Are you using Tailwind Create for Pinterest to promote your blog or online store yet? Or are you still completely overwhelmed with how many steps are involved to share ONE social media post?
Every platform has its own rules from the experts. Be brand consistent, use this size and ratio, links can or can’t be used in several places… it’s overwhelming! But I started using Tailwind for Pinterest back in summer 2020 and am kicking myself for not using it earlier. [If you haven’t heard of Tailwind yet, read my post What is Tailwind for Pinterest?]
So of course, when Tailwind Create launched, I was NOT going to miss being an early adopter this time.
Spoiler alert – it is absolutely amazing. I promise you, even if you THINK there’s a platform you are using that you currently love, this one will blow it out of the water. But don’t take my word for it. Read on to learn about all of the benefits and time savers Tailwind Create provides for bloggers and female entrepreneurs.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I was also compensated to create this post, though all opinions are my own.
Benefits of Tailwind for Bloggers
In my first 6 months using Tailwind, I have increased my followers from 25 to over 420. Currently, I am just under 200,000 monthly views on my shared pins. In just six months!! (Results are not guaranteed to be the same for all users.)
So surely the views and followers are not coming because I am a grand influencer, right?!
The truth is, using Tailwind for Pinterest, I have been able to create consistency – and that is VITAL in the overcrowded social media world today.
By sitting down just one weekend a month, I can schedule and share 10-20 Pins per day for the entire month. As a solopreneur, time is money, and the time I get back using Tailwind is PRICELESS.
If you want to learn more about how strongly I feel about Tailwind for both Pinterest and Instagram, read my article here. I could gush about it all day, but today I want to share my excitement about their new addition – Tailwind Create – and how it completes my Pinterest marketing toolkit as a solopreneur!
What is Tailwind Create?
Okay. Do you know how some people have glamorous, professionally-designed Pinterest pins that go viral even if the content in the link is… not nearly as good?
Finally, there is a tool for the rest of us to create amazing pins – no graphic design skills needed! Now the rest of us female entrepreneurs and bloggers can promote our quality content with quality Pinterest Pin designs. Even better, you can create several in one sitting, and don’t have to pay a social media manager or virtual assistant to add this monthly task to their list!
Directly from the makers, Tailwind Create is “the only suite of marketing tools built specifically for Pinterest.”
What are the Benefits of Tailwind Create?
If you’re not familiar with the amount of effort that goes in to Pinterest content creation, let me boil it down for you. Using a software specifically for Pinterest helps with all of the following:
Fast Creation
Endless Supply of Pre-made Designs (including Seasonal looks)
Uniform Branding
Consistently Scheduled Content
Traffic Analysis
Direct publishing from Tailwind (no more “download, save to computer, upload to Pinterest, define your pin, add the title, add the link, choose boards… now pin your ONE image…)
Clearly that last one is my favorite. I love streamlined, automated and highly efficient processes as a solopreneur, and Tailwind Create is my current favorite.
Tailwind Create: Behind the Scenes
Here's a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of my Tailwind Create account.
After setting up your brand preferences like color scheme and font, you can get started immediately with building your first Pin.
Below, you will see my branding options on the lefthand menu. On this menu, you then enter a title and an optional website link.
For this Pin example, I entered the title “Tailwind Create”.
You then upload one or more photos to use on the Pin cover. The layouts will automatically generate using some combination of the photos you choose. This makes it so simple to decide what photos look good with your brand colors and your layout!
Above is just one sample row of Pin designs that Tailwind Create auto-generated for me within seconds. I am honestly not sure how many templates it populated, because I counted to about 300 before I gave up. And that does not even include variations mixing and matching color schemes, photos or colors used.
Here's what I love even more.
As you browse layouts, you'll find ones that might seem “close” but not “perfect.”
That's where you get to click the options menu below, and make changes in the blink of an eye.
Check out how I changed this ONE template option into 9 different styles within seconds.
First, I found a Pin I liked. It used just one of the two photo options I entered. Let's say I loved it, but wanted it to use a different variation of my brand colors.
The only small step is to click “colors” on the drop down menu, and watch it suggest 4 or 5 other color combinations using your pre-selected brand colors.
No need to remember your hex codes or highlight different frames in the image to toggle each item color.
Now, let's say I still like that Pin design, but I wished Tailwind Create would have dropped in the other photo I entered.
The ease of the drop down bar lets you quick swap the images.
Bam.
No need to drag and drop, or resize and crop the other images to replace it.
Finally, if you think your creative design is ALMOST ready for Pinterest, but needs to be slightly adjusted, you have one more “quick swap” option.
You can use the layout function on the dropdown menu to quickly rotate the title around the Pin. This way, if you loved a specific photo but the title bar would have been blocking a piece of the picture, you can still use the design you love without having to compromise.
Needless to say, you are guaranteed to find a style that is right for you somewhere in the mix.
