Think Twitter is the best network to spread your online content? Think again. A recent report from ShareThis shows sharing on Pinterest jumped 19.2 percent in the last quarter, while shares on Twitter dropped 7.6 percent. While Pinterest is not for everyone, it could be a viable source for disseminating information about your organization. Consider incorporating these tips into your Pinterest strategic marketing plan. 
Give them the information they are looking for
Most users on Pinterest are shopping; therefore, they are willing to spend more time reading your content to ensure they make the proper buying decision. However, do not make it hard for them. Infographic type images are great because the user can get much of the information he or she needs without clicking through. And guess what? Infographics are not just for those with in-house design teams. There are plenty of sites on the Internet that allow you to make effective, free infographics. Consider trying Piktochart.
Consider visual and size
You want to ensure your visual pulls in someone who is just scrolling through his or her feed of pins. The platform dimensions on Pinterest are different from other networks and allow for longer images. Take advantage of this. The longer the image the more real estate you take up on a user’s feed and the more likely your content will be noticed.
Be sure to vary your posts
If you were at a party and someone came up to you and said the same thing multiple times, didn’t contribute to any of your conversations and only cared about his or her agenda, would you want to talk with him or her again? The same goes for social media. We believe in following the one-third rule. One third of your content should be promotional. After all, the ultimate return with social is someone making a purchase. Be sure any of the content you put on your website has an image that follows the suggestions above, so it is optimum for Pinterest.
One third should be information about your industry. This helps to demonstrate your expertise and shows you are up on the latest issues and trends. Often times when pinning from an article, the text to go with the pin is automatically generated. The auto-generated response may not be the best for your prospects and audience. Make sure to tailor the text to what they would be looking for.
Finally, one of the most important components most frequently overlooked is one third of your content should be actual social conversation. On Pinterest, liking or repinning someone else’s content or actually commenting on another user’s pin can achieve this.
Utilize Group Boards
Group boards are a great way to get your content out to a niche set of users. You can both create your own group board and invite others to join or you can search for a group board that already exists. If joining one that already exists look at how active it is. If there is not a lot of interaction or people utilizing it, consider choosing a different one.
Remember give to get
This rule really applies to any social networking platform. If you want people to interact with your pins, you have to get out there and interact with theirs. People are more likely to reciprocate rather than go out on their own and engage with someone’s content.
Also, remember give to get when looking to grow your following. Like Twitter, the amount of people you are following should be close in number to the amount of followers you have. If possible, you should have more followers than following. Take a little time each week to go through your followers list and follow relevant accounts. In addition, Pinterest does a good job of suggesting other accounts for you to follow. Give some people a follow and you might be surprised how many follow you back.
As Pinterest continues to grow as a popular place to share online content, organizations need to adapt their strategic marketing plans to ensure they have an effective pinning strategy in place. Understanding some best practices can help to ensure you receive a higher return for your efforts.
If you are unsure as to whether Pinterest is a suitable medium for your organization and industry, consider our Strategic Marketing Communications Review. We will evaluate your current social efforts and provide feedback for improving it for 2014.
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Emma Walter is a senior account executive for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @emmasreallytall.
