How Etsy Shops Can Overcome the New Pinterest Changes

In this article, we will be covering what has changed with Pinterest, and if it's still worth our time being on the Pinterest platform. We will also look at ways to work around this problem to see if it is worth using Pinterest for marketing.

1) What is a Pinterest Business Account?

You can create personal and business Pinterest accounts. A personal account allows you to create boards and pins for your own personal interests. For the majority of users, a personal account is sufficient.

Personal and business accounts on Pinterest are similar. However, a Pinterest business account can provide you with a variety of helpful tools and features, like the Pinterest Business Hub, Pinterest Advertising, and Pinterest Analytics. This allows you to track the performance of your pins, and also to become a merchant and you are able to upload catalogs. You can also get insights into trends and find out who's following your business.

2) Why Can't You Claim Your Etsy Shop on Pinterest?

Until recently, Pinterest would allow you to claim your Instagram, YouTube, and Etsy accounts in order to link them up with your business profile. You were not required to have your own website in order to connect your account to your Etsy shop. This allowed your pin to be attributed to you when it was shared or repinned.

Pinterest has implemented new changes to its platform, making it so that you can no longer directly claim your Etsy store, Instagram and YouTube. As a result, if you don't have a website or blog of your own, there isn't a way to directly connect your shop to Pinterest.

3) What Do These Pinterest Changes Mean for Your Business?

For businesses that rely heavily on Pinterest for marketing, this change could have a negative impact. Without the ability to directly claim your Etsy shop, you can no longer attribute pins to yourself. The change could mean a drop in traffic for your Etsy store, as it won't be linked directly to any pins.

If your Etsy shop was previously connected to Pinterest, all the content you created before the change will no longer contain your profile information associated with it. This means that when someone clicks on the pin, they are not taken to your profile page. Instead of your shop name showing under the pin, it now only shows Etsy.

Additionally, since the connection between the two platforms is broken, your products are no longer showing in your catalog. Also, your account page will not show the verified merchant status and your shop section is now missing.

Finally, because your Etsy shop is no longer connected, you may not be able to use business analytics (although some Etsy shops have reported that they can view their analytics). This means that if you cannot view your conversion insights on Pinterest, you will not be able to see how people are engaging with your pins, who is pinning them, and which boards those pins are being shared on.

As a result of these changes, your pins may not rank as quickly as they previously did before this change. It does not mean they will not rank at all, but it does mean that ranking may take a bit longer.

4) Is It Better to Create an E-commerce Site, Blog or Promotional Website?

Although creating a website is not the only way to connect your Etsy store to Pinterest, it is one of the most reliable and effective ways to ensure you have a business account on Pinterest. With your own website, you can connect your site so your content will be attributed to you when people share it.

When you build a website, you can design it to sell your products or you can start a blog or design a site where you funnel potential customers to Etsy. By creating your own website, you not only ensure that it will remain connected to Pinterest, but you also have more control over the content you create. This allows you to be creative with your marketing campaigns.

Start an E-commerce Site

If you decide to sell products on your own website, you will need to set up an e-commerce site. An e-commerce site will allow you to list and sell products directly from your website.

There are a number of benefits to selling on your own website versus Etsy, namely, you do not need to pay Etsy fees. Additionally, you have more control over the look and feel of your site, as well as the ability to create custom promotions.

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Create a Blog or Promotional Website

If you would like to funnel customers through your website to Etsy, you can start a blog or create a website that promotes your exclusive offers, discounts, or promotions that are only available to your customers who visit your website. Depending on how you set up your website, you can also include links to individual Etsy products or product collections.

A blog is another effective way to market your Etsy products on Pinterest. With a blog, you can write about topics that are related to your shop or craft. You can also add links back to your shop, allowing customers to easily find your products.

If you want something smaller, you can create a promotional website that includes content related to your products and offers. This will enable you to drive traffic from Pinterest directly to your website, which in turn can funnel customers through to Etsy. This is an excellent way for businesses who wish to take advantage of the new Pinterest changes while still driving traffic to their Etsy shop.

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Benefits of Having Your Own Website

Creating a website can also be beneficial for other reasons such as having an email list and collecting customer data. You will be able to easily design forms or sign up pages where customers can opt in to receive emails from you directly. Additionally, with a website, you will be able to track how people are engaging with your content and identify potential areas where you can improve your marketing strategy.

Having a website gives you full control over the design and content, which is not possible on Etsy. It also allows you to showcase more products than just those on Etsy. This provides an opportunity for customers who may not be familiar with Etsy to learn about your business. Additionally, you could use a website to create exclusive offers, discounts, or promotions that are only available to your customers who visit your website.

Overall, creating a website for your Etsy store is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your pins are being attributed to you on Pinterest. It also gives you the ability to funnel customers to Etsy. Although there are some additional costs to creating a website, the long-term benefits of doing so will definitely make up for it.

5) Is it Still Worth Using Pinterest?

With so many changes, some people wonder if spending time and energy on Pinterest is really worth it. The short answer is yes!

Despite the changes to their policy, there are still a number of benefits to being on Pinterest as a business. Pinterest is still the go-to platform for product discovery and inspiration, so it’s important to be on there if you’re a handmade business that sells products online.

While the changes are frustrating, there are still plenty of opportunities to use Pinterest for marketing your products or services. You can create pins that link directly to your Etsy shop, website, blog, or promotional site.

Despite this change, however, Pinterest is still worth using for your Etsy shop. The platform has a large user base, and its users are highly engaged - meaning that your Etsy shop could still benefit from being promoted there. Additionally, Pinterest offers a number of features that can be useful for promoting your business. By creating content that is visually appealing and engaging, you can continue to drive traffic and sales to your Etsy shop.

Ultimately, you need to decide if the effort of maintaining a presence on Pinterest is worth the potential benefits for your Etsy shop. If so, then creating a website and creating visually appealing content can help you on Pinterest so you can increase sales and grow your business.

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