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If you’ve been on Pinterest for a while and have been frustrated that you’re not getting enough followers, repins, click throughs and so forth the reason could be attributed to not knowing how to fully maximize the features that Pinterest offers you.

Many pinners tend to pin a lot of images but forget that there are many other ways to get noticed. You need to put in the effort and stay disciplined with your account, even when it feels like work. I truly enjoy being a Pinterest consultant, but I’m just like you. There are aspects of my job that I delegate or outsource because I understand how important it is to handle the tasks that aren’t enjoyable for me.

Bottom line: you have to do the hard work to get pinners sharing your content and drive more traffic and sales to your business.

Here are 7 features you need to pay attention to:

1. How to easily & quickly add pins to Twitter and Facebook

I love this feature because it’s a time saver especially if you’re not using social sharing tools like Hootsuite.

Once you’ve created your pin share it immediately on Twitter and Facebook. Do this during the time you think your audience is engaged on those two socials and expect to get noticed more!

Social media scientist Dan Zarrella recommends pin description that contains about 200 – 300 characters to get more repins.

Twitter’s best practices reference research by Buddy Media about tweet length: 100 characters is the engagement sweet spot for a tweet.

For Facebook posts of 40 characters receive an 86% higher engagement that posts with more characters according to Jeff Bullas. I’m thinking really?

What this means to me is that when you are crafting your pin descriptions with the intent to share them on Twitter and Facebook then do your best to highlight the most important point on that first sentence. It’s apparently what people on those platforms respond to most.

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Here’s what it looks like on Twitter once it’s published. Do you see how the first 100 characters show up before it shares the Pinterest url? This is interesting as it relates to what Buddy Media recommended.

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When sharing on Facebook it will be shared on your Facebook personal timeline, not your Facebook page which is for business.

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2. Promote your pins via Pinterest’s email

That’s right! Pinterest rolled out an email feature on May 2013.

You can send pins to fellow pinners (if you both follow each other), Facebook friends, or email contact and include a personalized message.

This is also a great tool to send to your prospects. Email them a pin that they will find helpful or something to help them solve their problems.

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Here’s what the email looks like when the recipient receives your email.

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3. Article Rich Pins

This feature was integrated in September 2013 and I’m still in awe by how many bloggers and publications have not taken advantage of this feature.

Everyone is trying to get more eyeballs on their pins on Pinterest and the Article Rich pins will help you stand out on a pinner’s home feed. Article Pins can show information about the article, like its title, site name, description and author.

Click here to sign up for your Article Rich pins.

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4. Board widgets

Below is an example of how I integrated by “Pinterest Case Study + News” board that I included at the end of my blog. Make sure that you choose a board that is in keeping with your topic.

When the pinner clicks on the board it will take them directly to that board and now you have exposed your other boards as well as having increased your chances of getting more followers.

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5. Group board settings

If you are the owner of a group board make sure you keep tabs on what pinners are pinning on that board.  If you ignore your group board activity I can guarantee you’ve overlooked spam and irrelevant content pinners are pinning which will result in your losing followers.

Go to your group board settings and decide which boards you want to receive an email notification from n when someone pins on that board. This is particularly helpful to gather market intelligence and to see what other content is popular out there.

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6. Pinterest’s analytics

One of the frequently asked questions I get is: what’s the benefit of converting your Pinterest personal account to a business account?

If you create a business account, you’ll receive updates on future products and services that will provide more powerful ways of reaching and understanding your audience on Pinterest.

One of the features you’ll benefit from is receiving analytics on how your pins are performing through Pinterest’s analytics. You just need to verify your account and you’ll instantly see which pins are pinned from your website or blog. Knowing this type of information helps you to see what’s working and what’s not.

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7. Pinterest Page widget

If you want to build your followers you’ll need to add a Pinterest widget to your site so those visiting your site or blog will know you’re on Pinterest.

By clicking on the <> on your about section it gives you clear and easy instructions about how to add your Pinterest page board widget to your site.

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If you’re just starting out on Pinterest make sure you get the free Chapter 1 offer from my Pinterest Marketing for Business course so you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

If you’re looking for more great tips about how to use Pinterest to drive more traffic and sales then follow my Pinterest Expert Blog Post board below.