Pinterest is currently the third most popular social network, trailing only to Facebook and micro-blogging giant Twitter.

Yet many businesses still misunderstand how to integrate Pinterest marketing into their business.

Pinterest marketing offers a chance to tell an engaging story about your brand beyond mere words.

In fact, Pinterest's rapid rise in fame can be attributed to the unique billboard approach adapted where users are able to pin and categorize pictures to virtual boards.

Used as a way to catalog anything from planning an event to tracking hobbies and interests, Pinterest is a visual dream for online marketers.

So how can you make the most of this social site?

Below are seven tips to help you capitalize on the power of Pinterest. Discover how you can share current content with consumers who are eager to connect with your business or brand!

Pinterest Marketing Tips for Your Business

1. Plan to succeed in pinning

When in business, very few precautions can beat proper planning. Maintaining a leading Pinterest page will cost you time, so it's only prudent that you plan for pinning success.

After you set up your account, take a few steps to ensure that you are properly branded and easy to connect with:

• Add your picture or logo - both should have keyword optimized titles
• Add a short description or bio in the “About” section under the settings tab
• Link your Pinterest account with other social networks including Facebook
• Provide direct links to your website for a higher conversion ratio
• Leave “visibility” set to “Off” so your page is visible to search engines

2. Use strategic pinning

There are several ways to strategically use Pinterest for marketing purposes. Below are a few examples to get you started:

• Pin images that represent your brand or business. As you build a following, you are creating a loyal tribe that will re-pin your images, thereby extending your reach to their fans and followers.
• Follow people or businesses that offer similar services and re-pin any information that your niche would find valuable. This strategy relies on the law of reciprocity and is a strategic way to build meaningful relationships with industry peers.
• Edit your pin and add your Facebook business page, Twitter or website url to ensure anyone re-pinning your content is able to find and connect with you online.

3. Embrace social pinning

Social networks are meant to remain just that, social. This is why social media marketing has to be a give-and-take relationship.

Remember to like and comment on other pins from the people you follow. A simple gesture such as adding @tags to give credit to the originating source can go a long way in building a presence and a following.

4. Be a creative pinner

If you want to succeed in Pinterest marketing, you need to create compelling boards with unique, creative and visually appealing content.

What content do you have online and offline that you could share?

• Answers to FAQ
• Video tutorials
• Infographics
• Marketing flyers

5. Run irresistible promotions

Pinterest has become a top location for running business promotions, sweepstakes and other free giveaways. Running an irresistible promotion will allow your giveaway to quickly go viral as fans reping and share your content across their social channels.

You can either create a Pinterest specific promotion or use content already designed and housed on your website.

6. Think SEO

Pinterest is now driving more referral traffic than Yahoo, Bing or Twitter; making it the fourth largest traffic driver worldwide.

When optimized, Pinterest has the ability to improve your search engine ranking.

3 tips to optimize your pins:

• Review all links to your unique content including blog posts, guides and e-books to ensure the link is included in your description you provide ooze nothing but supreme quality content.
• Create keyword rich titles for your boards without being spammy. The name should clearly represent the content found within that board and give anyone researching that keyword a quick way to know whether your content is relevant to their search.
• Optimize the title of your image before uploading to Pinterest. This means including your keyword(s) within the title, such as "social media business tips."

7. Monitor Traffic

The best online marketing initiatives are those that can be tracked. Make sure you monitor how your followers respond to each of your pins on Pinterest. How many likes and re-pins are you receiving?

You can also monitor your analytics to help you better understand activity, measure impact and gauge your overall success. Sites such as Pinerly and Pinreach can give you insight into what your followers are responding to and what areas you may want to update or improve upon.

Pinterest is a great way to connect with fans of your business in a unique way. Join me on Pinterest for tips on how you can successfully integrate social media marketing into your growing business!