Is Selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram the Same?

Yes, the holiday high is coming down and its dawned on many that the traffic you didn’t have last year, well you still don’t have it! Yet where will you go this year to get that desired traffic? Selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram…These two are in a battle of which visual platform performs the best for marketers and brands.

Well, I decided to take a deeper look for our 2019 traffic strategy.

I will not bore you with the Pinterest is for foodies, DIY, women, decorating, travel and crafts kind of stats and info. And while these facts are still true, the truth is Pinterest is way more than that! I am sure you have heard all that before too, yes yes?

Nor am I going to talk about number of users on each platform, although those too would be great statistics for a marketer to know… And you can find them on each platform website and a slew of blogs online esp. on PewInternet. 

So, what will I be talking about then?

?Well, top of the list is: which one would be your go-to platform as a brand, marketer or business owner?

? Which one is my go-to for the Kalungi Group brand and why!

Would that be something you would like to know? I sure hope so… So, let’s do this ?

How You Too Can Quickly Sell Products on Pinterest Vs Instagram

First let’s admit that SEO is a shot in the dark for most website owners and bloggers. Yet most of you, me included make amateur mistakes because we are too lazy to do research.

Here are the fatal Instagram mistakes and the common Pinterest mistakes I made, just so you know I am human too! And of course you keep the heck away from them!

Now, with SEO I had to get smarter. And boy was it hard work! See, you gotta be really savvy about things and Google keeps pulling that old rag from under our feet, right?

I don’t know about you, but I cannot keep up with SEO changes. So as long as I stay on the right side with White Hat strategies, and I write from my heart with your interests I mind, I am good to go.

Not forgetting I have a not so secret source of web traffic.

Let’s look at that secret source and how you can sell products all day long if you Learn how to Leverage its Search Engine abilities as opposed to its Visual sister platform Instagram.

Sell Products on Pinterest like a Pro Brand, WHY?

And I mean any product! Of course, you can sell product on both platforms.  

Yet, Pinterest is my secret source for lots of organic traffic and sales. Pinterest is a social platform like none online… Unless you consider Instagram’s audience segmentation and Zuckerberg selling IG hard as the new eCommerce platform…for more Adverts!

I dont know about you, but for most social users, Social media engagement is a thing of the past.

The common user on most social platforms is swimming in the dark as to why your reach is pants. Especially with Instagram and Facebook.

Facebook being ahead of the game in “blocking user’s reach” in preference to commercial “sponsored content. 

Instagram has followed the Facebook Blueprint as a Zuckerberg product. Google plus is but waiting to be buried. LinkedIn is great for corporates, and most marketers and bloggers have no clue how to smash it on there.

This leaves you with only one platform you can still get ORGANIC TRAFFIC that works and that’s Pinterest.

Facebook is ahead of the game in 'blocking user’s reach' in preference to commercial “ content. Click to Tweet

Today I can say with confidence that Pinterest has dramatically shortened the distance between Seller/brand and Buyer. Marketing or selling on pinterest has gotten so much easier with smart brands making hay while the sun shines over there, connecting with and selling to real ordinary people.

Instagram is a different kettle of fish that needs “expert help” or Apps to help you sell… But I jump the gun here! 

If you run an eCommerce store then you need to dive into our article on how to use Pinterest for eCommerce, to shift that product already. We’ll wait! ?

This is why!

The latest changes on Pinterest, and there are quite a few! This is where Pinterest has separated itself from other online experiences esp. Instagram.

By introducing sales tools, Pinterest has transformed the ecommerce landscape. So much so, a term was coined for it – social commerce by Pete Boyle who calls it

“the act of selling products directly through the social media network the user is currently using”.

For you the marketer, this is the most efficient way to make sales through your social profile.

And at time of publishing, according to Neil Patel, Pinterest is the undisputed leader in per-user purchase.

Pinterest represents a large, highly engaged marketer’s dream traffic. Did you know Facebook comes in at 0.22% and Instagram 2.2%! 

Pinterest is also arguably the most commerce-oriented user base of any social media platform. Beating Facebook’s Store hands down with the Buyable Pins option!

You literally can sync your Pinterest account with your eCommerce store like BigCommerce, Shopify etc.

You can only do that via an app like “jumper” on Instagram! 

That is again arguably the most direct showcase of social commerce in action. In my humble view, Pinterest is also the best streamlined native method offered by any Social network for marketers. Delivering sales as shown in our post on eCommerce, you want to check it out.

