According to PR Daily, 3.6% of referral traffic is driven by Pinterest – rivaling Twitter’s 3.61% referral traffic. Pinterest is a social media shooting star considering that in July 2011, referral traffic was at a mere 0.17%. Pinterest is responsible for more traffic than Google+, LinkedIn, and MySpace combined and has over 50 million blog posts that reference or feature Pinterest. Currently, there are 10.4 million individuals registered to Pinterest and 97% of them are women, according to AppData. Since the start of 2012, there has been a 145% increase in Pinterest users (per Mashable) and Trend Hunter found that Pinterest has raised $37.5 million since October 2011.

Pinterest continues to ramp up fame in the wake of other major social media networks. There are many major brands using Pinterest such as Real Simple, HGTV, Whole Foods, Etsy, and Coca-Cola. Before starting a Pinterest account for your business, be sure to consider whether Pinterest is the right social media platform for you. Social Media Examiner suggests businesses in such areas as architecture, technology, healthcare, home improvement or DIY accessories, apparel, travel, and interior design will enjoy the best results.

To get in on the action, follow these six Pinterest tips to achieve online brand success:

1. Be “pinteresting” by pinning frequently and keeping your pinboards current and entertaining. The goal is to interact with Pinterest users and build brand loyalty through relationships of interest.
2. Be organized and only select the best pins to share with users, and be sure that the pictures are of highest quality and aesthetically pleasing. Pinterest maintains a simple platform that is uncluttered and visually appealing; you would do best to stick to this trend to gain attention and a reputation for great pins.
3. Be smart by linking your business’s website and other social media sites to your pins to drive online traffic. Be thoughtful when creating pins; you want to be pleasantly persistent, but not detestable for over-pinning. Also, pin about more than just your products or yourself; connect with other brands.
4. Be SEO proactive and add descriptions to all of your pins. These key words will help drive traffic to your pins, your Pinterest account, and your linked sites. Pinterest users may search key terms, so use this as an opportunity to achieve greater SEO.
5. Be friendly and follow! You should look for Pinterest users that have a huge following and follow them. More times than not, they will follow you back and this gets the ball rolling on your own Pinterest following. If the big names like you, then you have done something right.
6. Be personal and connect with Pinterest users by being casual, conversational, and open about your company or brand. Pinterest is about engaging one another’s interests, so you will achieve the greatest success by showcasing a memorable personality and fostering personal connections.

Businesses that use Pinterest effectively will be able to connect with their target audiences and build significant brand loyalty. Remember, Pinterest is about joining individuals and interests while fostering relationships. Visit http://pinterest.com/ today to see what the buzz is all about!