Thrift shopping isn't anything new by any measure. Still, there has been a spike in the trend from millennials, especially as streetwear and vintage clothing has become a substantial part of the identity of this generation. Even thrifting has become subject to digital technology implications making it easier now to grab a bargain from everyday second-hand pieces to re-selling designer staples. Apps and websites such as 'DePOP' and 'The Real-Real' have become extremely popular
because it allows the user a safe and secure platform to re-sell their pre-loved items instead of dropping off bags to a St. Vincent donation bin. The online thrift store market is still in its growth stage many independent businesses to continuing to launch and see a return on investment. However, with such a high level of competition, what sort of social
media marketing tactics would be best to help your online platform stand out from the crowd? Take on the following quick marketing tips to help boost your brand and carry on its success after its launch.
Tip 1. Building Your Customer Base.
The most used social media platform of 2020 is Instagram and is the perfect platform for the launch of your brand. When you're just starting up, it is vital to building strong relationships with the first few people who show interest in your brand. Positives interactions with your customers through an Instagram account not only builds trust rapport but provides instant feedback on your products.
Running giveaways and competitions where your customers are invited to tag and share a post with their friends in a chance to win products or gift cards gives your brand free publicity, builds your following with minimal costs to the business. By adding hashtags to give away and competition posts will bring new customer who value this kind of brand/customer interaction to your social media page. This is important because this particular kind of customer will be more interactive and continue to return for another chance to win. This will create a flow on affect and make your brands account more popular with higher levels of traffic.
Tip 2. Influence Your Audience.
Engaging social media influencers who align with the same values and mission as your brand are a great way to reach a much larger audience quickly. The aim is to have a collaboration that seems as authentic as possible, so the influences followers don't feel as though you are selling products to them. Take the time to research and then reach out to potential influencers who already enjoy thrifting or vintage fashion to see who would be a good fit to be the face of your brand. The Youtube video below is from Emma Chamberlain. She has numerous videos of her exploring thrift stores across her local area and how to style second-hand clothing to make it look new and fashion-forward. Focus on localising who you want to partner with, and this will help support a long-standing relationship with the particular person and quicker transit times between providing them with the product and then promoting it. Having the support of an influencer can help promote giveaways, new styles of products with the Instagram swipe up feature and also provide an aftercare service such as Instagram lives on how to style products.
Tip 3. Invest In Social Media Advertisement.
Social media advertising is useful because it utilises user information to serve related advertisements based on interactions within a specific platform. When the target market aligns with the user demographics of a social platform, social media advertising can produce large increases in conversions and traffic at a lower cost (Jolly, 2020). A quick way to increase traffic to your online store is to invest in social media advertisement. Regardless of your budget, you are most likely able to afford to pay for "advertising using Google AdWords, which is a pay-per-click advertising tool that is designed to attract more people to your online store" (How To Get Your Online Store Noticed, 2020). By using this advertising method, you only need to pay for the ad when a viewer interacts with it.
Facebook, Instagram and Google ads also provide access to user friendly analytics. By monitoring these statistics you can create a profile of who your customer is and hone in on areas of improvement with the types of advertising you are choosing to use. In doing this, it will ensure that your social media strategy is well-targeted, stays under control and consistently monitored to ensure all business goals will be reached. Happy selling!
References:
Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., Isaac, H., Mercanti-Guérin, M. and Volle, P., 2017. Marketing Digital. Montreuil: Pearson.
Jolly, W., 2020. The 6 Most Effective Types Of Social Media Advertising In 2020. [online] The BigCommerce Blog. Available at: <https://www.bigcommerce.com.au/blog/social-media-advertising/#what-are-the-benefits-of-advertising-on-social-media-channels>
QuartSoft. 2020. How To Get Your Online Store Noticed. [online] Available at: <https://quartsoft.com/blog/201902/how-to-get-your-online-store-noticed>
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