Pinterest alone accounts for a huge slice of social commerce. If you need any more convincing, just look at how Pinterest presents itself to new business users in its Getting Started Guide right here:

In this article, I’ll reference the sales tools that make Pinterest such a powerful platform for brands. There are Several Resources and Tools I have put together detailing each resource at time of publishing as below:

Now that you have details on some of the native sales tools on Pinterest, its time to see how much more you can do with them with a decent sales funnel set up. And what about that Instagram? What can you do with it?   

Before we go further Do Follow me on:

? Pinterest Here

? On Instagram Here

#1. Shopping on Pinterest Vs Instagram

Pinterest is a great resource for marketers because it’s so visual. One may argue that Instagram herein called IG is all about visuals too. But that’s the only similarity the two programs have!

While you can use Pinterest for SEO and rank your content on other search engines. You definitely cannot do that with Instagram.

The leading brands on Pinterest use a variety of content types – product photography, user-generated content, Pinterest Communities, Video, Behind the scenes Marketing etc. – Because it creates a unique, 360-degree view of the brand.

Pinterest’s tools have taken that experience one level deeper and more cohesive.

Pinterest allows brands to tag A Product Cart directly in a Buyable pin. Brands can now sell directly on Pinterest.

Which Instagram has tried to copy with “Shoppable Posts”; where Instagram brands have to:

“Tag up to 5 products in a single-image post. Or up to 20 products in a multi-image post”.

Meaning IG depends on Hashtags and maybe Likes to attract the sales. So, if someone doesn’t know what hashtag to use, they will not find your product. Unless you are directly targeted by an Instagram or Facebook Ad! 

Putting Pinterest miles ahead of Instagram in Product Sales!

Instagram has also introduced “Stickers” which offer the same functionality as Shoppable photos.

This is where brands can tag products in the images or videos in their Stories. See, 92% of Pinterest users are also YouTubers. While 45% YouTubers use Instagram.  This is one exciting bit about IG that over 55% of marketers aren’t leveraging! 

So, those brands that do are raking it in via IG for they can make their video content Shoppable too…

At the moment you can only Pin your video directly from YouTube to a Pinterest Board…This may not necessarily directly point to a product you sell!

This is a Big One: In order to use buyable pins, you just need a Pinterest business account and you are good to go.  

While to leverage “Shopping on Instagram”, you need to Set up your Instagram as a Business account and also have a Facebook page.

Then you have to Learn how to leverage Instagram stories and make them shoppable! A longer route; making Buyable pins way easier to set up and get selling products on Pinterest.

2. The Biggie Selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram – Bio links

This is where Instagram is the mean cousin in this space. Imagine having only 1 active Clickable link to share your amazingness – That’s Instagram for you at time of publishing!

Thus the “Link in Bio” Call to Action by most marketers, brands and product-based posts is Extremely Essential.

That phrase references the only clickable link you’ll see inside of your Instagram profile description if you know how to Set up your Assets on there.

Yet with Pinterest, every Pin Image can have its own Clickable link…making it a Seller’s Dream. You can literally set up ALL your products online with a Link and create Pin Images weekly to Pin and Share your goodies.

No need to sign post your audience to “click link in bio” to find what they need. Making Pinterest way more user friendly… #Kerching

Pinterest allows users – business or individual – to post a clickable URL On every/any Pin image while Instagram allows only 1 clickable link in Bio.

Making the IG Link Super important for marketers and also Limits your reach on there in one fell swoop. UNLESS you run a Promotion aka Advertise.

Think about it from a webmaster/marketer perspective. That one Link is your only connection to another page. One measly “Back link.” Instagrammers have to copy and paste our link into a browser if added to any Image as shown above. To see what content, we want our audience to see. Most are too lazy to do that and they vamoose on.

So, Your CTA = Call-To-Action becomes a repetitive “Check Link in Bio”.

For eCommerce brands, I would suggest you add your SPECIFIC bestselling product or page as your Link on Instagram.

Pro tip: Switch out the link whenever you have a campaign, a promo, giveaway so that your audience clicks straight to that specific page.

3. Use of Hashtags and 3^rd Party Apps to sell on Pinterest or Instagram

The best Pinterest and Instagram posts generate engagement. This refers to: re-pins, likes, some comments AND Sales if the linked content has anything to sell!

On Instagram you also get likes, comments, sometimes shares and if your image/story is galvanising enough, a sojourn to your bio to find Link and check out offer and on to your desired action.