Once you have made a handful of quality pins you are ready to use, you can download to your computer or schedule to publish straight from Tailwind immediately! (Personally, I like to do both.)
Tailwind Create Free Trial
Sign up for Tailwind absolutely free. Honestly – no credit card information is even collected. Their trial includes up to 100 scheduled pins or 30 Instagram posts. [Note that each platform is a separately paid subscription.]
Just click the banner below and get started today. [I may make a small commission if you ultimately sign up for the program, at no extra cost to you. If you found my article helpful, I’d appreciate the love by checking it out through my custom links!]
Even if you tried Tailwind in the past and weren’t sure if it was right for you, you have got to try it out with Tailwind Create.
Oh yeah, and if you sign up during their promo launch period in January 2021, they have a huge 50% discount!
Have you tried Tailwind Create yet? Would love to hear your feedback and best practices in the comments below!
A beginners guide answering all your questions about how to sell on Etsy in 2021. Even as a brand new Etsy shop owner, you can build a successful online business through the Etsy marketplace.
What is Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace where sellers can sell handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies. If you are looking for an unusual handmade gift, or love everything vintage, Etsy is the place you’ll find it. If you are an artist or an avid collector of unusual items, you can list your treasures for sale on Etsy and run your own business.
Etsy is not the only e-commerce site that you can use to sell your goods, though it has quickly become one of the most globally well-known.
In fact, there are currently more than 100 online marketplaces people use to entice consumers to buy from them. Each platform has its own benefits and drawbacks.
Other e-commerce sites include Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, EBay, Walmart, Target and behemoths like Amazon and Alibaba. Of course, you could also build your own website for e-commerce purposes. That is a great option for long-term success, but takes more time, money and strategy to launch.
Why would you sell on Etsy? Well, the size of this marketplace is nothing to scoff at. According to Statista, there were more than 2.5 million sellers on Etsy on the last count. Additionally, the platform had a whopping 39.4 million buyers worldwide.
A truly global marketplace, Etsy has sellers from 234 countries. Most of them are from the United States (62%) as of June 2019 and 13% are from the UK.
The company is growing
Etsy has seen phenomenal growth since its founding in June 2005 by founders Rob Kalin, Chris Maguire, Jared Tarbell, and Haim Schoppik. Ten years after the company’s founding, in April 2015, Etsy became a publicly traded company. They traded on the NYSE at a valuation in excess of $3.5 billion while raising more than $287 million. At the time of this article, Etsy is valued at $2 billion.
Etsy supports sellers with TV ads
Etsy recently launched the ‘’Stand with Small campaign’’, which reminds buyers that by shopping on Etsy they are supporting someone’s small business. Shopping small supports creative entrepreneurs at a time when they could be struggling to make ends meet.
Etsy’s latest campaign ‘’Always Open’’, features actual Etsy sellers from around the world and the unusual items they create.
Etsy sellers can be very successful
It’s possible to run a very successful business on the Etsy platform. Some sellers have managed to make serious money with their shops. Others have been able to grow their Etsy shops into profitable full-time businesses. Two outstanding success stories are Three Bird Nest and Bohemian Findings.
Alicia Shaffer, famously referred to as Etsy’s richest seller, attributes her success to how she presented her products photographically. She styles every product with accessories to make sure it is presented to its best potential. Her shop, Three Bird Nest, raked in almost $1 million on Etsy in 2015. She has since opened her own website where she hosts her shop.
Bohemian Findings sells charms and beads on Etsy and is one of the site’s most successful stores. Bohemian Findings sells everything you need to make jewelry. Many of their customers happen to be other Etsy sellers who make and sell jewelry. What a clever business providing what other Etsy shop owners need!
Bohemian Findings has also since launched its own ecommerce site. At one point they were receiving an unbelievable 500 orders a day on Etsy!
It’s easy to start a shop on Etsy
Opening a shop on Etsy is simple and affordable. It’s an ideal e-commerce platform for small-scale businesses that focus on a niche market.
To start your own store, simply create an Etsy account, set your shop location and currency (based on where you are in the world).
Then you name your shop and create your first listing.
You will also have to set up a preferred payment method for how you will accept payments and a billing method to pay listing fees.
From there, starting an Etsy store is as simple as uploading your first listing. You can have your own shop within an hour of reading this post!
Benefits of selling on Etsy
The upfront cost to start up is low. Opening an account is free. To start listing items, you will be charged a listing fee of $0.20 for each item posted for sale. [Pro Tip: Use a referral link like mine to open your shop to get 40 free listings!]
Technically, this makes it 100% free to open a shop and list your first 40 items. By using Etsy as your launch platform, you can start building your brand and your customer base with no expense. Yes, there are other Etsy fees (discussed below,) but those are paid after a sale is made. This means they can be paid out of your sales revenue.
