike Facebook), Pinterest may not end up being a site which everyone takes to. However, like Twitter, Pinterest has already carved a niche for itself.

It’s easier for brands to showcase their products and services on Pinterest because of the availability of boards and the ability to post pictures. These pictures speak to us much better than blogs, Tweets, Facebook news, etc. Plus, one has the option of driving traffic to her/his site using Pinterest.

Just like other social networking sites, Pinterest will soon get cluttered. So how does one make oneself stand out on the site? I’m no expert on the subject, but with 50+ followers for each of my boards and more than 5 pins repinned 100+ times (one exceeded 200+), I think I can shed some light on the subject.

This post is more from an individual user’s perspective than a business one. So go ahead... read... this stuff should be helpful.

4 ways to be Awesome on Pinterest

1. It’s all STP

97% of Pinterest’s users are women. Just like conventional marketing, segmentation, targeting and positioning are key in gaining followers.

What sort of pins would people be interested in? Do you want to pin stuff which interests you or which interests others?

2. Post exclusive stuff

Most of the content posted on Pinterest is recycled (i.e. repins). The category of pictures you browse (ones not by those you follow) are generally repeated.

The key is to ensure you post exclusive stuff; stuff which is not easily found on the web. Or stuff which makes people go ‘WOW!’ Or those which really tickle their funny bones.

Funny pictures, good quotes, travel and food, informative pics (mainly infographics), women’s dresses and automobiles are boards that find a lot of followers.

3. Categorize your boards (and make few)

This way, your pins show up when users click on the specific category on their home page. The result? More users will see your pins and repin them if they like it. Many users make many boards and pin just 2 – 3 pictures on each. That doesn’t get followers.

Make just a few boards; ones which fall in your category of interest, and keep pinning. Followers increase for boards which regularly get updated, or for accounts which have few, consistently updated boards.

4. What do you want to do

Do you want to use Pinterest to showcase your work (as a consultant) or simply use it for fun? This is the last place where you should be posting pictures about your friends and you. You’ve got Picasa, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and others for that. Not Pinterest.

If you do want to Pinterest as a showcase of your work, you have to be choosy about the stuff you pin. On the other hand, if you use it just for fun (like a lot of us do), enjoy! You have a free rein!

However, remember, exclusive pins gain more mileage and exposure than merely repinning others for the heck of it.We can’t quite predict what the future of Pinterest is, how sustainable it is, how effective it will continue to be. But for now, it’s one of the most visited sites on the web.

They will keep upgrading the site, adding features like being able to view followers of individual boards, messaging users and more. This site is going to be a shot in the arm for businesses.

They, however, must adopt it soon. As of now, 70% American businesses ignore Twitter (the number is substantially larger for their Indian counterparts). Hopefully they won’t commit the same mistake with Pinterest.

So while you’re at it, have fun! One never knows how innovative people may find uses for this site. Happy Pinning!

Image Courtesy ShardsOfBlue and NickMracek