Small business marketing doesn’t face the same challenges it once did. Today, small businesses are finding it easier than ever to get their products in front of customers-- and they attribute a big part of that ease to social media. 

You’re probably already aware of how social media can positively impact your brand awareness, but did you know that social media platforms like Pinterest are helping small businesses generate sales as well? 

Over 3.6 billion people are currently using social media worldwide and that number is growing. What is more, 54% of social browsers use social media platforms to research products. These numbers aren’t limited to younger users; while a whopping 77% of Gen Z and Millennial users shop on social media, 23% of Baby Boomers also have their hat in the ring. 

How to Generate Sales with Pinterest Product Pins 

Pinterest describes their Product Pins as rich Pins-- they’re regular Pins with added metadata and special formatting that makes them shoppable. Product Pins draw data from your website to show browsers your product’s most up-to-date price, availability, title, and description. 

Pinterest will even mark  Product Pins as a “Best Seller” or “Popular” if they are performing well within a certain Pinterest product category. Product Pins differ from Promoted Pins (or Pinterest ads) because they just make your Pins shoppable. Promoted Pins guarantee your content will be shown to your target audience. 

To make Product Pins, you first need an e-commerce site where users can purchase your products. Product Pins take users directly to your site’s product listing. You can make product pins on your website or by using catalogs. Instructions for both methods can be found on Pinterest's help page. 

Ideas for Generating Holiday Sales on Pinterest

If you’re planning on running holiday campaigns on Pinterest (hint: you should be) now is the time to start. Brands who begin advertising on Pinterest early in the season experience a +6% incremental sales lift and 4.7x more conversions. 

You’ll want to start now with awareness and consideration campaigns, then launch a conversion campaign in November. And even though you're starting early, keep your ad spend up through December, unless you have a limited budget. If you’re facing budgeting restrictions, use a catalog dynamic retargeting campaign focused on reaching users who’ve already added items to the cart when visiting your site, as well as a retargeting consideration campaign for users who’ve engaged with your pins. 

Below are some holiday content tips to get you started:

Share Stocking stuffers

You might have some products in your inventory that wouldn’t typically be gift material. Share your everyday products with holiday flair by presenting them as stocking stuffers. Fill a stocking with these products or show an image of a person from your target audience receiving the item in their stocking and putting it to immediate use. 

Create Gift Guides

Pinterest is a hub for gift guides. Harness the power of a platform where users are literally searching for products to buy by creating targeted gift guides. These are the standard gift guides, but you can get creative by curating gift guides for your target personas:

• Gift guide for women 

• Gift guide for men

• Gift guide for kids

• Gifts for under the tree

The key is to create a gift list that presents products that fit what the target audience is looking to purchase. 

Use Holiday-Themed CTAs

Add a sense of urgency to your pins by using holiday-themed CTAs on your pins. This helps keep holiday shopping at the top of your browser’s mind. And, whereas they may not have considered it as a gift before, the CTA can spark new interest in t a pin they like and save.. Here are some CTAs to consider:

• Give the gift of...

• Start Gifting

• Deliver the Perfect Gift

• Shop the Holiday Collection

Use Holiday Design Elements

This is the time to break out the reds, greens, and shiny things in your imagery. Make your pins unmistakably holiday-themed. You can also include holiday elements in videos and photos by snapping pics of your products under a tree, filming your products being unwrapped as a present, or even by creating a fun design with your products overflowing out of Santa’s bag. 

Don’t Forget the Keywords

Optimize your Pins with holiday-themed keywords but don’t pick just any keywords. Think about who is most likely to purchase your product and choose relevant keywords. Examples include:

• Presents for mom

• Gifts for couples

• Gifts for best friends

• Best teacher gifts

• Secret Santa gift ideas

For even more holiday keyword ideas, here’s a list of a whopping 103!

Remember, the time to start your Pinterest holiday campaigns is now! To make your social media marketing easy-breezy this holiday season, don’t forget to use PLANOLY’s planning and scheduling tools.