Another benefit about starting an Etsy shop is the speed and ease to launch a new store. You can go from concept to Etsy seller overnight. All you need is your branding and a few photos to make your first product listings.
Additionally, the Etsy marketplace provides immediate traffic and a large consumer base ready to buy. Because consumers already know about these websites, you can make sales without spending a penny on your own marketing.
Etsy is filled with customers actively looking for shops to spend money on handmade goods. New sellers benefit and do not have to spend money on advertising and building awareness. If you try to sell on your own independent website, you'd have higher additional marketing costs to find and drive traffic to your business.
Start a Business From Home
Of course, my favorite benefit? Running a business on Etsy also allows you to work from the comfort of your home. In these challenging times, that is the best possible situation to be in. It allows flexibility of schedule regardless of whether it's a side hustle or your own means of income.
Even better? You can make Etsy a family affair and teach your kids about money and business savvy in a fun way!
How Etsy has Changed Over Time
Etsy started out as a platform in 2005 where people who love making handcrafted goods could sell their products to people who were looking for and love to buy exclusively handmade goods. A lot has changed since those early days.
Exclusively Handmade to Manufactured Products
In 2013, Etsy changed its Terms of Service. Now, sellers can offer manufactured goods as well, not only handcrafted goods. While this expanded selling opportunities, it also commercialized a platform that had been dedicated solely to creative entrepreneurs.
At the time, many original handcraft sellers threatened to leave the platform. However, membership numbers didn’t drop significantly because Etsy was still a valuable platform for sellers to make money online.
According to Statista, Etsy had over 2.5 million sellers at the end of 2019. That number has continued to grow annually.
Increased Etsy Seller Fees
In 2018, Etsy increased its transaction fee for sellers from 3.5% to 5.0%. Once a product is sold, Etsy now takes a 5.0% cut of the revenue paid. This includes 5% of any shipping cost paid by the customer.
Additionally, the company announced in February 2020 that it would advertise seller’s goods on the internet for free. Though it sounds great, there’s a catch.
Etsy collects a fee of 12% – 15% from each sale that results because of their advertisements. For instance, if Etsy's advertising lands your product on Google search and a consumer buys through that channel, Etsy collects the additional fees.
Small sellers pay the higher fee of 15%, but they are also able to choose to opt-out of the advertisements. It results in less traffic, but also reduces the fees paid for the sales you do make. It is a business decision to weigh as you start your Etsy shop.
However, Etsy’s top sellers – those making $10,000 per year or more – do not have the option. They will be automatically enrolled in the program, and will be charged 12% on sales that result from an Etsy ad.
Sellers are highly encouraged to offer free shipping in their shops. Shipping prices can be set per product or for the shop as a whole.
Etsy has made it clear that they want sellers to offer free shipping for orders over $35. Shops that comply get priority in searches and advertisements. Shops that do not are pushed further down the search which makes it harder to gain traffic and customers.
For many sellers this means raising prices and running the risk of losing sales and customers. Otherwise, sellers absorb the extra cost themselves. Ultimately, if you are not carefully pricing products for profitability, this could cause losses in your Etsy shop.
As a global marketplace, this policy makes it more difficult for sellers to profit from sales to overseas buyers. Unfortunately, for a seller from a place like South Africa, shipping costs overseas can be exorbitant. With many buyers ordering a single item, it’s just not viable for global traders far from the large markets to ship one item and still make money.
Who Can Sell on Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace open to sellers of all types. Anyone can sell their handmade products, vintage goods (at least 20 years old) and crafting supplies. You can be a small business or operating as an individual.
The Seller's Handbook focuses more on describing eligible products than detailing any restrictions on age, country, etc. Note that Etsy may change their policies at any time. They may also hold different policies depending on your country of operation. Make sure to check the guide yourself to confirm you are eligible to open a shop.
What to Sell on Etsy
Handmade/sewn clothes
Customized goods (Grab yourself a Cricut cutting machine and open shop!)
Toiletries and Self Care: Soaps, Oils
Gifts: Christmas ornaments, bridesmaid gifts
Jewelry, Wigs, Accessories
Digital Downloads: SVG files, printables, ebooks, etc.
Stationery, Stickers, Planners, etc.
Home Décor: Wall Signs, Doormats
Houseplants, succulents (Yes, live ones!)
Custom-made cakes, food hampers, vegan chocolate
Phone cases
What You Cannot Sell on Etsy
The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Etsy:
Alcohol
Tobacco
Drugs
Drug Paraphernalia and Medical Drugs
Animal Products and Human Remains
Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
Illegal Items
Pornography and Mature Content
Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence
Additionally, sellers may not resell handmade items. This means a seller may not list a handmade item that they didn’t design or make themselves.
