As if there were not already enough posts about Pinterest! I had to go and write another one.

And I doubt its because the information I am going to share is new or earth-shattering.  The thing about this post is that I attempted a really simple infographic and wanted to share it with you today – in honor of Social Media Day!

And since Pinterest is still one of the hottest topics online, I chose to write about it.

The 8 strategies on this infographic are ones I have used and many I have coached my clients to implement. They are each simple things you can do in an hour or more to promote your business on Pinterest.

All you need is a little creativity, the right graphics (Pinterest IS a VISUAL medium) and a link where people can learn more information.

Here are the 8 simple ways to market your business on Pinterest (and estimated times it will take to implement each)

#1 Feature Custom Products and Services – do you have a special product you produce or carry that would make a good visual to pin? If so, find the link to your picture online and add it to your board.  (15-30 minutes)

#2 Host Contests – I am not talking anything complicated here.  A contest can be as simple as creating a graphic and asking your followers to Pin it to their boards. On Pinterest that is known as “Pin it to Win it.” Come up with a give-away prize that enough people would be interested in winning and make the visual announcment on Pinterest. Search Pin it to Win it for samples of what other companies are doing.  (30 – 60 minutes).

#3 Ask Questions Using Visuals – Come up with a problem or challenge you know that your audience might experience and ask the question by creating a graphic.  Be sure to make a comment describing what you are looking for.  Write a blog post with the answer and link to it. Watch who clicks on the link, likes and repins it and more importantly who replies. (60-90 minutes)

#4 Post Coupons and Discounts – this one usually gets a lot of clicks and repins and doesn’t take much time to create. If you have trouble or don’t know how to create a coupon there are several people on Pinterest who do. (or you could hire my company to do them for you. A basic coupon starts at $45.  Same with the other graphics mentioned above. (90 minutes to 3 hours)

#5 Use a QR code. Add a code to a specific page on your website or blog and then pin the QR code to your Pinterest wall. There are several free programs that can create these for you. If you don’t know how to add them to your own site, ask your webmaster to do it for you. (60 to 90 minutes)

#6 Add a price to a product or service you provide. Use your logo, a graphic of a product or service and add the $ symbol and price to it in when describing your pin. Pinterest will automatically add the price tag to the graphic for you! Be sure to link the graphic to the sales page… (10-30 minutes)

#7 Create lists your followers can use – people love shopping lists. If you are a wedding planner create a list of things a bride will need for her wedding day, wedding shower or rehearsal dinner. (60 minutes – 2 hours).

#8 Promote complimentary businesses. If you sell guitars, promote individuals who offer music lessons. (10 minutes or less)

As you can see, each of these things take only a moderate amount of time and can be implemented fairly quickly. You can create an entire campaign around these 8 strategies and watch your following, likes and repins grow.

Be sure to repin the infographic below and share it with YOUR Pinterest followers!

Heidi Richards Mooney is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of WE Magazine for Women, a WordPress Web Designer, the author of a dozen books and a social media consultant and trainer. Heidi has interviewed hundreds of experts on Social Media Around the World. In 2003 Heidi was named one of 50 women shaping the Internet by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 she was named a Twitter Woman to Follow by Only2Clicks.com. She works with solopreneurs, professionals and small businesses in ecommerce, direct sales and retail. Follow Heidi on Google Plus