How To Use Pinterest To Drive Traffic To Your Etsy Shop

Peach and Mint Heart Cupcake Toppers from Kiwi Tini Creations

The first time I saw Pinterest, I thought it must have been designed with Etsy users in mind. The site even describes itself as “a place to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.” What could be better? With the right skills you can harness the visual power of this new network to drive traffic to your Etsy store.

Pinterest is the perfect place to share your beautiful creations, connect with customers and find inspiration.

If you’re just stretching your social media wings, your first step is to get an invite to Pinterest. While you can sign up for one through Pinterest itself, it’s much faster to be invited by someone already using the site. Ask your friends, family or your fellow Etsians through one of the forums.

Once you’re set-up, it’s time to start pinning (sharing images) and building boards (curating collections of related images. You can share your Etsy product photos, but it’s important to remember that Pinterest is a place to highlight beauty, but not a space for shameless self-promotion.

Peach Amazonite Earrings from Bella Anela Jewelry

The best way to use the site is to find ways to highlight what you have to offer without advertising. Here are some ideas:

Teach:

Use a pinboard to share a project your followers can make themselves. Post an image at each stage of the project, with a quick description of what readers need to do. Invite followers to share their results on Pinterest.

Sneak peak:

Preview your new and in-progress works by posting them to your Pinterest before they’re Etsy-ready. Once the project is up on your Etsy site, don’t forget to link your Pinterest board to it so interested users can purchase the product they’ve watched grow.

Connect:

Invite followers into your studio to see where the magic happens. Use photos and captions to host a virtual tour through your creative space. Ask a friend to take photos or video of you working to really invite your followers in. Again, don’t forget to link these pins back to your store and specific products.

Peach Bow Ear Cuff from Of Lovely Things

Pinterest and Etsy work so well together because they’re both built on eye-catching visuals. You can your Etsy photos on your Pinterest, but get creative by adding some different angles and framing or show your product in action on a model. (Hint: Your friend and family will work for handmade goods.)

Your Pinterest followers want to get to know you, so in addition to posting your work, share your hobbies, interests and activities through images and video. Create a board that shares the covers of your favorite books or albums, or your favorite quotes, to share a little bit of yourself with your followers. Get creative, and look to the Pinterest community for ideas.

Now that you’ve got a few boards, you need followers. Start close to home by inviting your biggest fans, your friends and family, to share your boards with their social networks.

Harness the power of your existing social networks by sharing your pins on Facebook and Twitter, and inviting your followers to connect on Pinterest. Share your Pinterest URL with your e-newletter list and past customers, and ask them to share it too.

Roam If You Want To print from Jump Off The Page

Etsy (and other Etsians) can help you make the most of Pinterest by expanding your network.

Team up with other Etsians to share your wares and find new followers. Gather a likeminded group of handcrafters through the forums, or contact artists you admire individually. Share each other’s products on your Pinterest boards to find new customers and make new connections. I can’t say it enough, don’t forget those all important links to help make it easy for Pinterest users to buy your products.

Etsy itself is lending a hand to help make your Pinterest experience successful. In January, Etsy added a Pin-It button to the social media options on your listings. Your fans can share your products with one click that will automatically fill-in the item name and price and let then add a note about why they love it.

Mint Peach Geometric Necklace from Alina and T

In addition to using Pinterest to promote your Etsy shop, use it for you. Browse the boards of your favorite Etsy users, and draw inspiration from the wider Pinterest community. Share your expertise, pin and comment on the boards of others to forge new connections and find new customers. When your Pinterest followers get to know the person behind the products, they won’t be able to resist checking out your site.

If you want to really take your business to the next level with Pinterest, check out the Pinterest Advantage course and free webinar at www.pinterestadvantage.com. Great for beginners, intermediate and advanced Pinterest users, this course will give you over 200 board ideas, marketing tips to drive more traffic to your Etsy shop from Pinterest and strategies you can implement right away to sell more on Etsy through Pinterest. Sign up now at www.PinterestAdvantage.com.

Andreea Ayers —Launch Grow Joy

Andreea Ayers is a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold two businesses. She currently blogs at Launch Grow Joy about marketing, social media, wholesale, publicity and Pinterest. She is the author of Pinterst Advantage, a book (and now online course!) about using Pinterest to get more traffic to your site, get more leads, clients and customers. When she is not blogging, Andreea spends time with her three kids and husband and enjoys everything that Boulder, CO has to offer.