Get Your Name Out There!
Social Media, it's catching on and it isn't hard to do.
There isn’t any mystical magic that makes these platforms work. Just let your business be what it is. Real posts by people actually working in the business are the most effective. The star is the business.
Zero advertising budget, this is for you!
YOU can do it!
The first rule, Don’t overthink.
For many the biggest fear is starting, putting your business out there. So, suck it up buttercup, and do it. You are proud of your place. You work hard to build something that helps the community and provides a living.
Tell people, it’s OK!
The recipe is simple. Making it a habit takes a bit of work.
Not long ago I kept encouraging a colleague to try posting regularly on Facebook. He feared criticism, what if it isn’t good, or someone doesn’t like something, and so on. Eventually, he agreed to give it a try.
I challenged him to post every business day for a month. Posting that often right out of the box is deep end of the pool stuff.
I get it, it’s hard, but only at first.
Part of the magic of Facebook (what I’ll focus on today) is that professionally produced, perfectly worded, slick posts don’t do as well as candid pictures of this and that with some basic information. At least for thrift and small businesses, people want real, not manufactured.
The M&M Facebook page we all know is managed by a marketing agency and we are good with that. You are not and don’t want to be that.
What happened to my colleague?
Hitting publish the first few times was hard, not so much with the technology, mostly in his head. Creating the post wasn’t even the hardest part, it was actually pushing the button.
Then he started picking up followers, shares, and likes. Yes, a few trolls popped up, but he hid or ignored them. He learned what worked and what didn’t. By the end of a month, he was seeing some success.
Never let some a#* decide what you say or do.
After three months it was part of his routine. More importantly a lot of old and new customers made a habit of checking his daily posts. Connections turn into relationships and sales. People noticed if he missed a day.
Eventually one of his posts hit a thousand views. You would have thought he won the lottery. That may sound like a small number, but when you are working to connect with a local community, that’s good growth.
It isn’t about being a global influencer, it’s about creating real local connections.
Even small retail chains can be squeamish about empowering field staff to do their own posts. Giving people the social media keys to the kingdom is something to think about. Whatever gets out there is out there.
If giving direct access doesn’t work, have a single point trusted contact that will consistently and quickly approve and/or upload content to store-level social media sites.
This post also available as a PDF
So Take One Step, Then Another, and Keep Going.
The secret sauce is consistency + time.
It isn’t production value or fancy equipment. Those things can help, start with what you have. If you have a smartphone you are good to go. Even if it’s an Android! (OK, I’m an iPhone Guy)
Do these things with whatever resources you have at hand:
Post something regularly.
Tell your shoppers and donors about your page, and ask them to follow/like.
Follow up regularly on comments.
For now don’t worry about SEO, clickthroughs, trend lines, and all that. Consistency is the king. You want to build good habits.
You spent the money to put a physical sign on your building, well, social media posts are the same thing, just online.
To break things down further:
Post regularly about what you are about. In thrift, interesting or unusual items keep people intrigued. Crazy stuff doesn’t show up every day, so sometimes it’s a category you have a good selection of. Posting about an upcoming sale is a winner as well.
If posting every day is too much, start with weekly or twice a week. Be consistent on what day(s) you post. You can always increase once you get comfortable with the process.
If it’s an individual item post the price, otherwise your phone will blow up with calls. Same for categories, list the range, like “summer shorts from $3.99 to $7.99. (a great post on that first really warm spring day)
When a unique item that was posted sells, a follow-up tag that says SOLD! sends a great message as well. If it’s a category, you can follow up the next day with SOLD 100 pairs of summer shorts yesterday, fresh items coming out today!
Never, ever hold items or take payment over the phone on your one-off FB items, always first come first served in person. Trust me on this one.
If you are posting a sale, post early that morning or the evening before and remind everyone of your store hours, especially if they are different for the sale.
If your business supports a cause in some way post about that every now and then. Include real examples of the difference the cause made in someone’s life. People connect with real people and real stories.
Let people know about community events you are involved in. If you are in the July 4 parade let people know they will find you there.
If you are closed for a holiday or vacation post that, any major event that directly affects your customers.
If a storm knocks the power out for a while, post about that. Over time (that again) your page will become the reference point for your customers.
If you are short on a category of goods, ask for donations in a post.
