By Daniela Baker
As a flea market vendor, you may not think much about using online platforms to promote your business, but it’s really time to jump on the social media and online marketing bandwagon. According to Socialnomics, Facebook is the social media platform with the biggest impact on purchasing decisions, although using Twitter and Google+ could help market your business, as well. There are plenty of great ways to use tools like Facebook to promote your business. Build a brand online and watch your flea market business soar. If you’re curious about how to leverage these free platforms for your business, here are three ways to promote your merchandise through social media:
Use the Flea Market’s Social Media Platforms
Oftentimes, the flea market that you sell in will have a blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed of its own. Flea market shoppers who may not be interested in liking or following a particular seller at the flea market may follow the larger flea market pages. So jump on board with these social media platforms. Talk to your flea market’s marketing person to figure out how individual sellers can use the market’s social media platform. You may be able to promote specific merchandise, advertise sales or offer a coupon through the market’s Facebook page or Twitter feed. This can be a great way to break into social media marketing without having to put all the time and effort into creating a following of your own!
Start a Blog with Your Latest Merchandise
Once you’ve gotten your feet wet in social media marketing by advertising on your flea market’s larger pages, consider starting a blog to give yourself content for your own Facebook page and Twitter feed. You could blog about your latest finds, interesting customer stories or feedback that you get from your customers. You might even do your customers a huge service, as well as spread the love for your business, by allowing other flea market sellers (but not your direct competitors, of course) to advertise their sales and merchandise on your blog. In fact, starting a group blog with other sellers that you like and trust can be a great option. When small business owners band together, the results are often fabulous. A blog is just a starting point for social media initiatives, but it’s a great way to generate content that you can then share through Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Tell a Story
The important part of marketing through social media is to tell a story that gets customers interested in your brand and your products. You should come up with your business’s overarching brand story before you get started. Are you a part-time seller and full-time mom who works the flea market booth during school hours? How about a retiree who just loves interacting with customers over collectible coins? Whatever your reason for going into business, customers want to hear your story. Not only do customers at your flea market booth want to hear your story, they also want to hear the stories of your merchandise. Any time you have a particularly interesting piece of merchandise for sale, tell its story online. Help potential customers make an emotional connection with your merchandise, and you’ll be much more likely to get the sale.
Using social media as a marketing tool for your flea marketing business can take time, and you may want to hire a pro to do some basic branding and design work on your blog and Facebook page. But the effort can be well worth your time when you bring new customers to your flea market booth and remind old customers why they love shopping with you so that they come back again and again.
About the author: Daniela Baker is a frequent blogger on CreditDonkey.com.