Pinterest has quickly become one of the biggest social networking sites. Its user base has grown exponentially in the last year, and it is responsible for referring more traffic than Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn combined.
Pinterest has become a critical part of any social media marketing strategy. Getting followers on Pinterest has become just as important as getting more followers on Facebook and maybe even more important than getting followers on Twitter.
Are you late to the Pinterest bandwagon? Or have you struggled to get a good following on the popular site? Here are a few ways you can get a lot of followers fast on Pinterest:
Provide Valuable Content
The best strategy for getting more followers on any site — whether it’s Pinterest or Facebook or your own blog — is to share valuable content. Find items of interest to followers in your niche. Curate your own pins to add to the site, rather than just constantly repinning content from the site.
While you should take advantage of Pinterest to share your own content, you should be careful not to spam the site with your content. Pinterest users shun other users who only post their own content. Make sure to put most of your focus on items that will be of value to your followers (not just on making sales).
Make it Easy for Followers to Find You
Help your target audience find you by using keywords and hashtags in your captions, descriptions, and more. When users search for content, they will be more likely to find your pins — the same concept that applies to SEO for Google and other search giants.
When you repin content, be sure to write your own captions and descriptions, rather than keeping the default information. This will help you better optimize each and every pin.
Follow Others with the Same Interests
Reciprocity is strong on Pinterest, just as on other social networking sites. When you follow users, they are more likely to follow you back.
Maximize your efforts by following those with pins, boards, or profiles that have keywords in your niche. They will be more likely to be interested in your content and to be friends with other users who are also interested in those topics.
Make Sharing Easy
Take advantage of Pinterest sharing buttons to encourage activity right from your blog and your other social networking profiles. Put a “Follow me on Pinterest” button on your blog, and add “Pin it” buttons to the end of each blog post and page on your site. The easier you make it for others to follow you or share your content, the more likely they will be to do it.
Hold Contests
Contests and giveaways are great ways to grow followers, either on your blog or on your social networking sites. When you announce your giveaway, you can ask readers to follow you on Pinterest or to pin some of your posts or products in order to gain additional entries. The better the prize offering, the more likely you are to gain a lot of followers fast.
Growing followers quickly on Pinterest requires that you do many of the things you likely do already on other sites: Provide valuable content, use keywords in your descriptions, follow relevant users, and promote your profile. Contests are a way to increase those efforts exponentially.
Are you on Pinterest? Has it helped you get more traffic to your blog? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
About Author
Lisa Shoreland is currently a resident blogger at GoCollege.com, where recently she’s been researching college grants. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing and hogging her boyfriend’s PlayStation 3. To keep her sanity she enjoys practicing martial arts and bringing home abandon animals.
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