How to Start an Etsy Shop
It's easy to set up a shop on Etsy. First, you follow the steps to create an Etsy account. If you already have an account as a buyer, you can use the same to open your shop. Then, you will set up your shop preferences. That includes language, country, and currency. Also note whether you will be selling part-time or full-time. Not too much else needs to be done before you are ready to launch.
What you need to start a shop
Starting a shop on Etsy is free. If you are interested in opening a shop to see the backend and learn how it works, you can get started without a credit card. The first fee you pay is when you publish a listing ($0.20 each.)
Next you choose your shop name. This can be tricky, so find some tips here.
After that, you’re ready to stock you shop by adding product listings to your shop. Make sure to take quality photographs (at least 1,000 pixels wide) of your products that show them off at their best. Remember, on Etsy this is the only way to distinguish yourself from the other shop owners on the same page.
Now you that you have set up your shop, you must choose payment and billing methods.
Financial Info Needed for Etsy
To choose how you’ll get paid, you must know if your country is eligible to use Etsy Payments. Etsy Payments gives your buyers different options to pay for their order. Then, they consolidate all the payments for you in your Etsy Payment account.
If you’re in a country is not eligible for Etsy Payments, you can use your PayPal account.
Setting up your billing will depend on the country you’re in. You may need to enter a credit or debit card to open your shop. This could be any of the following cards:
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
Carte Bleue (France)
Once you’ve entered your card details, you are ready to open your shop. Just click ‘’open’’.
The web address to get to your shop will be: https://yourshopname.etsy.com or https://www.etsy.com/shop/yourshopname.
https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook
Comparing Etsy to Other Online Marketplaces
Shopify, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace are all popular choices when you want to start your own online business. They all have their own benefits and drawbacks. Here's a quick comparison.
Etsy vs. Facebook Marketplace
More than 85% of Facebook users reside outside the U.S. and Canada, so it’s a huge global marketplace that reaches many more users than Etsy. That means more buyers than on Etsy.
Most sellers on Etsy source hand-crafted, vintage, collector's items, and craft supplies. Meanwhile, Facebook Marketplace does not restrict what can be bought and sold – even job offers are allowed. However, these days there are a lot of products for sale on Etsy that scarcely warrant the description ‘’hand-crafted’’.
Facebook Marketplace only provides a place for users to buy and sell and doesn’t handle any payments or shipping. This means there is no guarantee of product quality or non-damage or timely delivery, etc.
Facebook Marketplace concentrates on buyers and sellers in you immediate vicinity – within 40 miles usually, but you can choose up to 100 miles. Their platform warns users not to accept seller offers from a greater distance than 100 miles. Because of the physical closeness, there is no shipping involved. Buyers and sellers usually meet in person. That has to happen in a public space or one should take a friend with.
Another drawback of Facebook Marketplace is unlike Etsy, it doesn’t have a review system so buyers can see who the trustworthy sellers are. At the time of this article, this platform also does not allow the sale of digital products, while Etsy does.
Etsy vs. Shopify
Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows users to create their own online stores. With Shopify you simply build your very own ecommerce website and upload products. These can be your own products, same as you would sell on Etsy, but also would allow you to sell affiliate products or dropshipping items.
With Etsy, you don’t have your own website. Your products are listed alongside those of other sellers on the platform. Originally Etsy distinguished itself as a marketplace for handmade, vintage and craft items, but that has now changed. After 2013, sellers became allowed to sell manufactured goods as well as handmade items.
One of the drawbacks of Etsy is that it is more difficult to create a strong brand image. Your products are listed among other products and can get lost in the crowd unless customers understand that they must enter very specific search terms to find your products. You can’t create a shop with your own branding, but you can have your own logo with your products.
Conversely, on the Shopify platform, you own the website and can customize every aspect. Unlike Etsy, Shopify does have a monthly fee in addition to paid upgrades for many customization options. Therefore, it is not free to get started or as low cost in the long run, unless you grow a large business.
All of these online marketplaces are simple to join and it’s easy to start a business on them.
Etsy vs your own website
How does Etsy compare with starting your own website? Wouldn't it be better to own an independent online store and sell your goods in your own personal space?
Yes, there are definite pros to owning your own ecommerce website. In fact, I always recommend it to business owners. The primary fact to first consider, though, is what stage of business you are in.
When you are just starting out, using a marketplace platform is a valuable way to find your target audience. You can learn what customers are looking for without running up your expenses.
When you build a website, you either need computer skills or the funds to pay someone to design and build it for you. There will also be domain and hosting fees.
[Pro Tip: Grab a free website with Groove while they are still offering them. No monthly fees to have my own shop is exactly how I started building my own website while building my brand on Etsy.]
Even more so, you will need a lot time and skill to spend on SEO to get traction on Google. It can take years for a website to appear on the first page of Google.
Getting a good ranking on Google so people can find you is a tricky business and very time-consuming.
