By Erika Icon

YNOT – Pinterest is the third most used social media site after Facebook and Twitter, respectively, but Pinterest isn’t always welcoming to the adult industry. Sites like Pornterest, Pinsex, Snatchly and Sex.com have arisen to give adult entrepreneurs a more robust venue.

Whatever pinboard(s) you use, employ social-marketing savvy. Like Facebook and Twitter, virtual pinboards should be all about networking: Sharing new developments and linking to great content are effective ways to attract new customers to your product or service.

Here are five ways to up the value of your efforts.

Pin press releases and other news
Embed images in a press release, and then pin the whole thing. Use an image that defines your company: your logo, a shot of your product, a screenshot from your site or even a headshot of your company’s spokesperson. Start boards devoted to several product or service categories: adult toys, sexy girls or guys, new idea, etc.

Try pinning reviews of your products and services. As long as there’s an intriguing image to go with the text, you can pin almost anything.

If you’re using Pinterest, be sure everything in an image is PG-rated. On the adult boards, go with what feels and looks right for the product in question.

Make pinned images count
Just like on your website, you can incorporate SEO keywords that describe your business into the copy that accompanies pinned images. This will help people find your content in search engines. Title each image something relevant, making sure to use words an end-user might use in a search.

Do the same with the names of your individual boards. Board names should be short and catchy, but that doesn’t mean they need to give up keywords. Get creative.

Don’t forget to watermark your photos with your logo, website name or URL.

Show personality
Like other social networks, pinboard communities thrive on interaction. Show the people who visit your boards something about the personalities of the people behind the project. Don’t fake it; be yourself, but be casual, charming, snarky, entertaining or whatever personality suits you, but develop a personality.

Companies have come up with a variety of creative ways to let people see what goes on behind the scenes. Some companies show photos of employees at company events or let their workers contribute to the boards. Behind-the-scenes glimpses never seem to go stale, and they create interest in the company and its brands.

Every once in a while, stray from your usual fare. Pin something totally unexpected. People will notice, and they’ll appreciate that you don’t see the world as all about you. Just remember to incorporate personality in whatever you pin.

Reciprocate
One of the ways in which pinboards contribute to word of mouth is by repins. Users are encouraged to repin items they find on others’ boards, and the original source usually gets credit. That spreads your brand (another reason to name your images and boards carefully).

Think of repining like you would retweeting at Twitter or liking a page on Facebook. The more your images are repined, the wider your network becomes. Repin others’ images to your boards to “share the love.”

If people comment on your pins, be sure to respond. You might even want to go find an image of theirs you like and comment on it, or ask questions. Remember: conversations build relationships.

Make it quick
Don’t feel overwhelmed by adding another social media venue to your daily workload. Start slowly: Pin one or two images a week and work up from there. Ultimately, try and spend five to 10 minutes a few days a week pinning, repinning and commenting. Eventually, you’ll find using virtual pinboards as easy and enjoyable as tweeting or chatting on Facebook.

A recent survey indicated that Pinterest users are twice as likely as Facebook users to purchase something they see on the site, so using Pinterest and its adult brethren definitely is worth the investment of your time.