One of the questions I get asked most when it comes to Pinterest marketing is, “do I need a blog to get results on Pinterest?”
In short, the answer is no, you don’t. Is it ideal to have one? Probably. But I have several clients who don’t have blogs and absolutely kill it on Pinterest. It’s their main traffic referrer and they get a ton of sales from Pinterest users.
The thing they all have in common is that their audience crosses over with the typical Pinterest user, the obsessively use keywords and they have awesome branding and photography. Pinterest is a visual platform, so to use it well you need to know who pinners are and what they are looking for. This is the first step in using Pinterest without a blog.
Blogging allows people a chance to get to know you and your business in a non-salesy way. A well thought out blog post builds trust, helps the visitor know you and understand you’re legit.
If you don’t have a blog, then you have to build trust in other ways, which is totally possible but you have to get creative!
Here are 10 practical tips for engaging and connecting on Pinterest without a blog!
1. Make sure you have an exceptionally well laid out website.
The most important part of growing online sales through Pinterest is having a user-friendly website. In fact, 79% of people who don’t like what they find on one site will go back and search for another site (source). If people are going to turn over their money, they need to feel secure and comfortable on your website.
Your website should feel professional, should be easy to navigate (on both desktop and mobile) and should be very well organized. Think about the user experience above all else. Is it easy to find the cart? What if they want to read about you? Can I see other related products? Do I have the information I need to give you money?
This is where copy matters big time. Your product descriptions should be robust, conversational and personal. I should be able to understand your business a little bit better by reading them. I think Brass Clothing does a fantastic job of this!
Don’t you want to buy those pants?! I know I did!
PS- Need a solid website design. We do that.
2. Have specific categories on your website.
One way to create niche and seasonal content is by having specific categories on your website. For example, instead of just having a “Gifts” category, you could have a “Gifts for Mother’s Day Under $25”. You could create a pin for this category and link it to the category page. This would work for Etsy shops too.
The key is to be specific and think in an editorial way. Instead of just “Jackets”, you could have a niche topic called “Jackets for Spring under $75”. A great place to find your category ideas is by looking at what people are searching for on Pinterest and creating categories based off of that.
Check out our post Where to Find the Keywords that Will Bring Your the Most Traffic for more.
3. Always have a seasonal focus.
This one is related to the one above, but I think it’s important to have categories related to every season. This will mean you need to keep your website updated and fresh, but it will be worth it in the end!
So for Christmas, you would have different gift categories. If you sell candles, for fall, you could have a “Top Pumpkin Scents for Fall”. It will look different for every business, but Pinterest wants you to be creating fresh content and by playing on the seasons, you can ensure your pins are relevant.
4. Use awesome photos.
All of my clients who do well on Pinterest without a blog have amazing product photos. Professional quality photos that are inspiring, aspirational and move people to want to click. We also take the time to make sure that every photo is the right shape and size for Pinterest (no landscape!). This makes the most of the space in the feed and will drastically increase your click-throughs.
5. Have several opt-in landing pages.
If you don’t have a blog, opt-ins will be your best friend! Pinterest will be driving traffic to your website, but you need a way to capture those leads. If you have a freebie or opt-in you can get their email address and then retarget them.
If you have an online boutique it could be as simple as creating a wardrobe guide for every season, or maybe you could create a How-To for something related to your business? The great thing about this model is that once you create your opt-in and get your email sequence set-up, it will just tick away for you!
Create a landing page for your opt-in and then pin the heck out of it! Work on creating 4-5 opt-ins and then sit back and watch the email addresses come in!
6. Offer an entry incentive.
Getting people to opt-in to your email list should be one of the top goals of your website traffic. When people visit, offer them something to sign up for your list. This could be a percentage off their first order, free shipping, a bonus or anything to get them to take that next step.
7. Optimize your Product Pages.
Your product pages should be fine-tuned to make sales. Make sure you have professional quality photos, a fit guide, a great product description, reviews and that you can easily navigate to other pages and products. The “You Might Also Like” or “Related Products” plugins can be huge for getting people to stay on your site and keep shopping.
Did you know video helps persuade 73% of people to buy a product or a service? (source) People also love seeing videos, so add a video of your product being worn or inaction to help people get a better feel for it. Again, the goal is to show transparency and personality so that you can build trust in a short amount of time.
8. Use Testimonials & Before and Afters.
This is one of the most important ways to build trust with your new visitor! Make sure you have testimonials, reviews and before and afters everywhere on your website. This is especially important when it comes to clothing or high-end purchases. You can be spouting the praises of your product all day, but it will be worth so much more to hear OTHER people!
9. Connect your Instagram to Pinterest.
Instagram is likely the most up-to-date platform for your business, which is why I recommend all my clients connect their Instagram to their Pinterest account. Instagram captions show personality and give more context to your business. Create a board on your Pinterest called “______ on Instagram” and set up an auto-scheduler to auto-post your new Instagram posts to Pinterest (I use IFTTT). This keeps a constant source of your best content dripping onto Pinterest.
10. Use video pins.
People love video and Pinterest has been emphasizing video pins the last several months. Keep your pins fresh by using video pins! They are simple to create through Canva, PhotoShop or whatever you use for graphics. Upload the video pin to Pinterest and boost it for even more reach! You can check out our post for How to Get Started with Video Pins for more information!
Converting Pinterest traffic is an art form, if you want to learn my tried and true tips for turning those pinners into customers, check out my “5 Strategies for Converting Pinterest Traffic” Free Guide!