Selling on Multiple Platforms
There is no rule that says you have to stay on just one platform forever. You can even be on multiple platforms at the same time. One trick I use and often recommend to other entrepreneurs is to get started on Etsy immediately, while slowly building your own website on the side.
That way, as you get repeat customers you can start referring them to your own site. This builds your presence and eventually cuts Etsy fees out of the picture.
Etsy Customer Service
Return Policy
Every shop owner on Etsy has a personal policy about refunds, exchanges, and returns. Policies vary from shop to shop.
Buyers are reminded to check a shop’s policies prior to making a purchase. If anything is unclear, customers should contact the seller. Etsy does its best to protect both buyers and sellers, but will lean more towards protecting the buyer if necessary. For that reason, sellers must list their policies as clearly as possible to protect themselves in refund disputes.
Seller Protections
Etsy Seller Protection offers assistance to sellers when there is a dispute between the seller and the buyer.
Good standing means that the shop owner sells qualifying items, ship orders on time, and promptly responds to messages on Etsy
Cancelling a sale
A shop owner can cancel a sale. When that happens, the buyer receives a full refund. There are steps to follow in order to cancel an order. If the buyer paid through Etsy Payments, the platform takes care of the refund. However, if the buyer paid through another method, like PayPal, the seller must refund them through that same channel.
Lost shipping
Etsy doesn't hold sellers responsible for shipping delays or errors, provided the seller can prove that they shipped the item on time to the address on the Etsy receipt.
If the item has a tracking number, the buyer can contact the shipping carrier and open a claim. However, Etsy encourages sellers to consider sending a replacement item or a refund for the order as this can build good customer relationships.
A buyer can open a case with Etsy if they have not received their item. If the seller provides proof that the item was shipped, Etsy will close out the case and the seller will be off the hook.
There are always options to insure packages of value. If you are shipping an expensive item, it may be worthwhile to insure the package at shipping. At that point, if it gets lost for longer than 30 days or more, the seller can refund the customer and afterward file as claim.
Etsy makes a lot of money from fees. The platform generates more than $330 million in revenue from marketplace fees, including listing and transaction fees.
Listing Fee
Etsy charges sellers a listing fee of $0.20 for every product they list for sale in their shop.
If you haven't opened an Etsy shop yet, make sure to ask a friend for their shared link. By using a referral link, you get 40 free listings and the person who referred you also gets 40 free listings!
Here's my Etsy referral link if I've been a good friend or resource as you start your Etsy seller journey! 🙂
Transaction Fee
When you sell an item through your shop on Etsy, Etsy will charge you a transaction fee of 5% of the price of the item.
Shipping transaction fee
The company introduced a shipping transaction fee of 5% on the cost of shipping on July 1, 2018. So, if you sell a product on Etsy, you will pay 5% of the transaction cost plus 5% of the shipping transaction cost. This is also another way Etsy uses to encourage sellers to offer free shipping.
Etsy Ads
You can pay to advertise your shop(s) and products on Etsy. You can access this option through the Advertising Dashboard in Shop Manager. There you can set up a limit for the amount you will pay for advertising your business on Etsy.
Off-site Etsy ad fees
Etsy advertises on behalf of sellers on platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Google. Sellers who make $10,000 or more per year are automatically included and have to pay 12 % fee on every sale that results because of the advertising undertaken by Etsy.
Shop owners who make less than that, only have to pay 15% fee and they are not obliged to participate, they can opt out.
Etsy Seller FAQ
Is Etsy safe/reliable?
Etsy is a publicly traded company that has been in business for 15 years. Millions of sellers have made a living from their shops on Etsy and they were able to do that because consumers keep on buying from them.
Personally, I shop on Etsy and also own two Etsy shops so I am happy to vouch for its reliability as a great method to start an online business.
Just like in any business, fraud can happen and customer relationships are important. As a seller, ensure you deliver on time and work for five-star ratings so buyers continue to trust and shop with you.
What if I need to leave my shop for a few weeks?
There are many reasons why you may need to close your shop for some time. You might be ill, have a family emergency, or as often happens, you need time to catch up with some orders.
When this happens, you can use Vacation Mode to put your shop on hold for a period of time.
While the shop is closed, you’ll have access to your orders, cases, and Messages. You can do refunds, cancel orders, and print Etsy shipping labels, but buyers won’t be able to view any products or make any purchases.
Is it still worth it to sell on Etsy?
When one reads the online forums you quickly come under the impression that Etsy’s days are over. Countless sellers are totally disenchanted with what the platform has become commenting that is has lost its soul – which it appears to have done, judging by the mass-produced stuff it now lists.
But if you go by the figures, then obviously the platform is still worth if for sellers and buyers. In 2019, Etsy’s annual merchandise sales volume totaled $4.97 billion US dollars. Those are not sales figures of a failing company.
Etsy may not be the right or most profitable platform for every shop owner, but it’s obviously still serving a purpose for many.
