Experts are reporting that Pinterest has been gaining ground for more than just where to find your next Crockpot meal.

Though Facebook and Twitter still own the game as far as sharing news goes, it looks like Pinterest isn’t too far behind. A new study that researched how content is shared found that 20 percent of media-related content shared on social sites was shared on Pinterest. That’s a two percent increase from this year’s first quarter statistics and it is expected to grow even more.

In September 2013, Pinterest added the option on several news sites to “pin” your favorite articles. Just by allowing consumers to see that red “P” logo next to big wigs Facebook and Twitter put Pinterest in the “sharing” game.

Consider these tips when deciding if your brand needs to be more “pin” powerful:

A picture says a thousand blog hits– If you are a small business, reaching your customers through social media is one of the best investments you can make for your brand. One of the highest website traffic sources are blogs, so to optimize your posts, include high quality, interesting and original photos of your products in your blog. Then, pin those images onto Pinterest, where consumers can find them when they are searching for specific products.

Know the power of tagging: By placing a hashtag in front of keywords in the captions of your pins, you can help consumers find your images by tagging with the search terms they are using. You can also place your images under certain categories to increase hits. The ability for consumers to search for specific things on Pinterest gives the site an edge over other social media sites by connecting consumers to exactly what they want to see faster.

Make Your Brand An Expert: The potential for your brand to become an expert to your target audience is easier than you think. By posting tutorials, advice or demonstrations on your products and services on Pinterest, your customers will learn they can turn to your experts for assistance. The sharing potential with Pinterest will help increase the likelihood your customers will see your content, as well. There are also options to share your pins via Facebook and Twitter. You can even display widgets of pins on your blog and website.

To learn more about how to optimize your social media marketing, contact the professionals at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions.