Guys, we have to talk about something serious today. No, not your 401k or what to do when your kid comes home from school with a less-than-desirable report card.

We have to talk about the power that Pinterest can have on your business.

To put it lightly: If you pour some time into creating your Pinterest presence it can pay-off big time.

Not sure you believe us? Here are some stats that back us up:

• 59% of millennials have found products to buy on Pinterest
• 90% of weekly Pinterest users use the site to make purchasing decisions
• 55% of users are on-the-hunt specifically for products.

Convinced yet? If so, here are a few of our top tips for mastering the booming social media platform.

How to Use Pinterest for Business

1. Take Time for Attention Grabbing Visuals

Visual searches for Pinterest has more than doubled in the past year + if you’ve strolled their feed in recent times you’ve likely realized that you can’t see a caption unless you click on the photo. Use this information to your advantage + stage shoots where you can truly let your products shine and be the center of attention.

Our Advice: Batch photos in a “shoot day” instead of worrying each week about what you’ll post in the coming days.

2. Use a Scheduling Tool

We personally love Tailwind which allows its users to schedule pins. The best part is that they push these pins live when your audience is most likely to see them! Tailwind also has a feature where you can Pin from your Instagram, which allows you to really “kill two birds with one stone” sort of speak.

3. Use Keywords

When uploading your Pins, use keywords that users would use to search for your products. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and really brainstorm this one. Create a list + reference it each time you go to upload new goodness to the site.

4. Create Boards Your Audience Will Love

Of course the name of the game is to sell more products by investing your time on Pinterest, but to do so it also means creating a brand that extends far beyond your product line. Create gorgeous boards your target market will feel attracted and want to keep coming back to. Need inspiration? Shop Ban.do does an incredible job with this.

5. Engage

It’s no secret that engagement is a key to success on any social media platform these days and we encourage people looking to grow their influence using Pinterest to do the same. Engage with prospective customers, answer questions that appear on your Pins + support other makers out there doing their thing — the world always needs more light in it!

Want more social media tips + tricks? Check out our post on using Facebook Ads for Business + let us know what you think!