Ready to Sell on Etsy? Grab my gift – 40 free listings! Click below.
Don't forget to share with a friend and Pin this post to visit later!
If you’re a blogger or online shop owner, you know just how many moving pieces there are to building a business. So many steps must be taken before you feel like you actually “have something.” It’s not enough just to write a decent article anymore. Now, there is so much competition that you have to study SEO and vie for attention on a half dozen social media platforms. And if you are doing it all on your own, that can be practically impossible – especially as a side hustle!
Sure, you can make things easier with automation or paying for help. But who has extra money to spare when you are just starting out? Luckily, thanks to free trial options, I have tried out several tools to test whether they work for me as an online entrepreneur. I can also decide how far along I should be on the business side to make the cost worthwhile.
I can honestly say, Tailwind for Pinterest is the single tool I wish I had invested in YEARS ago. (And now the same is true about Tailwind for Instagram!)
Results Using Tailwind
Tailwind helped me increase my followers 15x in only 6 months and average over 200,000 monthly viewers. (Below is my header as of Jan 10, 2021.)
To grow, I have only been pinning 4 pins per day for the last 6 months. Most content has been shared from other blogs, because my blog is so new. See? You can start with Tailwind even as a VERY new blogger! [Soon I will write and share a Tailwind review about my experience using it for the first six months.]
Even though my results may not be the same for everybody, Tailwind shares some strong data about their typical results.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I was also compensated to create this post, though all opinions are my own.
Ease of Tailwind for Pinterest
My favorite thing about using Tailwind for Pinterest is that I can batch my social media content. I can sit down on a Sunday evening with a glass of wine and schedule 300 pins for the entire month if I want to. That accounts for my 10 daily pins they recommend, and I won't have to think about Pinterest again for the entire month!
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, where you need to interact and build relationships, Pinterest is a platform built around sharing quality content. That makes it PERFECT for “set it and forget it” if you are a solo entrepreneur.
What is the Tailwind App?
Tailwind is an easy-to-use hub that makes social media marketing simple and automated. They tout that over 700,000 bloggers, brands and agencies use their tools as their “visual marketing co-pilot for winning on Pinterest and Instagram.”
Tailwind is an official Marketing Developer Partner (“MDP”) with Pinterest. This means they are authorized to connect directly to Pinterest and have security that other third-party plugins cannot guarantee.
Their website summarizes it best.
“Tailwind is the smartest way to manage your presence across the visual web (Pinterest & Instagram), and offers a complete suite of marketing tools including Smart Scheduling, Analytics & Monitoring, Content Discovery, Education, Communities, Hashtag Suggestions and more.”
What Can Tailwind for Pinterest Do?
Tailwind for Pinterest and Tailwind for Instagram are essentially the same app. It just depends which account you are opting to set up for autoposting.
Schedule and automatically post your pins days, weeks and even months in advance
Analyze the best times to post based on your audience engagement
Create SmartLoops to automatically reschedule your best content at any interval you choose
Build networks through Tailwind Communities, and easily find content to share from similar niches
Build consistency for your Pinterest presence, which drastically increases monthly views
Provide valuable insights and detailed analytics about your pins and growth progress
Consistently drive organic traffic to your blog or online store without paying for advertising on other sites.
What Can Tailwind for Instagram Do?
Schedule and automatically post photos and videos to your Instagram grid.
Analyze the best times to post based on your audience engagement
Hashtag Finder provides recommended hashtags for both high popularity and hyper-niche audiences
Visually plan a cohesive grid with preview options
Free Smart.Bio link for profile allows externally linking for more traffic to your website and shop
Summary Reports about profile performance and most engaging posts
Have you been hearing digital marketing buzzwords about sales funnels and automated lead generation? Did you immediately feel “out of the loop” even though you KNOW they sound like valuable business assets?
I admit… I am pretty new to the funnel building world.
The little I knew about marketing funnels made be believe they were not relevant to my busines. I honestly thought using online funnels was a FAR more advanced strategy than I was ready for.
BUT…
All it took was a little bit of time and building my first simple funnel and something clicked for me.
Suddenly it was easy to understand so many ways to use funnels to support and grow my new online initiatives as an entrepreneur.
If you have ever caught yourself thinking “I’m not ready for funnels,” read this before you lock in that mindset.
Honestly, we break it down and compare online funnels to traditional retail shopping and marketing. Visualizing each step can help expand your idea about the opportunities funnels offer in all stages of your business. Yes, even if it is brand new!
What are Sales Funnels / What are Marketing Funnels?
Sales Funnels and Marketing Funnels (often terms used interchangeably,) are not new to e-commerce and internet businesses.
Funnels have long been a marketing concept, though different industries may have used different terms or theories.
In a simple way, it boils down to this.
