Are you looking to expand your online presence for your reselling business? Instagram is the perfect platform for you to showcase your unique vintage items and connect with potential customers. Social media is an invaluable tool for independent secondhand and vintage clothing retailers, and Instagram is one of the best options out there. Visuals-driven and used by millions, Instagram is the ideal place to share both your awesome clothing and personal story with a wide community of vintage-lovers and bring in customers to your store. Read on for some tips on how to use Instagram effectively for your reselling business and make the most of all it can offer you.

Create a visually appealing business profile

The first step to using Instagram for your shop is to create a visually appealing profile that maximizes Instagram’s tools for businesses. If you haven’t already set up an Instagram, choose a username that reflects your store’s name and niche, and use a clear and recognizable profile picture. Try to make this profile picture attractive, as this might be what brings customers in when spotting your name in follower lists or comment sections. Remember to use the same picture across any other social media platforms you have, so you’re instantly recognizable. 

Your bio should include a brief description of your store and a call-to-action to visit your website or physical location. This might be through a link-in-bio tool like Linktree, which allows you to share all your links in one place. Instagram bios only allow 150 characters, so make sure you use them wisely: line-breaks and well-picked emojis can help make the info look clear and inviting. 

Setting up your Instagram profile as a business account is essential to making the most of this platform. Instagram business accounts provide plenty of benefits to utilize as a store: you can view analytics info about who you’re reaching, run ads and even sell products directly from the app. It couldn’t be easier – all you have to do is go to Settings, then Account and Switch to a Professional Account. Select your category and continue as a Business account to follow the easy steps to access all this incredibly helpful info. Analytics will help you know when and what to post, which we’ll explain next. 

What to post

Now you’ve set up your Instagram Business Account, it’s important to get the content right. Your posts help to define your target audience, so make sure you consider what those potential buyers might like to see. Start off with info about your store in simple but attractive infographic style posts with a bit about your store, FAQs and what makes you you. If you have a physical location, tell people where you are and when you’re open. Looking at the pages of similar stores can be a good place to start for inspo. 

Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure you take clear and well-lit photos of your best secondhand items to show them off as the gems they are. Use a high-quality camera or smartphone and experiment with different angles and lighting to showcase the unique features and details of each item. If you’re into funky set-ups, try designing your shoots so they show your style and attract the target audience you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to keep your photos consistent in style and theme, so your profile looks cohesive and professional. Whether this is HD photos with a plain white background or colorful scenic shoots that showcase your personal style, try and keep a consistent style that creates a recognizable brand. 

Captions are super important tools to add extra info along with some flavor to your posts. Use keywords associated with your brand and product, along with well-chosen emojis to make longer captions easier to read and more visually appealing. Hashtags can be a great way to reach a wider audience interested in vintage and secondhand fashion. Research popular hashtags and include them in your posts to increase visibility, or experiment to see what works for you. You can also create your own branded hashtags to help build your brand and make it easier for customers to find your content. Avoid excessive hashtags though, as it looks clunky and can be unappealing, and always put them at the bottom of your caption.

If you have a physical store, geotag it or your city as the location. This will connect you with the community, and if people are looking for things to do in the area, they might just see your store pop up!

Posts aren’t the only form of content you can share on Instagram. While this will be what makes up your main feed, there are various other ways you can communicate with your followers and potential buyers. Stories, for example, are the perfect place to share quick info like reminders or behind-the-scenes snaps that keep buyers interested. You can then save these as a Highlight at the top of your page, so a few consecutive stories with key info about your shop can be saved in one easily-accessible FAQ highlight. Share new or important posts as stories, just in case followers have missed it on their timelines! 

A newer feature to make the most of is Instagram Reels. These are short videos that let you get creative when showcasing your gorgeous products, without requiring a big budget for production costs. Reels are proven to increase reach and engagement, as the Instagram algorithm pushes their new products. Make the most of this feature while it’s hot and share a couple of reels a week to keep on top of the trend. While they require more effort than a quick post of story, you will reap the rewards when those likes and new followers roll in. 

Use Instagram’s business analytics to see which posts, stories and reels are gaining the most traction to see what’s working best for you.

When to post

You want to make sure you’re posting regularly on Instagram to keep up the traction of your profile and let followers know you’re on trend and here to stay. We recommend at least once a day if possible, with even more stories to keep your presence up. Knowing when to post is where the Instagram Business Account feature really comes in handy. You can use business insights to see when your followers are most active and work out the best time to post and reach the most people from there. If this is later than you’d usually like to be active, don’t worry, you can use various third-party tools like Later and Sprout Social to schedule posts for when you want them to be seen without having to do it at exactly that time. You can even prepare a batch of posts to go out and schedule them at certain times to save you time going back and creating each individual post at different times. 

Keep a calendar of important dates you want to share with your Instagram community like Black Friday or sale days, or theme your content around occasions like Independence Day or International Women’s Day. This will keep you relevant, and is also a good way to share with your followers what matters to you and your business more generally. 

Engage with your audience and keep them interested

Once you’ve got your followers, it’s important not to lose them and keep them buying from your business. Reply to any messages and comments quickly to prove your reliability, and consider spreading your reach by commenting on your followers posts when appropriate. For example, if a buyer posts a great pic of them wearing some of your vintage pieces, comment how much you love their post! This is a great way of free marketing. 

Keep people interested by hosting giveaways, raffles and competitions. Setting up a giveaway that requires users to follow you and share your post on their story to enter is a perfect way to broaden your reach, as they will be sharing your store with all of their followers too. People love free stuff, and it does you a favor too!

Show you’re keeping on top of the latest trends in fashion via your stories. If Rihanna steps out shopping wearing a sports jersey and running shorts, share with your followers similar items you have in stock. Make sure to keep your followers updated with any cool new things you’re doing or stocking too.

One of the main assets of Instagram and social media for businesses is the ability to work with influencers. Partnering with influencers who align with your brand can help increase your reach and drive traffic to your store. Look for influencers in your niche with a similar aesthetic and target audience, and reach out to them to see if they’re interested in collaborating. You can offer them a free item in exchange for a post or tag, or pay them for a sponsored post. Having an influential figure share your business with their fanbase can help drive new customers to your store and show you as a trendy and trusted business.

Consider going Live with your influencer ambassadors as an opportunity to share what your business is about and any upcoming events with their followers as well as yours. While there’s always the risk of something out of your control happening while broadcasting live, it can be worth it, especially if you’ve got something great you want to share or make that personal connection with your followers. Even something small like showing a new stock delivery as a sneak peak to those keen buyers before they’re posted to your website or put out on the rails in store can be a great form of interaction. Just make sure you’re prepared and have a plan for the stream, and all should run smoothly!

Instagram can be an extremely valuable tool for vintage store owners looking to expand their online presence. By creating a visually appealing profile, posting high-quality posts at the right time, engaging with your audience and collaborating with influencers, you can effectively use Instagram to promote your vintage store and connect with potential customers. Don’t forget that by using Fleek to sell your wholesale products, we can feature your store on our Instagram feed too. Make sure to follow us at @joinfleek for latest wholesale drops and the hottest trends, or check out our app, website and FAQs for more information on how we work.