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How to Sell on Pinterest? The Guide to Boosting your Revenue!

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Daniel

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If you’re looking to increase your eCommerce business growth and boost more sales in 2021, you should learn how to sell on Pinterest. Why? Because it is a wonderful platform to do business on.

The latest red-hot distribution platform carries more social media traffic than Twitter, giving way only to Facebook, which is a little ahead of us. Besides, users of Pinterest pay a lot more per order ($50 or more) than users on any other social media site. Perhaps more than those super-active Instagram users.

Pinterest
Pinterest

In September 2017, the Pinterest community celebrated a big milestone — nearly 40% had risen from the previous year. As of now, two hundred million people log on to their Pinterest accounts every day to look for ideas, inspiration, and, most importantly, to schedule their next purchases.

As Evan Sharp, Pinterest’s co-founder and chief product officer, cleverly put it, “If Pinterest were a country, it would be the seventh largest in the world!” Just take a moment and let that sink in!

And you’re not going to miss a chance to grab a slice of the perfect eCommerce marketing cake, are you? Baked with love and fragrant spices, the Pinterest Social Media Network is really one of the best ways to support your online shop.

Our beginner’s Pinterest sales guide provides tons of business ideas and marketing strategies that, if implemented correctly, will help you drive more traffic to your eCommerce site and take your online marketing to the Eighth Sky. Now, let’s dive into the details!

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest logo
Pinterest logo

Pinterest is a social media site that lets users (‘pinners’) save pins that contain links, details, and photos to various boards for later use. Such boards can be private (hidden) or public.

Users can build Pinterest pins by uploading photos and links manually, come across pins they want to see in their list, or scan for pins they ‘re looking for. The latter two are perfect business prospects for potential customers.

Pinterest is designed to store and spread ideas and inspiration in a way other social media sites are not. Users are encouraged to arrange what they find in various board names for easy navigation. Most pinners are mainly on Pinterest searching for so saving what they want to see; they usually don’t care whether other people see what they have marked or saved because it’s just not about creating conversation or sharing knowledge.

What is Pinterest Used for?

Pinterest visual ideas
Pinterest visual ideas

So, what’s the use of Pinterest? Most of the time, people use Pinterest to search and save new ideas. These ideas may range from new recipes, some tips on interior design, fashion inspiration, or anything else you’d like to save.

Every individual pin represents an idea that you have stored (in a multimedia form), a definition, and a connection that goes back to the online source of the image. You can find more detail about the idea and the source by clicking on the URL of the button.

Different people are using Pinterest differently. Some people use it to look for items they ‘re interested in, some to search their home feeds to look for new ideas, and some to get inspiration from other people’s feeds. It’s easy, if people like what they see, save the pin to their own boards, or click the URL to learn more, or to buy.

Pinterest visual ideas
Pinterest visual ideas

But how more can small businesses use Pinterest? Small companies may use Pinterest marketing to popularize their products and expand their customer base. Being a highly visual-based platform, Pinterest offers companies the ability to engage with their customers by posting photos and videos.

If you are a small business or an unknown brand, Pinterest marketing will help to generate or boost your online presence. You’ll get to learn more about your client base and the people who are working with you and your company. All of the visual content that Pinterest provides will certainly help you generate ideas for your marketing campaign or understand your marketing patterns.

Interestingly, you can also get Pinterest marketing tips or Pinterest advertising tips from Pinterest itself. So, feel free to take a look at the visual content and suggest ideas that inspire you.

Pinterest, after all, along with other social media outlets, is helping to raise awareness of brands out there. This can lead to increased leads and better engagement with your customer base.

Why Pinterest Can Help You Sell More

Selling on Pinterest
Selling on Pinterest

With more than 200 million active monthly users, Pinterest is a place where people come to be motivated, learn about new ideas and products, and plan their best lives. It’s not a social network where people have a view of how they want to be seen. It’s a discovery platform that lets people curate ideas to support their own view of their best possible selves.

All this inspiration and preparation – along with Pinterest’s stunning pictures – contributes to sales. In fact, 72% of Pinners claim that Pinterest introduced them to a new product or service and that Pinterest encouraged them to shop when they weren’t even searching for something.

