If you are using Pinterest for marketing your Etsy shop or Shopify store, it is super important to track how many views (or hits) you are actually getting for your efforts. Tips and ideas for tracking your Pinterest traffic and how to know if what you are doing is working!
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Note About My Results
If you have read any of my posts before, you know that I am an open book… I show behind the scenes so that others can learn from my results.
As you see my numbers they are SMALL! That is not Pinterest's or Google's fault, it is my own since I haven't directly tried to make those numbers go up by posting my products often on Pinterest… but sometimes I write posts like this to remind ME what to do!
I am currently posting more on Pinterest and will swing back around and update this post in a couple of months to see if my efforts are making a difference!
My Last 30 Days Views From Pinterest
Let's start with some raw numbers… here are the stat for my last 30 days Feb 12, 2019 – Mar 13, 2019.
I have three shops:
- Digital products… Marketing Artfully Shopify Store
- Digital products… Paperly People Etsy Shop
- Vintage products… Glamorously Vintage Etsy Shop
As you can see, I have a MUCH stronger Etsy store than anything else! I have posted a fair amount of pins for my digital Etsy products store and have just decided that I will be focusing on my Shopify store more on Pinterest and Instagram.
How to get these numbers for your store….
- Add Google Analytics to your shop! Add Analytics on Shopify | Add Analytics on Etsy
- Sign up for Kristie Hill's free Pinterest Analytics dashboard
- You don't have to use Tailwind Smart Loops & Tribes but that is part of my plan going forward!
Which Listings Are Getting Views?
So the next thing we want to see is which listings are getting the most views. Since I got about 1,000 views for my Etsy digital products shop, we will use that one…
Now, our Google Analytics numbers are going to be different than our Etsy stats, so don't get hung up on that… we just want to see what is working!
So 78% of my views are to those top three listings (that darn 80/20 rule strikes again!)
This is so interesting… my top viewed listings in Etsy are…
So my direct sales planner snuck in there, but the other three correlate to my top Pinterest views!
Now, what can I do with that data?
- I could make more poshmark, ebay and real estate forms, hoping that there are other things like that people would want to buy OR
- I could make more pins for those products which have already shown to be popular and promote those aggressively on Pinterest OR
- I could try to make better pins for my other products and see if I can get them to be popular too!
Which Pins Are Working?
Now that we know which listings are working, let's check out the pins that are being viewed… it looks like this in the report and you can just cut and paste it into your browser!
These are my top pins!
So what can we do with this data?
- First off, having Etsy save your pins is nice… so make sure to use hashtags like #etsyshop #etsy or #etsyseller so they can find your pins
- You don't have to rely on your Pinterest network to get views, once it is out there on Pinterest some guy could find it and save it to help you make sales
- Try the things that makes these pins special… is it the 5 stars rating at the bottom of the poshmark pin that gets noticed, is it the illustration or PDF on the real estate one? Is there another kind of pin that would work as well if not better?
Pinterest is ever changing and these pins might just be doing well because they are older and have good shares. OF COURSE I will make some more product pins like these for my other products, but I will also test and see if there are new kinds of pins that might work well too!
Does Pinterest Work For Etsy and Shopify?
I wrote this post for two reasons… first to prove to myself that my Pinterest efforts were not going to waste. If you try Pinterest for 6 months and see no increase in your sales, maybe it is not for you. But looking at the results for the one shop I had actually tried with, I can say that putting in the Pinterest work does seem to be worthwhile!
Second, it makes sense to look at what is working from time to time! These pins are great, but it is worth looking down the line… for example, this is #10… and just a picture of my form… not fancy just a screen capture!
Pinterest for Etsy & Shopify FAQs
Some questions came to mind as I was writing this post, hopefully they will help!
Do you make all the different pins for your products?
Yep! I have a super easy Pin tutorial for Etsy and Shopify sellers. But if you don't want to do any yourself, check out Fiverr.com for help! I did a search for “pinterest pins ecommerce”.
Aren't you mad that people save your pins as a “how to” to make their own stuff?
First off, you can't stop them so it doesn't pay to get mad. Second off, I have gotten more sales in my career from people who never bought anything but shared my products and services to everyone they knew. There is more than enough to go around.
Why Do You Share Your Numbers? Aren't You Worried Someone Will Copy You?
This one I get a lot! Nope, not worried. People will copy me no matter what I do and the chance to help other sellers far outweighs that for me!
When Should I Start Tracking My Google Analytics Stats?
Right now! Even if you are just getting started on Shopify or Etsy, iti si so worth taking the time to get the tracking in place. The more data over time you have, the better you can check your results.
How Did You Get Those Numbers, They Don't Show Up In My Stats?
I think you could do a search in Analytics for the Pinterest info, but I find that using Kristie Hill's free Pinterest dashboard is honestly the easiest way! It makes a separate “view” in your analytics so you know it will not mess up your “regular” stats!