These actions from your followers/audience are signals of intent, to subscribe, and maybe even buy. They are showing INTEREST in your message and in the words of one of my coaches Jessica Higdon those are YOUR LEADS!

Go start a conversation with them, qualify them, determine their need and start the sales dance. Don’t wait for people to Specifically give you their email…some are too shy and wont unless you reach out. 

Of course, some people will turn their snobby nose at being directly approached…Those would be other marketers. :p In my personal experience they are the only ones who get all uptight about being approached by another marketer.  

Both Pinterest and Instagram allow brands and marketers to use tools that connect engagement to a sales process.

But, Pinterest is not too keen on 3^rd party apps and in 2018 blocked BoardBooster from accessing Pinterest assets as a growth tool.

So today the only Pinterest approved 3^rd party app we know is Tailwind, open your free account and get started to automate your efforts.

All others are trying to get their API’s approved and could get your account shut down.

Hashtags are only becoming trendy on Pinterest from 2018. Before that the powers that be frowned on them. So today we recommend you add at least 2-3 relevant “Keyword related” hashtags to your Pin image description, to enhance your content being found.

Instagram on the other hand, is more focused on using hashtags and 3^rd Party Apps!

So, on Instagram you can use third party apps to follow/unfollow users, respond directly to likes and comments, and in some cases create eCommerce stores out of your brand’s IG content.

We don’t use any IG 3^rd Party apps because we are aware that they get so many accounts shut down, no second chances. And we are truly more focused on Pinterest.

So, I am at this point not making any recommendations on that front.

What I know for sure is that unlike Buyable Pins and “Shop the look” Pinterest functionalities, these Apps DO NOT automatically manage individual buyers through a complete checkout process.

#4. What to do as a Brand to sell on Pinterest or Instagram

Your brand’s presence on these platforms should be much more than a bunch of nice photos.

Just like your website, your Pinterest and/or Instagram profile should be designed to accomplish your business goals.

So, you’ve got to ask yourself – is my brand’s presence guiding my audience towards my desired action, the right way?

Without getting the basics of your brand’s Social and Sales funnel right, you won’t get very far – no matter how much you spend on ads and affiliate marketing.

Sales tools and third-party apps – are much more powerful, when you leverage them with a cohesive sales strategy.

Since you can’t process sales directly on Instagram, your audience will be directed to your chosen site to complete any sales. This presents a disjointed scenario – WHY?

Because suddenly we go from engagement to managing multiple sites and tools in our sales process. In a busy, distracted world, that’s a lot to ask.

Yet, with Pinterest you can complete the process fully via buyable pins, and/or the URLs allowed with each Pin Image you post on that platform. Making this a much more user-friendly Social Platform for the marketer and entrepreneur in my humble view!

On Pinterest, your buyers are taken directly to your desired destination URL with every Image. In fact, the image is clickable in itself if linked to a web page!

Think about an experience with helpful sales assistants versus browsing through a big, empty department store. Only one is quick, easy, and satisfying. That’s Pinterest for you! ?

Still Here? Selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram is your choice!

Selling on Pinterest vs Instagram, its down to your choice of platform!

Facebook’s Zuckerberg, also Instagram’s Owner continues to add more eCommerce tools And his massive marketing machine behind his platforms!

So at the moment we have Instagram growth by approx 35% more than any social platform as at Aug 2018! 

Pinterest’s focus on Growing communities and so it is growing daily too. It’s search engine SEO abilities make it a more useful product for me a Marketer and webmaster. It allows marketers to sell directly with each Pin image, Buyable pins and all the functionalities it has placed at your disposal. You set can your Pinterest assets right, take Focused Action by creating a powerful sales funnel that leads to quick sales directly on your web pages or eCommerce store  – without spending a dime.

In my humble view, Pinterest has been and continues to be the rocket fuel for any product based business/service  Question is – is your brand on board the vessel?

I hope you got some clarity in the unique differences between and selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram. Whats your view? Which one would you or do you find more useful for your marketing efforts? Pinterest or Instagram?

Have your say below and why! 

**Need a Coach or Mentor to help you get unstuck in your branding and online marketing? Check out the Form right Here and Fill It in to see if you qualify.  

To your Abundance

Live. Learn. Love

Julie Syl Kalungi

I believe you now understand which platform works best for you with our expose on Selling on Pinterest Vs Instagram. And if you too love it, share below your biggest take away below  and Share on Facebook…

Pin this Post