What will the hottest social media platforms be sporting this spring? Red, in the form of Pinterest and more Pinterest, of course.

At least 10 million people are using Pinterest monthly, with numbers predicted to double in the next six months. Views of Pinterest pages are set to exceed 1.7 billion – numbers allowing this highly-visual social media platform to creep up close to the popularity of Facebook.

Perhaps of greater interest is what people actually do when they land on Pinterest. To sum up: they spend a lot of time looking at ideas, concepts and products. They also don’t mind spending time sharing their interests in the massive scrapbook-inspired network that is Pinterest. In fact, a recent article from Social Barrel says most typical users spend more than one hour and 15 minutes on Pinterest when they use it.

What do these numbers mean in terms of using Pitnerest for Business? A great deal. One source says that a typical Facebook user spends around $80, a typical Pinterest engager spends more than double – around $180 on products and services they’ve found through the Pinterest portal. The trend is similar in terms of referrals, with Pinterest outranking Google+ in terms of browsers and buyers motivated by Pinterest referrals.

When considering using Pinterest for business, also consider that Pinterest Pinboards can promote blogs, ecommerce pages and more, with results indicating the social media platform may also be responsible for greater than 17 percent increases in ecommerce revenue during one quarter last year. As you add more fresh, valuable images and content to your Pinboards, you’ll also be expanding the total links toward your business. This can truly boost your overall potential for capturing meaningful leads.

Here are some simple tips for using Pinterest for business:
1. Prepare a great-looking Pinterest page before you start drawing people to it.
2. Don’t overdo or flood your audience with too many Pins all at once – stagger them.
3. Use keywords and searchable phrases in your Pinboard item descriptions.
4. Consider the overall lifestyle-related concept your business or service provides. This is the type of message that works well on Pinterest.
5. Don’t forget you can use Pinterest Pinboards to promote the mission and values of your company, such as gratitude boards or boards to help people get to know your team.
6. Pinterest isn’t a stand-alone tool. It is only a piece of your overall content creation strategy, and works best when combined with a strategic mix of tools.