Watch which posts gain the most attention, find the common traits, and do more along those lines.
Tell your shoppers. They are already engaged, let them engage a little more by following and liking your page.
Make a small bag insert.
If you can, add your info to the bottom of your receipt
Have a little sign at the register.
Have your cashiers talk about your page and how people can keep track of what is going on. Especially to your regulars.
Get a QR code that links to your page and put it on your literature.
Ask employees, family, and friends to follow to get that first boost early on.
FB and Insta are driven by fresh content, people are driven by things they are interested in. It boils down to eyeballs, when the site figures out you are getting eyeballs your page will be even easier to find.
This is the magical algorithm in a nutshell.
As a bonus for your followers, send out an occasional promotion just on FB, don’t promote it elsewhere or even in the store. It doesn’t have to be crazy but should be good enough to motivate people to stop in.
Getting Started: Some setup, or updates for your Facebook Business page:
This Youtube video does a great job of walking through how to set up a FB business page. There are quite a few out there, this one is to the point. Keep in mind that FB is constantly changing and tweaking stuff.
A couple of thrift store-focused tips:
For now, make your cover picture of the exterior front of your store. Especially at first, make it easy for someone new to your page to say, “Oh yea, that’s it”. You might change it up from time to time for events.
Your cover photo should be a horizontal image that is at least 820 x 312 pixels. I plugged in a random picture and FB-sized it up. If your picture is a different size you can adjust what shows up by using the reposition option.
Your profile picture should be a square image that is at least 180 x 180 pixels. That’s best as your logo or your picture. Canva is a great tool for resizing, it has a good free version.
Don’t skimp on filling things out fully from the start including the bio page and your normal store hours. Include your return or no return policy.
It’s been my experience that thrift shoppers are an intensely loyal bunch. This is just about helping them connect a little more.
"You don't have to be good to start … you just have to start to be good." Joe Sabah
Send me a link to your page and I’ll be happy to follow!
Post Ideas:
Interesting or unusual items that just arrived - These are some of the most effective posts. (see my notes above)
Feature a category that is seasonally correct, or one you are promoting because you need to clear some out.
Feature the categories in your store one at a time. People might not know you sell books, or whatever.
Seasonal sets or changes.
Community awards.
Feature a new employee (if they are comfortable with it)
If you sell, or sell something special online post about that with a link.
Store anniversaries or special dates
Discounts you give, for example, if you give Veterans 10% off on Tuesdays, post that once in a while.
If you support a cause, post about a specific success that the cause has from time to time. We support Habitat for Humanity is great. A post about a recent home dedication and a new homeowner is better.
Also if you support a cause and they have an event, post about that as well.
Ask for donations in an area you need more of.
“Did you know” post? Some tidbits about a specific category. For example, it could be sharing something like this Youtube short about Pyrex.
Post about a policy change. For example, if you are going to quit accepting checks (most have) let everyone know when the policy will be effective. Same with a change in the return policy, store hours, etc.
Tips for Posting on Facebook
Once you have created your Facebook Business Page, it's important to post regularly and engage with your audience to keep them interested. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Post consistently to keep your audience engaged. Daily, weekly, bi-weekly. Whatever it is stick with it. Only increase the frequency when you are comfortable you can sustain it.
Use hashtags to increase your post's visibility. Hashtags can help your posts reach a wider audience and make it easier for people to find your content. Hashtags create clickable links to posts with that hashtag. If you always use the #thrift and or #resale you automatically connect your post to other posts about that topic. (they are single words with no spaces or punctuation)
Respond promptly to comments and messages to show your customers that you value their feedback. Engaging with your audience and responding to their comments and messages can help you build trust and credibility with your customers. For more on hiding comments that you don’t want public.
Once you are comfortable with the basics and are posting consistently, experiment with different types of content, such as videos, blog posts, and infographics, to see what resonates best with your audience. Not all types of content will work for every audience, so it's important to experiment and see what works best for your business.
You can grow your customer base without bowing to the gurus of the internet.
By following these tips, you can create a successful Facebook Business Page that engages your audience and helps your business grow.
This post also available as a free PDF
And available on Youtube
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post please share it!
Tim Gebauer
Thrift Retailer - Dedicated to the business of thrift retail.
I am happy to connect on LinkedIn.
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Check out my Online Sellers book on Amazon
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