Social Media for Consignment Stores

In today's resale world, social media presents an incredible opportunity for marketing and engaging existing and potential customers. As business owners, we can be incredibly overwhelmed by the options, technical details, and time involved in developing a social media presence. The good news is, it doesn't need to be so intimidating! Social media can be a fun, free way to engage with your customers on their schedule. Imagine: you can be marketing 24/7 even when you may be unavailable or your store may be closed!

On a consignment pickup a few years ago, I had a new consignor who was also new to the area. As we were going through the agreement, she pulled up our social media account and really connected! Soon she was pulling higher end items out of her closet to show me on the spot. Social media was a way for her to see what we do and how well we do it. She saw real people processing the consignments and customers enjoying their purchases. Social media can be a real buzz builder for your store. Read more here about building your own buzz.

To get started, there are three simple steps:

1. Identify your ideal customer and what social media platform they use

2. Set up a business account for that platform

3. Set up a posting schedule that fits your time and resources

Now, when your store is closed or you have off hours, your customers can engage with your business and see new items, and you're not missing out on the fun, free marketing that social media provides!

Identify your ideal customer and what social media platform they use

The best place to start is to identify who your ideal customer is and what social media platform(s) they primarily use. This will keep you focused and help narrow down what can seem like an overwhelming task. Consignment Chats has Episode 65 available on "Finding Your Ideal Customer" 

In addition, there are many templates that can guide you in quickly identifying who your ideal customer is and where you can find them. This should be fun and quick (approximately 10 minutes), but it will save you countless hours in the long run as you develop your posts and marketing. At Consignment Chats, we even named our ideal customer "Chrissy," and as simple as naming a customer is, it creates a connection that will serve you going forward. Building a buyer persona (or ideal customer) has so many benefits, which you can read about here.

The concept here is simple: "Be where your ideal customer is and show them what they are interested in!" 

Set up a business account for that platform

Time to create your accounts!

Once you have identified what social media platform your ideal customer uses, set up a business account using your branding and business name. Consignment Chats discuss the various options and getting started in Episode 33. The most common choices are Facebook and Instagram, and your Facebook and Instagram accounts can actually be synced up if you choose both.

For Facebook, you will create a Facebook Business Page using your personal account. You can add your logo, cover photo, and any pertinent information about your business. Once the page is created, you will be able to interact as your business on the page. One of the most common questions we receive is, "Do you have to have a personal account to set up a business page?" Yes, Facebook wants to know that a real person owns that business. If you choose to make yourself anonymous in maintaining the page, you can do that after it is set up.

For Instagram, you will create a business account and do not need to have it hooked to your personal account. It's a separate entity. Create your Instagram account using your business name and logo. Each account has to have a unique email address associated with it.

If you have Shopify, you can easily sync your product catalog to your Facebook and Instagram accounts to provide online shopping opportunities for your customers. Check out the ConsignCloud Shopify Integration as a quick and easy way to automate your listings. You can read about it here.

There are seemingly endless ways to use social media for your resale business. Join the Consignment Chats Community on Facebook to see the many ways resellers are using social media to enhance their businesses.

Set up a posting schedule that fits your time and resources

Consistency is key. Find a schedule that works for you, then stick to it. Is it once a week? Once a day? Make it work for your business, and keep in mind that it should enhance your business. It should not be taking away from your existing structure.

For tips and tricks on managing time, watch Episode 51 of Consignment Chats, where we talk about managing the busy times with social media so you can be consistent without getting overwhelmed.

What to post

A great rule of thumb for social media is the 80/20 Rule. Your content does best when you create a balance of 20% sales content and 80% social content. Episode 8 of Consignment Chats with social media expert Kathy Terrill gives a good overview of how to implement the 80/20 Rule and engage customers. Read more about Kathy's tips and tricks here.

When creating content to post, think of your ideal customer and her interests. What would be interesting to her? What products would she be likely to purchase? Resources for content creation, planning calendars, and post ideas can be found at every turn online. Read here for how to create a content calendar. However, consider just using your ideal customer as your muse and going from there.

Give it time

Although it is tempting to compare your business to others on social media and want to grow your followers by any means necessary, it is not the wisest strategy. Keep in mind that engaged fans and followers are important. Random followers make your numbers look great but actually hurt your relevancy. Strive for quality over quantity. You may not gain as many followers as quickly, but you will be reaching the right, ideal customers. Read Orbit Media's Article on Creating Super Fans if you need some convincing! Don't get discouraged: a slow, consistent build is best. Give your customers and potential customers time to get to know your business. 

Authenticity

Just be yourself: don't worry about being too polished or creating a perfect marketing video.

Gone are the days of slick media campaigns and polished content. Customers want to buy from businesses they know and trust. Read more about this trend at Harvard Business Review.

This means that we, as small businesses, have an unprecedented opportunity to harness the power of social media to build our brands, engage our customers, and build trust without spending lots of money on slick, stylized marketing campaigns. Customers are responding and purchasing from quick, authentic videos that are real. Turn the camera on and make it work for your business!

Summary

Want to get started on your social media marketing today, but don't have a ton of time at the moment? Just start small. Listen to Episode 65 on Consignment Chats and spend 10 minutes outlining your ideal customer. Give her a name, describe how she spends her time, and list the styles she likes to wear and decorate with, just for starters. Then, as you have time later in the day or over the next week, come back to complete the other steps. You'll be posting with the best of them in no time!