Sales funnels are tools used to monitor and expedite the customer’s decision making by handing them exactly what they need at each stage of the buying process.
Sales funnels are tools used to monitor and expedite the customer’s decision making by handing them exactly what they need at each stage of the buying process.
How Do Sales Funnels Work?
Traditional marketing methods inundate prospects to build attention and awareness for a product or brand. The goal is to learn who the target audience is, and what the ideal customer will be interested in.
If somebody opts-in to an email list, clicks to download a freebie, watches a webinar, or otherwise shows interest, they become a “lead” and become valuable to directly market to (as in, straight to their email inbox.)
The communication continues as the company adds value and educates the prospect on topics related to their service. This way, when the customer is ready to make a purchase, they have had the opportunity to know, like and trust the businesses.
Stages of Sales Funnels
1. Awareness:
Audience first becomes aware of your business or brand. A customer is considered in the top of the funnel the first time you get their attention. Awareness starts with social media, search engines, traditional marketing or any way you get in front of prospects.
2. Interest:
At this stage in the funnel, you should be adding value and offer to help your customers. People are becoming more invested in the product or service. They may be reading reviews, comparison shopping and doing more research to understand what they need. As a company, do not sell or pitch yet. Customers in this stage are not ready. It may likely turn them away if you push too early.
3. Decision:
The customer is ready to make a purchase. They have narrowed down all of their research from the Interest stage to two or three companies they are interested in. Hopefully your business is included!
At this point, you should be aiming to have the most irresistible offer across your competition. Your service should be irresistible to the customer and convince them to make the purchase before leaving the page.
4. Action:
The customer takes action. You got the sale (or the email sign-up, or whatever result your sales funnel intended to trigger.)
Just because this is the bottom of the funnel does not mean the work is done. Now that you have made the sale and brought in a new customer, there are plenty of other pieces to the puzzle. Trying to up-sell, build loyalty, and gain repeat customers for the long haul.
Why is it called a Sales “Funnel”?
Sales funnels are aptly named based on their inverse pyramid shape. The largest number of prospects will always be at the very top of the funnel. This is where all of the advertising and marketing is captured, creating the earliest stage of brand awareness.
As the “mouth” of the funnel engages prospects and converts them into leads, there are less people following through at each additional stage.
Pin and share this cheat sheet for later!
Not every customer who first hears of your business is ready to begin a longer conversation. Then, even less will be ready to compare brands and make a decision. And finally, the fewest will take action to specifically become YOUR customers with a new sale.
Why is a Sales Funnel Beneficial?
Think about your marketing and sales process as a whole. Considering the full process “through the funnel” helps understand the path your prospects take. You need to understand how they move across the span, from when they first learn about your business. Eventually they become a buyer – and hopefully, a loyal returning customer.
If you are not following the path of your prospects, you are missing gaps in your business. It's important to recognize where people are “dropping out of the funnel.”
At those stages, you are leaving money on the table!
That is why there are so many articles about “funnel optimization,” which simply means, let’s see what is happening along your prospect’s decision path. Then, we can fix the parts where they decide not to move forward with the next step.
What is a Funnel Builder?
Some confusion about what a funnel truly is comes from the rise of e-commerce funnel builders. These are software systems you may have heard of that allow you to create sales funnels to get customers or generate higher sales.
One of the most commonly known funnel builder software programs is ClickFunnels. A new competitor to the game is GrooveFunnels.
Using these systems, business owners and marketers create a “funnel” through a webpage by simplifying customer options. Only ONE action is allowed to be taken on each page. Therefore, it acts like the sales funnel we discussed, because less and less users will trickle down through each stage of the full funnel to ultimately reach the business owner’s desired end action.
Once they reach the “end” action, they continue down a path in this funnel you have created, now offering them an upsell (“Since you bought our book, would you be interested in our flash sale for an upcoming webinar, 50% off for only $299?”) or a downsell (“Not interested in that webinar? Got it. Well we do have a second book about to launch and you can be the first to own it for only $27 right now. Interested?)
Online funnels do not have to be long, complex pathways at first.
As you build out funnels and learn more though, you will recognize that the longer you keep a customer in one of your funnels, the longer they are focused only on you, and whether they are interested to spend a few more dollars with your company (because of all the previous value you have already delivered, of course!)
How is a Funnel or Funnel Builder Different from a Website?
The value of online funnel builder software is that a company can create what LOOKS like a website, but is actually a single page (which can be known as a landing page, sales page, etc.)
Most importantly, it does not have a menu bar with tabs to browse through.
There is no “about us”, “read our blog,” etc.
It has just ONE call to action for the reader.
This simplifies the decision-making process, and keeps the reader focused on the company’s goals.
For instance, if you have launched a new lead magnet, and your end goal is to collect new email addresses to build your email list, your first funnel page would have no option other than to “enter email, get freebie.” (Of course, they can always just exit the page, so you are not forcing them if they are not truly ready.)
