Mitch Levinson is managing partner with Marketing RELEVANCE.

While Facebook may dominate in terms of number of users, Pinterest wins the battle when it comes to converting online pins into real life sales. According to Bizrate, 69 percent of online consumers have purchased an item they found on Pinterest, while only 40 percent of Facebook consumers have converted to a sale.

The same report also found that consumers think Pinterest is the best place to get inspiration on what to buy and to keep tabs on items they like.

What does this mean for real estate agents and homebuilders? You should be pinning.

Not only is Pinterest a solid social media site for attracting buyers, but you can also easily build brand by using your company’s tagline in board names, pinning images directly from your website or blog and showing off your homes, interior finishes and community features.

Here are a few tips to making the most of your Pinterest page:

• Add a “Follow” and/or “Pin It” button to your website in order to encourage website visitors to check out your boards and pin your images onto their own boards.
• When writing descriptions for your pins, make sure you use hashtags and keywords in order to increase search visibility.
• Examine your Google Analytics report to see how effective Pinterest is for increasing your site’s traffic.
• Use the new Pinterest Analytics function to see how many people are pinning from your website, seeing your pins and clicking your content. You can also learn more about consumer behavior with information on your most popular pins.

However, while pinning your own images is a good start, your boards should also include other brand related images (with proper credit) such as local attractions, pet boards, recipes and gardening tips. By doing this, you not only diversify your own content, but you will also increase the amount of traffic to your page.

With visual Internet marketing on the rise, it’s time that your business got off the sidelines and started pinning.

Mitch Levinson, MIRM, CAPS, CGP, CSP is managing partner with Marketing RELEVANCE and the author of “Internet Marketing: The Key to New Home Sales” published by BuilderBooks. He is an Internet marketing expert with expertise in search engine optimization, website development, email marketing, social media and CRM consulting services. If you’re looking to improve your online presence through website development or mobile website design, contact Marketing RELEVANCE or connect with Mitch Levinson on Google+.