The numbers just keep climbing:  Pinterest is now the 3rd most popular social network in the U.S. in terms of traffic. But it’s not just “window shopping” traffic – it’s buying traffic. A study by Converto found that Pinterest generates over four times as much revenue per click as Twitter and 27% more revenue per click than Facebook. That’s why using Pinterest can definitely help your business.

Verified Pinterest Business account

The No. 1 secret that everyone – even the smallest Etsy shop – needs to make is to make sure you have a verified Pinterest Business account. *Everyone* needs that little verification checkmark because it shows Pinterest that you are who you say you are. But even more importantly, it shows your ideal customer that you are reputable and can be trusted.

Consumers are savvy and they know that authentication is more important than ever as they shop online. So while the verified Business Account has always been important to Pinterest, it is increasingly equally important to your ideal customers.

But there’s another reason – other than the trust factor – to switch over to a verified Pinterest Business Account- the new, updated and amazing Pinterest analytics. In the past, Pinterest analytics have been pretty basic. But, if you haven’t yet checked out what’s awesome about the new and improved analytics, you need to make this a priority.

The new Pinterest analytics will provide you with incredible information on your ideal audience and their exact interests. With these insights, you can tailor your pins to reach them even more successfully.

In addition, the new analytics capture key data from your website so you know exactly what is motivating your visitors to find you. That in turn can help influence your strategies going forward.

SEO for Pinterest

The No. 2 secret is the importance of making sure your SEO is up to speed. Pinterest is fast becoming one of the most valuable search engines for product-based businesses. And to help your ideal customers find you both on the Pinterest platform and outside on Google – along with other major search engine listings, you want to optimize your account profile, boards and pins.

You’ll also want to ensure that your images have your key words in their file names. Though visitors might not see the file names, this will add to your SEO and help your photos show up in Google images.

Plan ahead

The No. 3 secret is to create a Pinterest plan by counting backwards. Create a calendar of key dates when you are holding sales or specials; introducing new products or just planning to capitalize on high traffic from events like “Cyber Monday.” Reverse engineer your pins so they show up at the optimum time to capture the traffic you are looking for.

My clients who are most successful with Pinterest always start with a plan. As new opportunities come up or you figure out what products or colors are hot, you can make tweaks to make your Pinterest marketing strategy even more effective.

I always advise clients to be constantly evaluating what’s working and what’s not so they can make the most of their efforts. But knowing what you will post, how often and when it will show up, along with measuring your results, means that you have thought through your best marketing strategy. This helps you capitalize on all of the amazing Pinterest traffic all year round as well as, the busiest times of the year for your business.

So make the most of your Pinterest marketing efforts as you enter your top sales seasons of the year.

Pinterest is the 3rd most popular social network in the U.S... and it’s buying traffic. Learn how to use Pinterest to skyrocket your business.