Are you an Etsy seller? Then you know how hard it can be to be visible on this huge platform. So many sellers, worldwide, so many products. How do people find you? Using the right keywords in your product descriptions is very important, of course, plus making sure your photographs are appealing and the written copy is clear and selling. Most Etsy sellers also use social media to drive traffic to their store, with Instagram being one of the most popular platforms for promoting. But did you know Pinterest is a very powerful tool to share your products and get people to buy? Here’s how to use Pinterest to drive traffic to your Etsy shop
Why is Pinterest good for Etsy sellers?
Pinterest is a very visual platform. People go there to get inspired. Whether it is ideas for decorating a room or tutorials for Christmas crafts, people save pins they like and create boards to collect images for their project. What’s more, Pinterest shows your pins to the people they think are most likely to love them, based on what they pinned before. This means, that your pins will automatically be shows to potential clients.
Some interesting statistics:
As a product-based business or Etsy store, who is your ideal client?
- 80% of Pinterest users are women. 8 out of 10 mums are pinners! Who does the (Christmas) shopping in your household?
- High income households are twice as likely to use Pinterest, especially in the UK.
- Shopping has become a top priority of nearly 50% of Pinterest users.
With everyone going online for their Christmas shopping right now, you need to be on the ball and draw these people in!
Need more help with your creative small business?
How do you set up a business account on Pinterest?
It is pretty essential nowadays that you know how to use Pinterest to drive traffic to your Etsy shop. First things first: set up an account. As an Etsy seller it is recommended to go straight for a business account. If you already have a personal account on Pinterest but want a business profile, you can convert your personal account to a business one on a desktop and keep your Pins and followers. You can switch back to a personal account at any time.
Setting up a Pinterest business account is free, and it gives you the benefit of statistics and the option to promote certain pins through advertising, if you wish. Once you’re all set up, you can start pinning.
- Set up your business account: follow the prompts to complete your business profile:
- Enter your business name
- Add your website, if you have one
- Select your Country/region
- Select your Language
- Create boards (collections of pins)
- Start pinning: upload pins straight from your Etsy store
Uploading images from Etsy to Pinterest
You can create and edit pins directly from the Pinterest app or a desktop site. You can make one pin at a time, or upload images in bulk.
Size matters
Using high-quality, vertical images will stand out in people’s feeds. A 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 1,000 x 1,500 pixels) is recommended. Other ratios may cause your pin to be cropped, or may negatively impact performance.
Add a tiny logo
To build your brand on Pinterest, put a logo on every pin you make, but keep it subtle. Avoid the lower-right corner, since that spot gets covered up by the Pinterest product icons.
Text overlay
Text overlay is another very good way to be ‘re-pinned’ by visitors. When you scroll the Pinterest feed, images with a title or phrase capture the attention and generally perform better. Text overlay is the copy that goes on your pin image to make it stand out. Keep your copy concise for readability on mobile.
Title and descriptions
Don’t forget the pin title and descriptions! People search for things, so make sure you use keywords that people are looking for. Think of colour schemes, seasonal words, techniques, tutorials, etc. Clear titles and descriptions help your pin get discovered in search. You can use up to 100 characters for your title and up to 500 characters for your description.
Check your links
Last but not least: make sure your links work! That was the whole point of setting up your business account. If your pin includes a link, check that the link is active.