Guest blog post by Kate Horodyski from KH.Socials, a Pinterest marketing agency.

Think Pinterest is just for recipes and wedding planning? Think again! Since 2020, Pinterest has expanded to position itself as an online shopping destination where users come to search for (and buy!) products. Your audience is on Pinterest, so if you’re not there too, it’s time to change that.

In this guide, I’m walking you through everything you need to know about how to use Pinterest marketing to grow your e-commerce business.

Understanding the Pinterest user

The key to seeing success with any marketing channel is understanding the platform’s users and user intent, and this is exactly what makes Pinterest such a unique platform.

Unlike social media users, who typically use the platforms passively to be entertained and to engage with friends and favorite accounts, Pinterest people are active users.

They’re actively looking for inspiration and ideas. They’re collecting information from which they’ll then take action on. You don’t need to catch their attention- you already have it.

Better yet? 97% of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded, which levels the playing field and gives small businesses a great opportunity to get in front of a new audience. Users aren’t looking for “Nike shoes,” but “cool white sneakers.” They’re not searching for “Ikea couch” but rather “green couch ideas.”

Why Pinterest for e-commerce?

Currently, 445 million people use Pinterest monthly.

80% of weekly Pinners have discovered new brands or products on the platform, and shoppers on Pinterest spend 80% more per month than people on other platforms.

As part of its shift to e-commerce, Pinterest has added a TON of new features that make shopping on Pinterest easier than ever. Pinterest wants to make sure its users aren’t just coming to the platform for ideas and inspiration but to take things one step further and take action (in the form of email sign-ups, website traffic, purchases, etc.).

This means that if you’re an e-commerce brand, Pinterest is a MUST for your marketing strategy. It’s a place where users come to actively search for products, so if you’re not utilizing the power of Pinterest, you’re missing out on both brand awareness and sales.

And, thanks to their new e-commerce features, it’s easier than ever to get your products in front of potential customers.

How to use Pinterest marketing for e-commerce

Okay, now that we’ve covered the “why” of Pinterest for e-commerce, let’s take a look at how you can get started today.

1. Set up a Pinterest business account

If you’re brand new to using Pinterest for your business, you’ll need to set up an account. Do not, I repeat, do NOT, just start using your personal account for your business. Start fresh with a business account.

2. Apply for the Verified Merchant Program

If you’re an e-commerce business on Pinterest, you’ll want to be in the Verified Merchant Program. It’s typically not hard to get accepted into and it comes with a lot of great benefits including:

• The ability to have your products automatically distributed on Pinterest’s shopping feeds.

• A blue checkmark on your profile, which conveys a high-quality brand.

• Product Pins, which means info from your online shop catalogue (pricing, availability, description) is pulled from your catalogue directly to your Pin, which encourages click throughs and purchases on your website.

• A Shop Tab. You can connect your online store’s catalogue directly to Pinterest and basically have a storefront available on your profile.

Like I said, applying for the program is pretty straightforward, particularly if you’re using Shopify or WooCommerce, which integrate seamlessly with Pinterest. You can see the program requirements here.

3. Conduct keyword / SEO research

Pinterest is a visual search engine, so to ensure that your Pins show up in search results, you need to be using the proper keywords. Before you begin creating content, make sure to do detailed keyword research.

4. Create Boards for your products

Now that your account is set up, the next thing you’ll need to do is create your Boards. If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, Boards are basically different folders where your Pins will be “Pinned” to.

You’ll want to create boards based on the types of products you sell. For example, if you’re a women’s loungewear company, you could make boards like Women’s Leggings, Women’s Loungewear, Women’s Workout Clothes, Neutral Loungewear, Women’s Matching Sets, Cozy Loungewear Outfit Ideas, etc.

5. Create your Pins

Now it’s time to start creating your Pins! As with any marketing platform, Pinterest requires experimentation to discover what kind of content is going to best resonate with your audience. Experiment with a variety of content styles to see what clicks with your people. Some ideas to get you started include…

• Product imagery

• Lifestyle imagery featuring your products

• User-generated content

• Videos of your products

• Videos of your products in use

• Idea Pins featuring your products and how to use them

• Collages of your product categories

• Blog posts (I highly recommend having a blog to go along with your site!)

Pinterest requires daily, fresh content, so Pinning sporadically isn’t going to cut it. I recommend using a scheduler, like Tailwind, to easily schedule out daily content.

Whether you’re selling digital or physical products, Pinterest is the perfect platform to build brand awareness and drive leads to your e-commerce business!

And remember, Pinterest is a long game. You’re not going to see overnight success, but with consistent Pinning and a little patience, you’ll create a solid marketing channel that will passively drive brand awareness and traffic for months and years to come.

Questions about marketing your e-commerce business on Pinterest? My DMs are always open!

Want to learn more about growing your business with Pinterest? Get your free copy of The Beginner’s Guide to Pinterest Marketing here.