As resellers, there are so many different ways that we can use our social media channels. The most common ways that people use social media within this community are to connect with other resellers and to sell their items to potential customers. Today, I thought that it would be helpful to share with you some insight on social media marketing and social selling primarily through Instagram. Hopefully by the end of this post, I will have provided you with the tools to help you to identify your Instagram identity as a reseller and build a social media strategy accordingly!
What is Your Intention??
When it comes to using social media for reselling purposes, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself:
1) What is the purpose of this account? What am I trying to accomplish with it?– For most resellers, it will come down to connecting with other resellers, trying to sell their products, or perhaps both.
2) Is my content providing value to my ideal audience?– Whoever your ideal audience is, it is important to make sure that your content provides value to them.
3) What is my “secret sauce?”– Regardless of what you are using your account for, you should perhaps think about what your “secret sauce” is and use it to your advantage. Your “secret sauce” is made up of any and all things that are unique to you. Be sure that you showcase those experiences, talents, etc on your social media.
Social Media Strategy Basics
Once you’ve answered the questions above, the next step is to develop a social media strategy. [NOTE: For this post, I will be focusing specifically on Instagram, as that is the main platform that I have used over the years.] When it comes to developing a social media strategy as a reseller, there are a few basic concepts that you should be incorporating into your social media regardless of what you are using it for:
Have a Voice
Take a look at your business’ mission statement and values and be sure that they are reflected in your business’ day-to-day social media messaging. Understand who your audience is and over time, you will develop loyalty from them.
Show Up
Make sure to take the time to engage with your audience. It doesn’t have to be for a long period of time, but make sure to use your time intentionally. Give people reasons to connect with you. An easy way to do this is to contribute to conversations with in the community, post trending topics, and respond to any and all messages from your followers.
Share Relevant Content
If you are using social media to promote your business, it is imperative that you put your audience’s interests first and share content that is relevant to them. Everything that you post should resonate with your ideal audience.
Tell Your Story
Don’t be afraid to share snippets of your personal life on your business accounts. People want to know who they are engaging with and/or buying from so never be afraid to share personal stories and experiences as they are relevant to your business.
Build a Community
Regardless of the content that you are sharing with your audience, try to foster a sense of community within your following. Over time, people will trust and respect you and your brand.
Now that we have covered the basics, we next need to look into 2 of the main ways that resellers use Instagram for their businesses: (1) to connect with the reselling community and (2) to sell their items. Keep in mind that your strategy is going to vary for each.
Using Instagram to Connect with the Reselling Community
If the purpose of your account is to connect with the reselling community, awesome! The reselling community of Instagram can be a great place to meet and connect with so many like-minded solopreneurs just like yourself. In order to establish yourself within the reselling community, you will want to provide the community with the following content:
Informational Posts
Thrift Finds and Brand Info
Recent Sales Across Various Reselling Platforms
Reselling Problems/Experiences
These are just to name a few but regardless of what you decide to post, your posts, videos, and reels should be relatable and connect with your ideal Instagram audience.
When using your account for connecting with others within the reselling community, I find it very beneficial to be relatable, authentic, and consistent. The more “real” that you are, the easier it will be for people to connect with you; the more consistent you are, the easier it will be for people to trust you and support you.
Tip: Use your Link in Bio to link your blog or other social media channels so people can continue to find you elsewhere.
Using Instagram to Sell Products
Now, if the purpose of your account is to sell your thrifted finds on Instagram, your social media strategy is going to look very different than I what I described above. The main difference is that your ideal follower is no longer the reselling community, but instead anyone on Instagram who fits into your customer’s ideal demographic. In order to appeal to this much larger demographic, your main focus is going to be to stand out and be creative. Your content will look more like this:
Stylized Flatlays/Displays Showcasing Your Items
Modeled Clothing to Showcase Fit/ How to Style
A Look Behind-the-Scenes (Build Up Hype)
If Personal Clothing, Sharing a Memory/Experience in Same or Similar Item
Running Polls to See What Items People are Currently Looking for
Celebrity Inspiration- Can Shop Look for Less from You?
As you can see, these content ideas look are different than what I shared with you earlier. Your focus is on a different audience so it is only natural that your content will vary depending on who your audience is.
Using Instagram for Both
Finally, I want to cover how you can use Instagram for both connecting with fellow resellers and selling your products. This is how I used my previous Instagram account and how I plan on using my current account. On my previous account, it was more of a 50-50 split; now, I am using it with more of a 75-25 split. I will tell you from experience that making sales on Instagram is hard to do, it is doable, but requires a lot of strategy and patience. Many IG resellers who are able to sell their products through Instagram have a built up a large, dedicated following from Instagram, YouTube or another social platform before they are able to do so successfully (at least from my experience with it).
This strategy is a little easier to manage because you are providing your audience with a variety of content that helps them to understand both you and your business. People like to feel connected to the people that they are buying items from and this strategy allows for that to happen naturally. Additionally, your audience is constantly getting fresh, unique content through your stories, posts, and reels which keeps them coming back for more. You have a wide array of content to choose from and over time, can figure out what content resonates best with your audience.
I hope that this gives you a good overview of how to establish your reselling identity though Instagram. If you have any questions or would like to chat about this topic or any others that I have covered, please be sure to reach out to me using the links below!
If you don’t already, be sure to check out my Instagram for more Reselling Tips at @ RecycledRosesGuide (Click HERE) and my Facebook page HERE.
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