You do not complicate the system by saying “either enter your email address OR click here to buy our $27 book OR just get personal coaching with me for $2000.”
That is too many options, confuses the reader – and likely makes them question what you are even pitching.
Sales Funnels Summary
Going back to basics, let’s consider what the ultimate goal is for any business. To make sales, right? Let’s work backwards to how that gets done…
Well, to make sales, we need to convince customers to buy OUR product, not the competitor’s.
Part of the convincing is making sure they know, like and trust us before they make a decision.
To know, like and trust us, they have to be aware of us – they have to at first, at bare minimum, HEAR about us.
Because retail has grown hyper-competitive with the rise of e-commerce, the savvy business owner needs to be able to map out their customer’s decision making process, and show up at every stage so they are front-of-mind and seen as the clear winner when the customer makes their end decision (hopefully, a sale from you!)
Anybody remotely interested in online content development, website creation and of course blogging has, by now, likely learned about niche branding and the benefits it provides to “niche down” to a small level. All of that is very true, and a jump-start to monetization. Clearly it works – but for me, trying to niche down was my kryptonite.
Since I surely can’t be alone in that, I want to share my perspective on niche branding and how it’s only right for some people, in some situations. For others, it’s okay to go broad, and go your way.
Consider the 3 ways appreciation for niche branding was thwarting my goals, and may be doing the same to yours!
1. The Niche Branding concept creates decision overload.
I am an admitted victim of constant analysis paralysis.
It’s something I work on daily now, and know is one of my ongoing challenges.
Just as any trait that could be seen as a weakness, I have turned it into a strength in my career. For example, micro-analysis and several iterations of “what – if” and “what could go wrong” are fantastic traits for a $100+ million dollar credit underwriter. What they are not good traits for is someone with 100-million ideas, hobbies and side-hustles.
The more I listened to experts and pros, the more I learned what I should be doing – and being a long time academic, I wanted to do the right things.
After executing in-depth research across several categories before seeking out the niche my voice could make the most immediate impact in, my decision tree grew to be five times larger than my original passion-project topics I was trying to narrow down.
2. The Niche Branding concept becomes the ultimate excuse.
For some folks, choosing a niche brand makes it easier to start. It provides a clear, structured, intentional focus. If you are writing about knitting sweaters for tea-cup sized dogs, you can quickly define your target audience, where to find them, how to connect with them, and what products they will need if and when you look to monetize your website.
I could not help myself…
If you want to write about work, life, and how to find balance in between, you quickly find that you are suddenly in the realm of “lifestyle bloggers”, an overrun segment filled with innovative, adorably-quirky millennials with charisma, character, and high social media usage.
For me, the analysis paralysis I talk about above was the ultimate excuse to never actually start. I’d use all of the brainstorming techniques I knew, and research others I wasn’t aware of yet.
I have thousands of pictures and notes from travel I’ve been antsy to share for years so I would start a travel concept, but then I’d turn around and realize that I could add more value to others through several aspects of business, especially the overwhelming world of finance to those who haven’t studied it.
Going back and forth and trying to perfect the niche sent me down a path of one step forward, two steps back. And ultimately, it became a crutch to lean on when asked, “Why haven’t you started yet?”
3. The Niche Branding concept causes loss of focus on why to write.
By trying to niche down and define exactly what my site would be and why I would develop it, I lost focus on the reasons I decided to take the steps and begin in the first place.
It was because I love to learn about new things constantly, and I know I can’t be the only one out there.
It’s becauseI don’t want to be pigeon-holed into only learning and growing in only one area of my career.
It’s in-spite ofnot having a singular point of niched-down, value-adding expertise.
But because of all that, I have come to realize that it’s important to keep your “why” at the top of mind for every project you pursue.
Keep your “why” at the top of mind for every project you pursue.
Recalling the “why” has also led me to realize that the flip-side of the coin is recognizing we all have value added expertise to share in some unique way.
For me, I can advise in how to pivot across various careers, how to connect the dots for employers when you are changing industries, and how to continue to grow in other fields when your current job has you focused in a singular area of expertise.
With the overwhelming amount of help we can get through websites, social media and now podcasts, it’s not helpful unless you are actively taking action.
With the overwhelming amount of help we can get through websites, social media and now podcasts, it’s not helpful unless you are actively taking action.
Don’t let your research and understanding that you shouldhave a niche brand stand in your way of starting any brand at all. Trust me, I’ve been there. To the degree that I’ve owned about five domain names for two years, and have just now finally launched this one. Why? Because my name won’t change, my stories are true, my writing is my own, and my “why” is to connect and share the resources I over-analyze for myself with those around me, so you can skip that step, and get right back to action as you thrive in your own pursuits!
I create resources for female entrepreneurs and career-driven women striving to break out of their comfort zones and through the glass ceiling.
