I get messages all the time from online pet business owners. And there’s one question I hear the most: ‘how do I get more people to buy my products?’
And to that, I inevitably ask: ‘what are you currently doing to promote your products?’
The answers are usually the same. They share them on Instagram and Facebook. They may take part in Twitter hours. They may have a pop-up stall at a local farm shop on the weekend.
But even with all that effort they’re still struggling to sell.
We all know marketing can be a minefield. There’s too much choice. Too many ‘experts’ saying XYZ is the next revolutionary strategy.
You end up pulled in all directions going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole.
All I can tell you is what’s worked for me and my clients. And in my experience, the best platform to sell pet products online right now is Pinterest.
It can deliver incredible results for you whether you’re selling dog collars, dog food, dog beds or even an online service or online dog training course.
Pinterest vs other social platforms
The thing is, we all know organic reach is way down on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As of late 2019, average reach on Facebook dropped further by 2.2%. Which means right now you can expect only around 5.5% of your page followers to actually see your posts.
So if you really want to expand your reach significantly in a short space of time, you have to pay. Thanks Zuckerberg!
And if you don’t have the budget to play, you’re forced to look for alternative methods to market your business. Since Pinterest works like a visual search engine, your chances of growing your audience smash Facebook and Instagram out of the water.
With Pinterest, you’re not restricted to the people that are already in your pond. Absolutely anyone can find your pins when they search for a product or topic. And Google even indexes pins too. So it’s a double whammy. With Pinterest, the opportunity to reach more people for free is far greater.
Post lifespan on both sides is a jaw-dropper too. On Facebook the average lifespan of a post is between 3-6 hours. Which means the window for that measly 5.5% to see your posts is even less likely.
But with Pinterest, pins are essentially immortal. They can show up in a user’s feed months and years after you originally posted it – if it’s relevant to their search query. Which means a single pin can continue to drive traffic to your website years later.
But to really reap the rewards from Pinterest’s search function, you need to make sure you include the right keywords in all your pins.
And if that hasn’t pricked your ears yet, here’s another stat for you to chew on. Shopping is a top priority for 48% of Pinterest users. Whereas Facebook is predominantly used to connect with friends and family, Pinterest users actively head to the platform for shopping inspiration. They’re far more primed to buy! Making Pinterest one of the best platforms for online pet businesses right now.
How to use Pinterest to market your pet products online
There’s a unique strategy I use and teach my clients. And it involves using blogging as the driver. Here’s a quick breakdown of what it involves, but if you’d like to dig deeper into my strategy, head over here to read more.
- Make sure you sign up for a Pinterest business account
- Apply for rich pins
- Optimise your profile – add an enticing profile picture, cover photo, keyword rich bio
- Create relevant product boards, an articles board for your blogs, and board cover images
- Use Canva to create pin graphics for each product and blog post
- Upload your pins and add to relevant boards. Use a keyword rich description and up to 10 hashtags
- Join group boards to become a collaborator and get your pins in front of more people
- Leverage Tailwind to schedule up to 30 pins a day with ease
Pinterest really is the most underrated platform out there. But that’s the beauty too. Not everyone has caught onto the power of Pinterest yet. Which means it’s not oversaturated with businesses fighting for your customer’s attention. It’s not fallen foul to the same frustrating algorithms of the other major networks. Fingers crossed it never does!
So I hope this has inspired you to try Pinterest to promote your own online pet business. If you’d like to learn more about how I can help you go from no interest, to profits from Pinterest, book your free clarity call here.