For those using Pinterest on a weekly basis, figures are much more convincing. Ninety percent of weekly pinners use Pinterest to make buying decisions. And in terms of traffic, well, Pinterest pushes 33 percent more referral traffic to shopping sites than Facebook, 71 percent more than Snapchat, and 200 percent more than Twitter! Clearly, the scope of your Pinterest online store is immense.

How to Get Started Selling on Pinterest

Once you have decided that you’d like to include Pinterest as part of your sales strategy, it’s time to get started by creating your account and getting things ready to sell. Here’s a step-by-step guide for getting started:

Create a business account.

Create a business account on Pinterest
Create a business account on Pinterest

The first thing you need to do is build a Pinterest business account if you don’t already have one. Follow these steps to set up a new account:

  • Go to Pinterest.com and click the “Pinterest for Business.” option
  • Choose the option “Join as a Business.”
  • Fill out all of the required details about your business.
  • Read and agree to the Pinterest Business Terms of Service.
  • Click on “Create Account” to finish.

Setting up a Pinterest account for Business is simple. All you’ve got to do is follow the prompts! It is important to note that you would not want to use a personal account for your business. In case you are currently using a personal profile for your business, you should switch to a business account. The company account has a range of features that you simply can’t get with a personal one. Such apps include enhanced buttons, rich buttons, and analytics.

The best thing is that if you convert your personal Pinterest account to a company account, you will not lose any of your boards, pins or followers. Follow these steps to convert your account:

  • Log in to your personal Pinterest account.
  • Click the “Pinterest for Business” option.
  • Then click on the “Convert now” option.
  • Complete the information requirements, and finish by clicking on the “Convert” button.

Complete your profile.

A Business Profile Pinterest
A Business Profile Pinterest

Once you’ve set up your business account, it’s time to complete your profile. A full and optimized Pinterest profile is important for businesses that want to meet, link and convert more eligible leads to this social media site.

Similar to when you set up your business account, Pinterest will ask you for the details you need to complete your profile. Here are only a few of the items you need to tackle when completing your Company Pinterest profile:

  • Username – You’ll want to ensure that the username you select for your profile is consistent with your branding.
  • Upload Logo – If you want to boost your brand awareness, you should use a high-quality image of your logo for your profile picture.
  • Bio – When writing your company’s Pinterest bio, ensure that you use keywords that a user would use to search for brands like yours.
  • Location – This is very important if you have a physical store location that provides services to specific areas.
  • Website – Ensure that you include your website so that users can come and see what you’re all about, and make a purchase.

You will be asked to search your website later. You can access this link by clicking on the main page of your account and selecting “Edit Profile.” Pinterest will then direct you through the steps of checking your website.

Apply to sell on Pinterest.

When your profile is fully set up, it’s time to apply to Pinterest. If you want visitors to be able to click on your photos and make a purchase instantly, you will need to apply for a Shoppable Pin. With Shoppable Pins, Pinterest users will get the option to proceed directly to the checkout page on the vendor ‘s website where they can buy the product. Users would know if the item is in stock if there is a symbol for a shopping tag.

Pinterest Shoppable Pins
Pinterest Shoppable Pins

Currently, this functionality is only applicable to companies that use Shopify or BigCommerce as a sales platform. However, you can sign up for a waiting list for your e-commerce platform to use this feature when it is available in the future.

On top of that, it is open to all business accounts in the United States and to unique business accounts in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Before applying, you may want to check the Shoppable Pins Criteria to ensure that your company is registered. Here are a few important things to remember before applying:

  • You must have a Pinterest business account that includes the contact details of your company and a profile picture that meets the image specifications set out in the Pinterest Ad Guidelines.
  • Shoppable pins are not allowed for personalized items, live animals, non-physical goods (such as digital downloads) or other restricted goods such as alcohol, adult items, cigarettes, firearms or weight loss products.
  • You ‘re going to need to validate any purchases that customers make via a Shoppable Tag. This includes sending an email containing the details of the order, the size, taxes or fees, and any shipping details as well as your contact information.
  • You will be also required to update any back-ordered or out-of-stock products that are advertised within 30 minutes using your shoppable pins. Pinterest also allows you to respond to the customer’s questions about these products within 48 hours.

You can apply now when you have decided whether or not you are qualified to use Shoppable Pins and have checked the criteria. Soon after you submit your application, you will receive an email from your eCommerce Company to inform you of your application status.

