With 300 million monthly active users, Pinterest has quickly become one of the fastest-growing social media networks.
Despite this growth in popularity, many businesses still have not taken advantage of selling on Pinterest to better connect with their target audience.
This may be partly due to the fact that they just don’t “get it.”
Pinterest is often seen as a place to find wedding ideas, DIY projects, or new recipes.
But the truth is that this social media platform can be a powerful channel for reaching new customers and growing your brand online.
The key to getting the most out of selling on Pinterest is using the platform strategically to find your target buyers and influence conversion.
But Pinterest isn’t right for every brand.
As a marketer, before you start selling, you’ll need to determine if a Pinterest marketing strategy is right for your business.
In this post, we’ll help you figure out if this social media platform could be valuable to your business.
And as well as provide some marketing tips for getting started with selling on Pinterest.
The average amount spent per order on Pinterest is higher than any other social media channel.
Is Pinterest Right For Your Business?
Are you thinking about adding Pinterest to your social media marketing strategy? First, you’ll want to consider if you are able to sell on Pinterest.
There are certain types of products that Pinterest does not allow to advertise on the platform.
These include adult products, live animals, online gambling or lotteries, healthcare, tobacco, weapons, and weight loss products or services.
Additionally, there are some restrictions on ads involving alcohol, political campaigning, and contests or sweepstakes.
It’s important to note that just because you can sell on Pinterest, does not necessarily mean that it’s worth the investment and can help increase sales.
One way that you can better determine if selling on Pinterest is the right fit for your brand is to see if your business fits into a Pinterest category.
Pinterest uses categories to make it as easy as possible for Pinners to find what they’re looking for through…
- guided search,
- promoted pins,
- buyable pins, and
- suggested pins
If you want to stand out on the platform, you’ll need to make sure that you fit into one of the following categories:
- Animals and Pets
- Architecture
- Art
- Cars and Motorcycles
- Celebrities
- Design
- DIY and Crafts
- Education
- Film, Music, and Books
- Food and Drink
- Gardening
- Geek
- Gifts
- Hair and Beauty
- Health and Fitness
- History
- Holiday and Events
- Home Décor
- Humor
- Illustrations and Posters
- Kids and Parenting
- Men’s Fashion
- Outdoors
- Photography
- Products
- Quotes
- Science and Nature
- Sports
- Tattoos
- Technology
- Travel
- Videos
- Weddings
- Women’s Fashion
If you fit into one of these categories, it will be easier for consumers to find your brand on Pinterest.
You’ll want to choose one or two key categories that relate to your business and focus on building relevant boards.
These categories help make it easier for Pinterest users to find what they are interested in and repin it on their boards.
Another sign that your business or online store might be right for Pinterest is if your business sells products that are visually focused.
Much like Instagram for business, marketing on Pinterest is also very visual.
This makes it ideal for brands that sell products and services that lend well to imagery (fashion, photography, home décor, food, etc.)
However, just because you may not have an inherently visual product or service, doesn’t mean that you can’t create effective buyable pins.
How To Get Started Selling On Pinterest
Once you’ve decided that you’d like to include Pinterest as part of your social media marketing…
…it’s time to get started creating your account and getting ready to sell.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide for getting started:
1. Create a business account.
The first thing that you will need to do is create a business account on Pinterest if you don’t already have one. Follow these steps to create a new account:
- Go to Pinterest.com and click on “Pinterest for Business.”
- Choose “Join as a Business.”
- Fill in all of the details about your business.
- Read and accept the Pinterest Business Terms of Service.
- To finish, click on “Create Account.”
Setting up a Pinterest for Business account is simple. All you have to do is follow the prompts!
It’s important to note that you don’t want to use a personal account for your business.
If you are currently using a personal profile for your business, you should make the switch to a business account.
The business account provides a number of features that you just aren’t able to get with a personal one.
These features include promoted pins, rich pins, buyable pins, and real-time analytics.
The best part is that you won’t lose any of your boards, pins, or followers if you convert your personal Pinterest account into a business account.
To convert your account follow these steps:
- Log into your personal Pinterest account.
- Click on “Pinterest for Business.”
- Then click on “Convert Now.”
- Complete the information, and finish by clicking on the “Convert” button.
2. Complete your profile.
Once you’ve got your business account set up, it’s time to complete your profile.
A complete and optimized Pinterest profile is essential for businesses that want to…
- reach,
- connect with, and
- convert more
…qualified leads on this social media platform
Just like when you set up your business account, Pinterest will prompt you for the information it needs to complete your profile.
Here are just a few of the things you’ll need to address when completing your Pinterest for Business profile:
- Username – You’ll want to make sure that the username you choose for your profile is consistent with your branding.
- Upload Logo – If you want to increase brand awareness, you’ll want to make sure that you use a high-quality version of your logo for your profile picture.
- Bio – When developing your company’s Pinterest bio, make sure that you use keywords that a user might use to search for brands like yours.
- Location – This is especially important if you have a physical store location that services specific areas.
- Website – Make sure that you include your website so that users can visit, see what you’re all about, and make a purchase.
