If you are looking to engage potential customers on social media, you must have a robust Pinterest presence.

Pinterest is gaining traction over Facebook and Twitter in terms of eCommerce engagements.

On Facebook, you think about friends, and on Twitter you think about news. On Pinterest, you think about what you want to do, where you want to go, what you want to buy. – Joanne Bradford, Pinterest’s head of partnerships

This statement outlines the intentions of your potential consumers while using Pinterest. So, it’s important for you to consider this behavior when building your social media strategy. This post will outline tips and tricks to help increase your Pinterest engagements for your business.

Here are the top 10 Pinterest hacks you should know

1. Benchmark Your Competitors Pinterest Usage

It’s possible to see the type of content shared from a site even if it’s not registered on Pinterest – making it great for competitor benchmarking.

Use this link format in the browser address bar: http://www.pinterest.com/source/<web address>

I ran a search for my blog, and this is what it returned. I was able to see everyone who posted my content with link-backs to my site on Pinterest.

2. Use Analytics to Review Pinterest Drivers

In Google Analytics, you can compare the percent of new visitors and sales referred, average order and conversion rate.

Remember that even if you’re not actively using Pinterest you may still be driving some new visits that can help you establish the business case.

3. Convert Your Current Pinterest Page to A Business Page

Existing users can convert their Pinterest to a business account by following these instructions.

4. Use Pinterest Rich Pins To Increase Engagements

Rich Pins are Pins that include extra information on the Pin itself. They allow you to add extra details to your Pins to make them more useful.

Here’s an example:

5. Use Insight Providers to Track Pinterest Competitors

The easiest and only ‘free’ way to assess competitor activity is to follow your competitors and regularly look at the news feed to see their updates.

6. Use Pinterest Analytics to Direct Your Sharing Strategy

Pinterest analytics can provide insight into:

• The Pins and boards that are most engaging for your followers
• Content that users like to save from your website
• Your audience – who your Pinterest audience is, gender, location, and other interests
• Devices most commonly used to Pin your content
• The impact of the Pin It button and Pinterest widget on referrals to your website

7. Use Pinterest Pin It Buttons and Profile Widgets

Encourage sharing and visits to your boards. Pinterest buttons are available from the new Pinterest Widget Builder:
http://business.pinterest.com/widget-builder

8. Using Real-Time Pricing

According to Shopify , Pins with a price get 36% more likes than those without.

Be sure to use them in Pins. They can drive engagement.

9. Use Links As Calls-to-Action

Links will appear automatically beneath the image when you pin content, but you can use a custom call-to-action.

10. Remember Quality Over Quantity

Remember that Pinterest does not display Pins based on when they are pinned. Factor this into your content schedule so that you are generating quality content to take advantage of the smart feed.

Welp, that’s my list of top 10 Pinterest hacks you should know.

Happy pinning!