If you’re thinking of starting a Pinterest account for your Etsy shop, you’re on the right path. If you’re not thinking about it, here are a couple of reasons why you should be.

1. Data is Your Best Friend

Pinterest offers a free business account with chock full of details, data, and analytics. This information gives you access to your visitors that are otherwise anonymous. If you have a physical store and a customer comes in, you can assess what demographics they fall in, you can see if they’re looking for a specific type of item, you can interact with them and guide them to other products that might interest that. This is what the data allows you to do in your cybershop. You can find out who visits your Pinterest account: age, gender, location, and the device they used. You can find out what they searched to reach your account. You can find out which pins receive the most engagement. Once you have this data, you’ll be able to see which pins do well and which need improvement.

2. You Can Sell on Pinterest

Pinterest separates product pins and content pins. Product pins are filtered under the “Shop” tab and content pins are filtered under the “Explore” tab. This way, users won’t have to parse through Pinterest’s millions of pins to find the products that you’re selling. You’ll also receive engagement from users who not only find your images attractive but are also looking to buy. The “Shop” tab also allows users a quick way to compare your product and pricing amongst hundreds of other sellers. If your products are competitive, chances are users will click on your post first.

3. Etsy Links Directly to Your Pinterest Account

It’s easy to add your product listings on Etsy to your Pinterest boards. Simply connect your account from the “Marketing” settings page and a little Pinterest icon will show on your product image when you hover over it. Click that red button and you can directly add the image to your Pinterest boards. Not only do you add to your board, but you can also insert your product’s Etsy link.

Pinterest is so much more than just product images. You can do DIY graphics, create a how-to video of your product, and give Pinterest users a three-dimensional experience of your product. And the beauty of Pinterest is that users who’ve pinned your posts will find them again when they scroll through their boards. If you’re unsure of which social media channel to join, Pinterest should definitely be among your top considerations.