You will later be asked to verify your website. You can access this link by going to the main page of your account and choosing “Edit Profile.”
Pinterest will then walk you through the steps of verifying your website.
3. Apply to sell on Pinterest.
Once your profile is complete and up-to-date, it’s time to apply to sell on Pinterest.
If you want users to be able to click on your images and immediately make a purchase, you will need to apply for Buyable Pins.
With Buyable Pins, Pinterest users will have the option to go directly to the checkout page on the seller’s website where they can purchase the product.
The users will know if the item is in stock if there’s a shopping tag icon.
Currently, this feature is only available for businesses and retailers using Shopify stores or BigCommerce as a selling platform.
However, you can sign up for the waitlist for your e-commerce platform to use this feature when it’s available in the future.
Also, it is only accessible to all business accounts in the US, and specific business accounts in:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Japan
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- UK
Before you apply, you’ll want to review the Buyable Pins Guidelines to ensure that your business is eligible.
Here are a few important things to consider before you apply:
- You must have a business Pinterest account.
It should include your company’s contact information and a profile photo that follows the image requirements listed in the Pinterest ad guidelines.
- Buyable pins are not allowed for certain products or goods.
These include customizable products, live animals, non-physical goods (like digital downloads), or other Pinterest prohibited goods such as:
- alcohol
- adult products
- tobacco
- weapons
- weight loss products
- You’ll need to confirm any transactions that customers make through a Buyable pin.
This includes sending a confirmation that includes the order details, pricing, taxes or fees, and any shipping details as well as your contact information.
- You are also required to update any back-ordered or out-of-stock items.
These are advertised through your Buyable pins within 30 minutes.
Pinterest also requires you to respond to customer questions about these items within 48 hours.
After identifying whether or not you are eligible to use Buyable Pins and reviewing the guidelines, you can now apply.
Soon after you submit your application, you’ll receive an email from your e-commerce platform letting you know the status of your application.
Pinterest Buyable Pins: What You Need to Know
Pinterest has launched new tools for merchants to help them sell their products or services.
This includes Catalogs. This feature was previously only available to selected brands but now it is accessible for all.
Catalogs allow users to upload their entire catalog and convert them into Buyable Pins.
If your business is eligible to use Buyable Pins, you can start using this feature for selling on Pinterest once you are approved.
After approval, you will see a new dashboard that will allow you to organize your feed so your products can be discovered and purchased by users.
This means that Pinterest users will see an “Add to bag” button when they look at these pins.
Here’s an example of what a Buyable Pin will look like on Pinterest.
To get the most out of this feature, it’s important that you pin products from actual product pages.
Don’t just pin products from your general product category pages because they will not show up as Buyable Pins.
You also want to make sure that these products are saved on public boards so that Pinterest users can find and access them.
To make the process of creating Buyable Pins simple, you can download the Pinterest browser button for whatever web browser you use.
This add-on allows you to quickly save or “Pin it” your best-selling products for your site to your Pinterest boards.
You can also add to your pins from the browser button.
These allow you to create pin descriptions in more detail and emphasize the benefits and uses for each.
Best Strategies for Selling on Pinterest
Now that you have a better idea of how selling on Pinterest works and whether or not it might be right for your brand…
…let’s talk about how you can grow your brand online through Pinterest Buyable Pins.
Below, we’ll dive into 4 of the top strategies for selling on Pinterest with this feature:
1. Use descriptive copy in your pins, boards, and bio.
Try to make your product descriptions in your pins and boards as detailed as possible.
You should also work to create a captivating bio that gives users a good introduction to your brand.
Incorporate relevant keywords and search terms in these descriptions to make it easier for users to find you in the search.
You can also use hashtags to make it easier for Pinners to find your pins.
2. Use high-quality product images.
Since Pinterest is a visual social media channel, images play an important role in helping you catch the attention of your target audience.
As well as to increase chances of repinning.
It’s important to make sure that you are using high-quality images for the products showcased in your Buyable Pins.
This will help entice users and get them to click on your products.
3. Pay to promote your Buyable Pins.
Pinterest allows you to promote your regular pins.
But did you know that you can also use paid promotion to boost visibility for Buyable Pins to a specific demographic?
Using Promoted Pins helps you reach new audiences that may be a good fit for your brand.
Depending on your marketing goals, you may want to run a paid promotional campaign for some of your top-selling products through Buyable Pins.
4. Use Pinterest Analytics to find out more about your audience.
As with any other types of digital marketing channel, you should monitor your Pinterest analytics.
This will help you learn more about your audience and what they are most interested in.
You can also see how your product pins are performing, which allows you to make more strategic decisions about which pins get promoted.
Final Takeaways
Though selling on Pinterest may not work for every brand, this social media channel can be a powerful platform to help grow your brand online.
If you’re ready to get started, the first step is to apply on Pinterest.
Once you are approved, you can start creating Buyable Pins to engage your audience.
If you need help with your social media strategy, trust the experts at LYFE Marketing.
Our team of social media gurus can help you plan and implement a winning social strategy that boosts your bottom line.
Contact us today for more information.