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Best Strategies for Selling on Pinterest

Now that you have got the basics, let’s move on to the important stuff and learn how to sell on Pinterest. We’ve got eight top tips for selling on Pinterest and we’re really transforming this visual site into a new revenue source. Let’s dive in there.

Create stunning visuals

A stunning picture on Pinterest
A stunning picture on Pinterest

First. Pinterest is a visual social platform. Even before we delve into a few styles of pins that can help boost sales, you need to ensure that your pins are visually appealing and make someone want to press.

This means you need:

  • High-quality photography
  • Beautifully designed graphics
  • Optimally sized visuals
  • Bold colors and fonts
  • Graphics that match your branding

That’s the starting point, at least. We ‘re going to show you a few examples of high-quality pins to show you what we say. One smart way to stand out is by taking professional photos of the product in action, as all these furniture companies have done with coffee tables.

You can also design a stunning, advertised graphic pin like the one below that draws users in and invites them to save, select, and buy what you’re promoting. You can also make a combination of both, where you create a graphic or text overlay alongside a professional photo, providing product and product picture detail.

Focus on Pinterest SEO

Pinterest SEO
Pinterest SEO

Pinterest is a visual search engine. What this means is that it has its own search engine optimization rules and algorithms. Reflect on industry keywords and use them strategically in your Pin titles and descriptions, as well as in the titles and descriptions of the board.

Make sure that you choose and implement your keywords correctly and naturally to help ensure that your Pinterest SEO works. This will increase the reach of your Pinterest content, increasing the likelihood of someone buying it.

Use Rich Pins

Rich Pins
Rich Pins

Rich Pins extracts extra data and details from your website to be shown alongside the normal pin details (such as photo, title, definition, etc.).

It draws price and product details in such a way that users are able to display this information within Pinterest itself. You can even press the Blue Shop button on your mobile phone to head straight to your favorite and test it out. Whether the store gives this information, these pins will let you know whether the product is in stock.

These types of Rich Pins work once you have access to your Pinterest website (see the section “Getting your brand ready to sell on Pinterest”). And take advantage of the platforms that offer to drive more sales.

Use promoted Pins

Promoted Pins
Promoted Pins

If you want to push your pins to the top instead of relying solely on your Pinterest SEO. Invest in promoted pins! They could be something – a lead magnet, a blog post, or a drug. Promoted product pins can be helpful in generating further sales as they simply take the user directly to your website.

Organize Pins into Catalogs

Pinterest Catalogs
Pinterest Catalogs

Catalogs are a perfect business account feature on Pinterest to use if you have goods to promote. it requires that you have a source of data for all your items and their attributes, and you will be able to upload the file to Pinterest.

If the data source has been accepted, any product you add to your website will automatically generate product pins you can use to create shopping advertisements. One thing to note: When it turns out that you don’t have the right data source to build Catalogs, you’ll have to use Rich Pins instead (Tip # 4 above!).

Tag products in Shop the Look Pins

Look Pins
Look Pins

Shop the Look Pins is a great way to connect to a variety of items at once in a single box. Whether it’s a costume or a home decor post, any product available for purchase in the picture is represented by a white dot that users can click on to see more.

You can post photos of your models wearing an outfit from your new collection or a room filled with furniture or similar items to promote more products on the website. The Shop the Look Pin method is a manual, and once your Pin is connected to your claimed website, you can add as many items as you want.

Share user-generated content (UGC)

GoPro’s UGC content
GoPro’s UGC content

When you find a popular or well-known influencer using your product, you can use that to your advantage. Better still, set up influencer marketing strategies to regularly create content that you can share with Pinterest to get your audience to purchase.

You can also use UGC as Shop the Look Pins or promote these images to get even more user focus. Social evidence is all, and if a customer sees someone who supports you wearing your goods, they ‘re much more likely to buy.

Incorporate content marketing

Blog posts that are aimed towards conversions are ideal for sharing with Pinterest. Speak of gift guides, food roundups, or tutorials. These are perfect pieces of content to be saved and promoted on a site that creates clicks and, if you do the content properly, conversions.

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Final Words

Pinterest
Pinterest

Pinterest is different from any other social media site, as people are inspired to save things for themselves as they are to share them with others. It has exceptional selling power, especially for e-commerce. To excel on Pinterest, have a clear understanding of the consumers you are seeking to target, be consistent with your pins, profiles, and forums, and stay up to date on the best practices and updates taking place on the site. Happy pinning, man!

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Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.