If your retail location is not on Pinterest by now, you are missing out on a chunk of highly connected consumers. Consumers are collecting, interacting and gaining inspiration from local stores through Pinterest. If you haven’t had the time to build a presence, then we have five things you’ll need in order to succeed on Pinterest.

Pinterest veterans, before you jump ship on this post, check out the video below. You may catch some helpful information that you didn’t know.

1. Complete and brand your Pinterest profile

A complete and branded profile increases the potential for your business to show up in a customer’s search. When writing the “About You” section of your profile, keep in mind keywords and phrases your customers will use to find your business. Incorporate these keywords and phrases within your description as well as your brand’s personality. Another important item to add to your profile is your store’s location. Once your profile is complete, your brand will gain greater exposure to new and current customers.

2. Generate a following

Without a following, how will anyone see the great products and inspiration you have to offer? The easiest way to generate a following is to conduct a quick search. Type in the city, town or neighborhood your store is located, select “People” and begin following potential customers. It’s also a great advantage to follow nearby businesses. Teaming up with fellow local businesses can help garner exposure for your business and create positive word-of-mouth. You’ve already harnessed a great community on Facebook and/or Twitter so take advantage of it and ask your followers to join you on Pinterest as well.

3. Create value-added boards

The key phrase to be conscious of when creating Pinterest boards is “curate before you self promote.” But what does this mean? The answer is to collect and pin inspirational and enlightening items that represent the lifestyle of your target audience while weaving in your own products and promotions. You will create boards that are specific while representing a variety of lifestyle pins such as quotes, vacation spots, inspiring photography in combination with products that are in line with that specific board.

4. Optimize your Pinterest Pins

All pins are not created equal. It is difficult to develop an engaged Pinterest following without pinning optimized content. A great pin has a brief keyword oriented description, a high-quality image linking to your website or landing page, an alt-text image name and a coinciding board. Optimizing these items will ensure the most repins and interaction with your newly created Pinterest community.

5. Add the Pin-It bookmarklet

Lastly, the easiest task is to add the Pin It bookmarklet to your web browser’s bookmark bar. You can do this by navigating to your business profile, selecting “Get Started” and then “Add Pin It Button.” Simply drag the button to your bookmarks bar and start pinning content on the go. Equipped with the Pin It button you can easily pin content to your business page on the go!

Not one of these things alone will ensure your business’s success but in combination they will have an exponential effect on the way your customers spread your brand’s content.