For many Etsy sellers, paying for advertising is not a financially viable or realistic strategy, so what other effective (and free) methods are there of generating more sales for your small business? As it happens, Pinterest marketing may be exactly the secret weapon you have been looking for.

Contrary to popular belief, Pinterest is essentially a visual search engine. Think about it – how many times have you explored Pinterest looking for ideas and stumbled across a great product or online shop? The most successful Etsy stores know the power that Pinterest holds, and harness that power effectively!

So, what are the best ways to go about Pinterest marketing? Here are 5 great tips to get you started!

Upgrade to a business account.

If you want to sell products using Pinterest, this is the first and most important step. With a business account, you get the added benefits of richer analytics to track your progress and the ability to ‘claim’ your own website, which gives pins leading to your site a little boost. You can also apply for ‘rich pins’, which allow you to add that bit more detail than a regular pin, including product prices or stock information. Oh, and a Pinterest business account is 100% FREE!

Nail the visuals.

As we touched on previously, Pinterest is a visual site, which is why it is a great tool for marketing physical products. With Pinterest, you have the opportunity to show off your gorgeous products to their true potential. Ensure your pin images stick to the ideal 2:3 ratio and include clear, eye-catching, and aesthetic images of your products to effectively tantalize those brand new customers!

Create blog posts that lead readers to your products.

This might seem counter-productive, but linking straight through to your Etsy shop isn’t always the best strategy. If your pin is a glaringly obvious advert, readers may skip straight past. However, if you create a blog and write regular posts that tie into your products, readers are more likely to click through and read the post. Before they know it, they will be led to your Etsy shop and ready to make a purchase. Giving off ‘I want to help you’ energy, rather than ‘I want your money’ energy will instill better trust in you and your brand.

Use good Pinterest SEO.

Give your pins a great boost by adhering to the best Pinterest SEO tactics. This is a whole article in itself, but the basics include using effective keywords in the right places, deleting under-performing pins, manually exploring the platform regularly, and pinning fresh content every day. For more information on these strategies, read this post (link SEO POST).

Create an effective Pinterest schedule.

To rank well on Pinterest (and get your product noticed) it’s important to pin/repin content multiple times every single day. Of course, you can do this manually, but apps like Tailwind can be really useful, as they allow you to schedule well thought out pins to post at optimum times! As an online store owner, you may simply not have time to manage your Pinterest 100% manually, and using a scheduler is a perfect solution. All you need to do is dedicate one day of the week to planning 7 days’ worth of content, and Tailwind will do the hard work for you! Do keep in mind, though, that it is good practice to spend a little time each day exploring Pinterest, clicking on pins and links and manually pinning to make sure the algorithm sees you as a user and not simply an ‘advertiser’.

Ready to take your Pinterest marketing into full swing and invest in the growth of your business?

Download the Pinterest Wild Growth Guide perfect for e-commerce sellers on Etsy or Shopify, bloggers, designers, coaches, and online business owners to massively generate their traffic on autopilot and crush their profit goals using Pinterest marketing. Included in the growth guide are checklists, worksheets, and the latest strategies optimized for the recent Pinterest algorithm changes moving forward.

Making your Etsy shop stand out from the crowd can be difficult, but with a bit of thought and planning, Pinterest can be powerful in taking your sales to the next level!

Do you have experience of using Pinterest to market your Etsy shop, and is it something you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!