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If social media is the main marketing channel for your vintage, antiques or secondhand shop and you aren't seeing great results, or if you are looking to grow your business, try one or more of these 10 tips for promoting online
As a small vintage or secondhand shop owner, or related service provider, you know how difficult it is to attract attention online for your resale business.
It’s time to break down online marketing into manageable, actionable tips you can take to grow your business.
In this article, we'll walk you through each tip step-by-step, pointing out why each is important and how it offers you more visibility.
Starting a blog on a website is one of the easiest ways to attract visitors.
With each post, you increase your chances of being found by potential customers looking for specific keywords in organic search engines such as Google.
Blogging also keeps your current and potential customers returning to your website to read more. The more your customers land on your website, the more they may be tempted to purchase one of your products.
The key is to create a new post consistently (e.g., weekly or bimonthly), offering entertaining and educational content for the reader. Choose topics that resonate with your customers.
If you own a vintage jewellery store, your potential customers will be endlessly fascinated with articles about precious or semi-precious gemstones, gold and silver, identifying hallmarks or jewellery styles and trends throughout the decades. Brainstorm.
If writing regular blog posts sounds daunting, consider batching this task together for a few hours a month and working ahead. This way, you will avoid any last-minute rushing.
It’s easy to be intimidated by SEO (search engine optimization), as it’s a broad topic and can get complex.
However, if you have a website or are considering one, it’s essential to understand that SEO helps search engines like Google find it. Translation: your website will rank better on the search page.
Create a list of words you imagine your customers will type into the search bar when searching for the type of products and services you sell.
There are many online tools that can help you with your search. Use Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, Ahrefs or Google Suggests. Type in your keyword ideas. You’ll see which keywords have the greatest search volume. Then, choose accordingly.
Select your primary keyword. Also, include secondary keywords such as subtopics and synonyms.
For example, if your keyword is “vintage,” your secondary keywords could be “vintage sellers,” “antiques,” “antique stores,” or “vintage costume jewellery,” depending on your products.
Various plug-ins and applications for your website, such as Yoast, help you grade the success of your SEO efforts and guide you through the process.
If you are running a website for your shop, link building helps to guide your potential customer throughout your website. Once you have your blog posts written, added keywords and posted your blog post, you are ready to start link building.
First, ensure that certain words in your blog post link back to your sales pages in your e-commerce shop.
For example, if you have written a post on summer fashion, consider linking items such as vintage sundresses or pre-loved sun hats to the items you have for sale. Use this tactic sparingly to avoid looking like a sales pitch.
Next, link the post to other posts on a similar topic — for example, link your summer fashions post to one you might have on the history of capri pants. Keep the customer reading.
Now that you have keyword-rich blog posts with strategic link-building in place, it’s time to post on social media. This is all about creating awareness. Use striking visuals to stand out from the crowd.
To make this task easier, consider taking snippets of text directly from your blog post, adding hashtags, and, most importantly, creating links back to your website.
Remember, you don’t have to be on every social media platform. Pick what works best for you and focus your attention there. Then, be present and interact with your customers.
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Consider sponsored social media, also known as paid social media. This enables you to use social media to advertise to a targeted audience of people who might be interested in your vintage or resale shop or service.
The idea is to gain a broader reach of potential customers, increase brand awareness and ultimately make sales.
For ideas, look at your highest-ranking posts on social media. You can use several types of ads, such as image ads that include a photo, text and a strong call to action (CTA). Other ideas include video advertising or influencer ads.
Find out what works best for you, and there are plenty of tutorials available on YouTube on how to set up an ad.
Most people think of Pinterest as a social media platform, but it is a search engine like Google.
With nearly 500 million users each month, the predominantly woman-identifying demographic looks to Pinterest for ideas and inspiration by entering keywords and phrases.
Creating pins or visual bookmarks about your vintage, antiques or secondhand shop, or related service, allows users to save and share your content. Of course, each pin needs to have appropriate keywords.
Use the same keyword planners as listed above to create strong SEO. Remember to link your pins back to your website.
Pinterest also allows you to create video content. It’s recommended that you keep all videos short, within six to 15 seconds.
When comparing Pinterest to other social media platforms, Pinterest has a “lifespan” — the potential for more eyes on your post — of seven days. Anything you post on Instagram has a lifespan of 48 hours. Facebook's is six hours, and a tweet on X is 18 minutes.
Once customers know your shop or service and you are bringing visitors to a website, capture their email addresses with an email marketing platform. These services are often free until you meet a minimum number of subscribers.
Invite visitors to join your email list at the bottom of each website page and blog post.
Create pop-ups using your email marketing platform. These can be set to appear within minutes of customers entering your site.
An email marketing list is even more valuable than your followers on social media. These are people who want to receive emails from you.
Unlike social media, which could shut down any time, the list is yours to keep for as long as your customer wishes to be part of it.
Grow your email list and potential customer base with a lead magnet. Lead magnets are free online items created for your customers in exchange for their email addresses.
A lead magnet could be as simple as a checklist or more complex like an educational e-book or free online seminar. For example, a guidebook on how to craft your personal style or a checklist on what to look for when shopping for vintage Pyrex. The options are endless.
While lead magnets take an investment of your time, each only needs to be crafted once. The return on investment (ROI) can be huge. Potential customers become customers and, with some nurturing, can become lifelong fans of your shop.
Now that you have an ever-growing email list, it’s time to use it. Create an automated welcome campaign to welcome new subscribers to your community.
Sales and promotional campaigns let your customers know about new products or sales. You can email them about new collection drops, story sales, in-store events and more.
Seasonal emails for holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day can increase your revenue. Use a strong call-to-action (CTA) to entice customers to click and explore your product pages.
Not every email should be about selling, however. While your customers will appreciate being informed about your merchandise, you’ll also need to educate, inform and delight them.
Create emails that are fun and informative for your readers. Share links to new blog posts on your website. Give them company updates and a look behind-the-scenes.
Everyone knows Amazon as a directory listing thousands of vendors where customers can search for and find the products they need.
Did you know that listing in a directory directly related to your niche gives you access to customers who know exactly what they want in a one-stop space?
Enter The Shop Secondhand Directory, powered by The Vintage Seeker, which connects buyers with resellers and related services.
Shoppers can discover shops and services and find vintage, antiques and contemporary pre-loved shops and services selling fashion, decor, furniture, art and collectibles.
They can also find related services offered by resellers and adjacent providers, including downsizing, styling, custom sourcing, consignment, repair and more.
Search can quickly be narrowed by era, style, product category, service, location or shipping options.
Customers can find links directly to storefronts or use the Send a Message feature to connect immediately. The directory also lists events, promotions, and sales.
Find out more information on how and why to list, then register for free! To update an existing listing, log in.
Online marketing is your key to growth as a small vintage or secondhand shop or related service provider.
Use blogging, SEO, link-building, social media, sponsored social media, and Pinterest, email list-building, lead magnets, email campaigns and online directories directly related to your niche, and watch your sales improve.
[Ed. note: If you are interested in learning more about business blogging, the writer has created a three-part free e-course called Business Blogging for Profit: Sell More Stuff and Make More Cash.]
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Karen Barr is a freelance writer in Ottawa, Ont.
