Pinterest is staying warm this December, enjoying an impressive 1,047 percent increase in year-over-year use.

It may be December, but Pinterest isn’t feeling the cold. Content marketers looking for insight into how to leverage social media marketing efforts should consider using Pinterest, as the platform buds and flowers, beating out its competition by bolstering brand recognition. According to Nielsen’s 2012 Social Media Report, Pinterest’s year-over-year usage has grown, resulting in an impressive 1,047 percent increase. Facebook showed a 4 percent decrease in use, while Tumblr grew by 55 percent.Pinning The Competition: Pinterest’s Four-Digit Growth Is Tops Of 2012

With users turning to Pinterest to pin products, share photos, interact with brands and look for gifts, content marketers should create custom content that is not only engaging, but is also “pin-able.”

According to Pinfluencer, an analytics company geared at the social media site, 50 brands ran promotions using Pinterest, and they reported that their follower acquisition rate jumped by 156 percent. JetSetter ran a scavenger hunt that created a substantial amount – 7 million – of pin impressions.

Marketers and digital managers should use all of Pinterest’s offerings in order to capitalize on its potential.”There are four types of promotions on Pinterest,” said Sharad Verma, Pinfluencer’s chief executive. “First, asking users to come to your website and pin the products they like; second: creating a board and pre-populate it with pins, asking users to re-pin; third: creating a scavenger hunt; and fourth: running daily winner contests for prizes for those who pin your content.”

It can be difficult to measure the success of social media marketing campaigns, which is why Nielsen’s report and Pinfluencer’s findings are demonstrative to content marketers looking to improve their strategies. The use of Pinterest, a social media platform that continues to grow, is a direction worth exploring.

Emma Siemasko is a former member of Brafton's editorial team. Emma has experience with blogging, travel writing, industry news, SEO and content marketing. She used to live in South Korea, where she mastered the art of using metal chopsticks.